We are indebted to Mr Jeremy Haywood for allowing us to use this ground; our trainers/judges Mike Birchall (open) and Julie Campbell (novice); Will Hales for organising the pigeons and all those who helped without whom we would not have been able to hold our cold game training.
It was very hot (an understatement!) so we decided to do an hour or so training, have a quick lunch and then have four tests.
Test 1 was a walk up with a marked bird down the line and a shot fired for a marked bird in front. The first dog took the mark down the line, second dog the mark in front. The dogs changed places and the test was repeated. Birds for the open dogs were at a greater distance.
Test 2 was a walk up with 2 dogs in line. There was a shot, a bird thrown to the right, a shot fired and a bird thrown to the left. The first dog on the right picked the right-hand bird, the second dog retrieved the left-hand bird. After walking on and the birds thrown as before, the right-hand bird was picked by the left-hand dog, the right-hand dog picked the bird to the left.
Test 3 was a static test, a mark and a blind. A shot was fired and a bird thrown. The handler sent the dog on name. When the dog was part way back, a blind was thrown in the same area as the mark for the handler to send the dog in own time. Retrieves for open dogs were over a greater distance.
Test 4 was a static test. There was a blind at the side of the beet in longish grass and a mark with shot in the beet. The novice dogs took the mark in the beet first. By this time the dogs were getting hot and tired so the open dogs just had a simple blind out of the beet in the grass.
Results
Novice
1st Tina Bateman with Bucca
2nd Alison Cook with Sapphire
Open
1st Martin Abbott with Moss
2nd Alison Cook with with Kia
3rd Lucinda Southern with Roy