The weather was appalling until lunch, but the twenty five dogs and their handlers enjoyed the excellent and exciting tests set on this superb ground. We thank Mr and Mrs R Avery for allowing us to come again to Mavis Enderby. We also thank Mole Country Store for sponsoring the event.
Sarah Coomber-Smith, John Day and Alan Richardson were our judges for the Open Working Test and Sue Lowe was the Chief Steward.
There were three tests in the morning for all of the dogs.
Test 1 was in cover in a small plantation. A short mark with a shot was thrown towards a post. The dogs had to pick this before going for a long blind down a narrow track. The mark proved to be more difficult than it looked, with a number of handlers allowing their dogs to hunt well out of the area.
Test 2 was a very long mark, with a shot, down a grass track and a blind (picked first) down a line of trees.
Test 3 was a double mark in long rough grass. The first mark was thrown over a dyke into a large hollow in the grass. The second was thrown towards a telegraph pole. Both marks were heralded with a shot and the first one thrown was retrieved first. This test was the undoing of almost half of the dogs, either because they would not go over the dyke or went well out of the area.
Eleven dogs went through to the afternoon for two more tests.
Test 4 The dogs had to pick a blind placed at an angle on a grassy bank over the water.
Test 5 was a four dog walk up which turned out to be an exciting affair. Two dummies saluted with two shots were thrown into the water at the same time. Another dummy with shot was thrown into the trees. A shot was fired behind to the left alongside a wood and a mark was thrown into long grass. The twist in the tail was that the handlers didn’t know which dummy they would have to send their dog to retrieve!
Results:
1st Arkglas Taylor LR D handled by Andy Slingsby*
2nd FTCh Nevillebriar Golden Plover LR D handled by Andy Slingsby**
3rd Sensational Sherri LR B handled by Mrs K Juba
4th Warrenbank Fen LR D handled by Paul Birkbeck
CoM Knottsberry Kestrel LR D handled by James Walgate
*awarded the Lincolnshire Area Shield for the winner and the Riaghyll Black Shadow Shield for the youngest dog in the awards
**awarded the Ansoncha Shield for Runner-up