|
Written by Alana Coombes
|
|
Wednesday, 08 June 2011 |
2011 Southern Inter Club Match 29th May
Arun & Downland Team Report
This is my first year as a dog handler & Peppers’ first in competition, so when we were asked to join a team of 3 dogs in the Arun & Downland Inter club match we were so pleased to accept. When we arrived it was a very pleasant surprise to find everyone so friendly and made us feel very welcome which calmed our nerves. The other team members were Ian Ford with Twist and Mike Fleming with Zen.We started the day with a tasty bacon roll and coffee for the handler, sorry Pep. The weather was spot on, not too hot or cold but dry, great - Pep will stay dry or so I thought. Wrong....our first test was a water retrieve I could almost see the excitement on my Peps face, she loves the water. Once the first one was over we started to relax a little more and get stuck in.Our team leader Ian Ford was brilliant, he talked us through some bits that we felt uncertain of and gave me lots of encouragement. The judges also had a few words with me after each test which was very helpful. Our huge learning curve continues and we try to take onboard all we are told.The tests were interesting and fun, each one very different from each other. It was great to work as a team and talk about who was going to do which test, we changed our tactics a few times and ran the dogs best suited to the retrieve, rather than Pepper doing the novice all the time, playing to the strength of each dog.My favourite test was number 4; I had to send Pepper down a path over a jump to collect a dummy that was at the other side of the jump. Off she went like a shot, took off like a rocket I blew my whistle just as she cleared the top of the fence and she landed in a perfect sitting position on her bottom facing me, I almost started to laugh as she landed, it's one of those moments in time that you feel time stands still.......you must have had one in your training. Anyway she came back with the dummy looking very pleased with herself, and so was I. That for me is the reason for doing it, that feeling of working my dog and being at one with her.With one test left, it made me feel quite sad that the day was almost over, we’d had that much fun. Then it was back at the start everyone was enjoying the hog roast rolls and rather a lovely trifle afterwards.There were lots of conversations about how everyone had done with certain tests and which one was their favourite. I would just like to say a BIG thank you to all the Judges for their help and advice all the helpers and organisers and the caterers. That takes rather a lot of work to put on. Looking forward to next year, we hope to be asked to represent the club again, if not then good luck to the team. If you’re asked then I’d say seize the opportunity with both hands, it’s a superb day.Well done to the winners.Madge King & Pepper.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 June 2011 )
|
|
|
Written by Alana Coombes
|
|
Monday, 30 May 2011 |
Southern Inter Club Match - 29th May 2011
RESULTS
Winning Team - Utility Gundog Society (Kent & East Sussex)
Barrethall Quartz Open Handler: Barry Harvey
Labrador Dog 12/0308
Flintsfield Spring Beauty Novice Handler: Mandy Smith
Labrador Bitch 25/03/07
Brockweir Storm Petrel ND/NH Handler: Sarah Forwood
Labrador Dog 25/05/08
Second Team - Berkshire Downs & Chilterns Golden Retriever Club
Holway Phantom of Tarinomagh Open Handler: Toni Sanders
Golden Retriever Bitch 08/03/05
Alamy Dunbar of Auro Novice Handler: Roy Wort
Golden Retriever Dog 10/07/08
Solstice Coxford ND/NH Handler: Wendy Neville
Labrador Dog 15/08/06
Third Team - Eastern Counties Golden Retriever Club
Haddeo Sweet Briar Open Handler: Stuart Robson
Golden Retriever Bitch 17/02/04
Birdsgreen Elm at Tealcreek Novice Handler: Mike Hamilton
Golden Retriever Bitch 30/09/07
Froglane Tully ND/NH Handler: Pip Warde
Golden Retriever Bitch 19/08/07
Fourth Team - Isle of Wight Gundog Society
Dunnose River at Ramwolf Open Handler: Lily Renouf
Labrador Bitch 28/08/08
Dunnose Ripple Novice Handler: Terry Souter
Labrador Dog 28/08/08
Greenbriar Glenmorangie ND/NH Handler: Andy Webb
Labrador Dog 08/01/09
Top Open Dog - Hampshire Gundog Society Oakvalley Black SabbathLabrador Dog 10/10/05 Handler: Paul Jennings
Top Novice Dog - Utility Gundog Society (Kent & East Sussex) Flintsfield Spring BeautyLabrador Bitch 25/03/07 Handler: Mandy Smith
Top ND/NH & Judge’s Choice - Berkshire Downs & Chilterns Golden Retriever Club Solstice CoxfordGolden Retriever Dog 15/08/06 Handler: Wendy Neville
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 June 2011 )
|
|
|
Written by Alana Coombes
|
|
Wednesday, 18 May 2011 |
|
Inter Counties Team Event 2011 The 2011 Inter-Counties Team event was held this year at the Lyndon Estate near Rutland Water on the 17th April, organised by last year’s winners East Midland Gundog Club.With Ian Ford and his black bitch “Twist”. Shirley Carew with “Furlong” and me myself and I with “Wilson”, we all met up the evening before in a comfortable Pub in Rutland organized by our enthusiastic team manager Mike and the incredibly supportive Edwina Crutchley. The day dawned unseasonably hot and sunny and, confident we had put in a fair amount of training and that our dogs were all on good form, we had high hopes of doing reasonably well. Andrew (our chairman) and Romy Parsons also made the trip up North to support our efforts for which we were very grateful.The 6 tests were run with 6 able Judges and 12 teams competing.Our first test was a walk up with 3 blinds to retrieve at an angle across some tricky rough cover into a field of crop with a distraction. Shirley and Ian did a good job but unfortunately Wilson failed to pick. This failure rather set the trend for the day as Ian’s bitch then picked the wrong dummy on the next test and Shirley’s Furlong presented her with a perfectly desiccated rabbit skin on the 3rd test! Rather despondent we soldiered on and then had 3 tests in field of flowering rape which rather overexcited Furlong and Wilson developed selective hearing! The Norfolk Gundog Club came out top and we were not quite at the bottom. However despite our failures we had a lovely day in blazing sunshine and our thanks to everyone who came up to support us and to Edwina for a lovely picnic lunch!Wendy Glue
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 May 2011 )
|
|
|
Working Tests 
