An enormous sugar beet field was at our disposal by kind permission of the Laird Family. This enabled Sue Lowe to set the dogs some challenging retrieves. Thanks are due to our judges, Sue Lowe and Alastair Ford, who enjoyed watching and scoring the thirty two dogs and to Keith Parker who was the Chief Steward. Our thanks, also, to our sponsors for the day, Will Hales and Sue Lowe.
An enormous sugar beet field was at our disposal by kind permission of the Laird Family. This enabled our Chief Steward, Keith Parker, to give the dogs some challenging retrieves. Thanks are due to our judges, Sue Lowe and Alastair Ford, who enjoyed watching and scoring the thirty two dogs. Our thanks, also, to our sponsors for the day, Will Hales and Sue Lowe.
In the first round, each dog had two long retrieves in front and then a crossing retrieve in the second round. There was some excellent dog work, but a number of the less experienced dogs struggled to find the birds in and behind the large patches of tall thistles. After lunch, the judges cut to thirteen dogs. All stood steadily in line for a drive and then moved off leaving the birds as memories for later. The judges had already organised birds and rabbits at three different locations marked by posts. Handlers came to the judges in pairs and each dog had to pick a blind from a specified one of the three stations and a memory from the drive. The memories did not pose a problem but the blinds, particularly at one station, proved difficult. Finally, the judges had a run off between four dogs. This took the form of a 50 yard blind retrieve signalled by a shot. The dogs had to go through the beet and onto the track shielded by tall grasses beside the field. The cabbage field beyond proved to be a pull for the dogs and the judges were able to decide their final order.
Results:
1st Arkglass Taylor LDR D handled by Andy Slingsby*
2nd Derrity Thor LDR D handled by Charlotte Jeffrey**
3rd Squareclose Rachael of Owmbywold LDR B handled by Mike Birchall
CoM Flossmill Eliott LDR D handled by Bel Grundy
*awarded the Ferndown Shield and the Sweep Parker Memorial Trophy for Lincs Area member
**awarded the Lintran Challenge Trophy for the best retrieve of the day and the Springflight Trophy for the best looking yellow Labrador.