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Held at Glewstone, Herefordshire. By kind permission of Heather and Andrew Jackson on Saturday 25th August
It is with enormous gratitude that we have to thank Heather and Andrew Jackson for use of their beautiful land for the 2001 Working Tests. the farm is purely fruit and arable and so posed no threat to the spread of Foot & Mouth Disease. However we all appreciate the feelings of those who made the decision not to travel under the present circumstances.
The numbers were well down in the Puppy & Novice Tests, no doubt reflecting the lack of training and facilities we have all inevitably suffered this year. Open dogs need less training to keep them up to scratch and this too was reflected in the entry.
PUPPY TEST
The Puppy Tests were based as usual on training exercises: steadiness, heelwork, retrieving from land and water, with a hunting exercise in the strawberry fields and there was plenty of scope to show which had mastered the basics well. Many thanks to Dr Alex Graham who did a really superb job with the minimum of fuss or delay. the standard was high but the clear winner with full marks for all tests was:-
1st. Wendy Andrews' dog, Catcombe Copernicus (7/6/00)
2nd. Kevin Ridley's bitch, Merryway Firecrest (21/1/00)
3rd. Wendy Andrews' bitch Catcombe Covey (7/6/00)
4th. Mervyn Philpott's dog, Standerwick Corey (22/5/00)
COM's went to
Roy Wart's Catcombe Calceolaria of Auro
John Slatter's Harsett Barley's Son
Andrew England's Dairycott Fennell
NOVICE TEST
The novice test proved a little too difficult for some of the dogs, no doubt partly due to lack of training facilities. There were 2 water tests followed by a walk-up and a tricky double mark, one through a gateway and one on the nearside, 20 feet or so right of the gateway under the hedge. handlers could choose which to pick first.
The dog that won, clearly proved by her marks that she would be capable of going on to Open competition by scoring 75 out of a possible 80.
1st. Kevin Ridley's bitch Castlemans Classic Jazz (12/3/99)
2nd. Lyn Hughes' dog Catcombe Chadow (5/4/99)
3rd. Robin Mills' dog Abnalls Cassidy of Eastdale (31/1/99)
4th. Dave Clinch's dog Geneva Dorset Brigand (6/4/99)
VETERAN TEST
The veterans were up to strength with 6 dogs running well. Their tests were set to reflect the greater knowledge and experience of these dogs, and they all seemed to enjoy showing what they could achieve as their scores clearly illustrated with the winner only dropping one point.
1st. Phil Wagland's bitch Standerwick Tango of Pebbletoft (12/3/92)
2nd. Wendy Andrew's dog Catcombe Clever (8/7/93)
3rd. Anna Wagland's bitch Pebbletoft Cherry
4th. Wendy Andrews' dog Catcombe Canny (8/7/93)
COM's to
Graham Cox's Holway Nettle of Wydcombe
Mervyn Philpotts' dog Standerwick Timothy
OPEN TEST
In order to get through the tests in the afternoon, 4 judges were good enough to judge 3 tests concurrently. It was a great pleasure to welcome Frank & Iris Wright who judged the walk-up in one field while mark Bettinson with his helper Mike Allan ran a very popular test in the other field. That involved a gun being fired into a certain area of strawberries whereupon the dog was sent to the shot to hunt the area thoroughly. Whe this had been suitably accomplished, Mike shouted that 'it had run' and the dog was then lifted off the gun scent and handled on to the area indicated to pick up a retrieve. This certainly sorted out which dogs and handlers knew what they were doing and many people commented that they had enjoyed the challenge. The 3rd test was a long water retrieve judged by Graham Cox where the dogs were kept up a track out of sight of a dummy thrown and had to go to the splash, as so often happens in duck flighting. Once in the water they also had to cope with a distraction thrown out behind them, but it was soon clear that none of these dogs would consider being caught out by anything so obvious!
The scores from these Tests having been duly compiled, the judges then asked for the 6 top scoring dogs to go forward for a 'drive' in the strawberry field, after which each was sent back for a long blind retrieve in the strawberries. The result of this altered the former positions with the eventual results:-
1st. Vic Olner's bitch Haresmead Isidore (2/6/97)
2nd. Danny Burgess' dog Catcombe Carli (26/1/96)
3rd. John White's dog Catcombe Cornet (26/1/96)
4th. Phil Wagland's bitch F.T.Ch Standerwick Rhumba of Pebbletoft (16/3/94)
COM's went to
Sally Crossland's dog Castlemans Classic Finn
Phil Wagland's dog Pebbletoft Rock
Annie Wales Working Test Secretary
1st. Malcolm Stringer's dog Clancallum Fergus Mhor
2nd. Norman Mellows' bitch Millrythe Mondeo
3rd. Elizabeth Pelham's dog Holway Damask
4th. Mr & Mrs Hay's dog Lochton Leet of Holywear
COM's to
Phil Wagland's bitch F.t.Ch Standerwick Rhumba of Pebbletoft
Lady Hugh Smith's dog Catcombe Cellist
Mike Prosser's bitch Haremire Juniper
Nigel Mann's dog Canburne Fennel of Lafayette
June Atkinson's bitch Holway Reema
Judges, Lady Hugh-Smith, Mr P. Wagland & Mrs A. Wagland
1st. M.J.Wright's bitch Wadesmill Pippa handled by A Wright
2nd. Mr & Mrs R. Phillips' bitch Featherquest Gemstone, handled by R. Phillips
3rd. Not Awarded
4th. Mrs F. Baird's bitch Treunair Arrocha, handled by the owner
COM's to
C.L. MacGregor's dog Tauchevan Magnum
Mr & Mrs B. Curd's dog Ashleygold Copernicus
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1st. Mr & Mrs A Richardson's dog Gortons Eye Of The Storm 2nd. Mrs A. Wales' dog, Standerwick Beaujolais 3rd. Mr D. Burgess' dog, Catcombe Carli
Judges: Messrs A J Drury, J. Halstead, G. Hay & Mrs A. Crooke |
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