Open Working Test at Mavis Enderby on Sunday, 1 June 2014

What a brilliant ground this is. There are wooded areas, valleys, lakes, long grass, dykes, grassland and tracks. We really appreciate Mr Robert Avery allowing us to run our dogs over his land. We also thank Mole Country Stores for sponsoring the event.

Our Chief Steward was Sue Lowe and she had devised some excellent tests for Steve Crookes, Anne Crookes and Jim Christon to use to judge the 21 dogs and handlers.

Test 1 was in one of the valleys. A shot was fired and a dummy thrown to land in long grass just out of sight of the dog. Before retrieving this, there was a long blind where the dog had to pick only one of three dummies down.

Test 2 a shot heralded a single mark in a lake. But to get to the mark, the dogs had to go over a dyke and a grass track, swim across a lake, and go over grassland to reach the lake where the dummy was floating. Once the handlers managed to direct the dogs into the right area, the dummies were picked well.

Test 3 saw two dogs sat at an angle to each other. A shot was fired on the right hand side and the mark could only be seen whilst its trajectory took it above the trees. The lowest number dog picked this dummy and the second dog had to pick a blind down a track to the left. The dogs then changed places and the test was repeated.

The judges took 14 dogs through to the afternoon session. There was a six dog walk up. Handlers and dogs were kept on their toes with a mixture of marks and blinds in any direction with some water retrieves included. This proved to be an exciting final test which was the downfall of only one or two dogs.

Results:

1^st Haverholme Park Phoenix LR D David Wheatcroft *

2^nd Henwinshier Harbor Lass LR B Robert Robinson**

3^rd Roughton Raffles LR D David Wheatcoft

4^th Copperbirch Ross LR B Lee Hayman

COM Cawdenbrigg Gypsey LR B Gill King

*awarded the Lincolnshire Area Shield and the Glebespray Tankard for the highest placed Lincolnshire Area member

**awarded the Ansoncha Shield for the Runner-up and the Riaghyll Black Shadow Shield for the youngest dog in the awards