The Judges and the Open Award winners with prizes of Alpha
The United Retriever Club (North Midland Area) held an Open Working Test for Any Variety Retriever on Sunday 10th May 2015 at Warren Farm, Haughton, Nottinghamshire by kind permission of the owner Mr T Banks and Richard Inger, the Farm manager. 32 dogs were entered, 24 Labradors and 8 Golden Retrievers. Prizes were generously sponsored by Alpha – the food of Champions.
The weather was warm and pleasant. The judges were Mick Newsam, Jane Fairclough and Elaine Whittaker. The farmland has areas of set-aside, blocks of woodland and an irrigation pond. All the tests were designed to simulate retrieves on a typical shoot day or on one of the field trials held there.
The first round of retrieves utilised rough grassland. Elaine judged a double retrieve in a broad strip of set-aside next to Fishpond Wood. This consisted of a mark, followed by a blind. Meanwhile Mick and Jane assessed four dogs in line for a walk up, with one marked retrieve under each judge.
After lunch a long walk took competitors to a long narrow irrigation pond, near Walesby Beck. Elaine judged a mark diagonally across the pond, whilst Jane judged a blind among alders on the far bank. Meanwhile Mick judged a mark followed by a blind, with the dogs crossi8ng the steep-sided beck and ranging across stubble to pick at a distance.
This led to the following results, with the trophies and prizes of Alpha presented by long-serving committee member Brian Holmes.
1st Paul Birkbeck’s Labrador dog Warrenbank Fen, 2nd Russell Hodgen’s Labrador bitch Partridge Flush of Russjancoe, 3rd John Cardno’s Labrador bitch Kilnpotlees Harris Hawk, 4th Sue Lowe’s Labrador dog Lowsommer Seven Seas of Rhye (Lincs)
Certificates of Merit:Bob Robinson’s Labrador bitch Henwinshire Harbor Lass (Lincs), Charlotte Smith’s Labrador bitch Derrity Rose. Anne Crookes with Golden Retriever bitch Mistybrook Maive of Moscargrange, Water Cup. Russell Hodgen’s Labrador bitch Roselea Zara