Worlaby is one of the prettiest grounds that we visit and we thank Mr T Lamyman for allowing us to hold our Intermediate Working Test here and use the lovely lakes to challenge our dogs. We also thank Thomas Bell and Co for sponsoring the event.
Sue Lowe was the Chief Steward and Gill Stewart and Martin Eveleigh judged the fifteen entries.
There were four tests for all dogs in the morning. We watched hopefully as the predicted storms circled round and were relieved that only three of the very short, sharp hail storms came our way. Unfortunately, each one arrived as Port Royal Peppa was about to retrieve!
Test 1 was a mark and a blind. The handler stood on the valley floor and the mark, picked first, was thrown, with a shot, onto the grass at the top of the valley side. Most dogs found this fairly straightforward, but the blind proved to be more of a problem. It was placed almost at the top of the other side of the valley so that the dogs had to negotiate diagonally across a 50yd wide stretch of grassland between two woods. Some handlers sent their dog along the diagonal whilst others opted to go up the side of the right hand wood and then across to the edge of the left hand wood, but all tried to avoid the dog going out of sight over the brow of the hill.
Test 2 was again a mark and a blind. The mark was thrown first onto grass near a ploughed field some 80yds from the peg, but the blind had to be picked first. There was a 5yd strip of grass between two lakes and the dummy was hidden behind reeds on the left hand edge. Most dogs succeeded, but several couldn’t believe that the dummy wasn’t in the water.
Test 3 was a water test. A single mark was thrown from the bank of the lake over the island to land in the water beyond. Handlers had to try to send their dogs over the island rather than round it and return the same way.
Test 4 was a long blind. The dogs had to run along the edge of the lake and go out of sight to pick the dummy. They then had to retrace their steps to retrieve a second dummy placed in the same place.
Six dogs survived to the afternoon, but everyone was given the opportunity to do the remaining two tests.
Test 5 was a two dog walk up along a valley floor. After a 20yd walk, a shot was fired and a mark thrown behind. The right hand dog had to retrieve a very long blind by a tree half way up the right hand side of the valley before the left side dog picked the mark. This was repeated with the left side dog going for a blind by a tree on the left side before the other dog picked the mark. Nearly all of the dogs struggled on the blinds.
Test 6 was a picking up exercise. Three dummies were put out on the hillside and two had to be picked.
Results
1st Donascimento Peres FCR D handled by Casper Jonsen*
2nd Clarks Bush Teasle LDR B handled by Vicki Strawson
3rd Kendeci Severn LDR D handled by Chris Johnson
*awarded the Ortolan Shield
The winners were awarded our special 40th anniversary trophies and rosetts:
