Utility Gundog Society were recently granted 2 Day 24 dog Open
Qualifying Field Trial status and the Eastern Counties Branch had
the honour of running the very first one.

The trial was held on the last day of September and 1st of October
2009 at Wormegay near King’s Lynn, by kind permission of Mr Ian
Symington. The guns were Mike Scales, Tom Lowe, Peter Tidey,
John Greeves, Mike Woodley and Alan Southernwood.

Judges were Peter Cole, Kevin Doughty, Richard Beckerleg and
Roger Wade and the trial was generously sponsored by Skinner’s.

Since Richard was judging, son James was in charge of the line,
and provided an ample supply of birds.

The Eastern Counties had been experiencing an Indian Summer, and
the first day was definitely a day for shirt-sleeves on the dusty
fenland. The day started with two duck drives where the majority
of birds fell either into a field of mustard or into the wood. The first
drive gave us 11 retrieves, and Graham Roberts took a very good
runner from the wood with his Lab Ret dog ‘Wendearose Hector of Riversway’, which earned him the ‘Hoopwick Trophy for the Best
Runner’ over the two days.

After the second duck drive we were well into the first round dogs,
and moved into a field of sugarbeet where Richard Hinks, running
his Lab Ret bitch ‘FTCh Claravale Tipe of Garrenpoint’, performed a
couple of very smart retrieves on two partridges, but unfortunately
a few dogs were failing to find their birds in the warm and dry
conditions. Sharon Coby’s Lab Ret dog ‘FTCh Fordleymoor Whiskey
Mac’ had a nice retrieve on a towering partridge which fell some
way behind the line, and towards the end of the first day 2 dogs
were lost when a partridge shot by Alan Southernwood proved too
difficult for Andy Latham and Daniel Higgs, but was successfully
retrieved by Ken Byron’s Lab Ret dog ‘Copperwheat Lewis’.

13 dogs were taken forward for the second day, all having
completed their second round retrieves. A windy but still dry and
dusty day, with difficult scenting conditions. The beaters and line
of guns took a piece of cover through to some sugarbeet, and
Graham Roberts succeeded where two other dogs had unfortunately
failed, with a difficult retrieve over a dyke.

Moving on along the dykes into some testing ground, full of thistles,
nettles, and tall grass meant that dogs were out of sight from the
handlers when out working. Glynnis Hillier’s Golden Retriever
‘Birdsgreen Shining Sydney of Tofts’ spectacularly eyewiped Stan
Tweedy’s Lab Ret bitch ‘Tweedshot Mango’ with a long retrieve
through this grass and nettles, down and through a very deep dyke
and beyond. The judges awarded her ‘The Berry Trophy for the Best
Retrieve’, which she was thrilled with since it had been originally presented in memory of her late husband Roy Hillier. ‘Berry’ was the
name of his favourite little bitch – she was very fast and when he
ran her in trials she often had a cracking retrieve but then was put
out for heel work (she often eventually ran in!!). Hence the cup is
for the best retrieve of the day whether or not the dog is in the
awards – which ‘Berry’ would have won on many occasions!!

Graham Roberts then achieved another eyewipe on a pheasant,
and John Greeves soon after shot a hen pheasant which fell into
the deep dyke. Both Gwen Butcher with her Lab Ret dog ‘Yettolley Maple’ and Sharon Coby struggled to find it, and Richard Hinks held
his dog well in the area that the bird lay, but regretfully none of
the dogs found the bird, and when the judges went forward and
picked it, another 3 dogs had been lost.

Barbara Kuen, Graham Roberts and Phil Parkin

With only 5 dogs left, Ken Byron and Glynis again proved how
difficult the terrain and scenting conditions were, when they both
failed on a cock pheasant ultimately picked by the judges, who
then decided that with only 3 dogs left a small drive to find the
final 3 birds would be ideal. Fortunately no more dogs were lost and
the final results were:

1st – Phil Parkin and Twixwood Shooting Star (Lab dog)
Winner of the Manymills Salver and President’s Trophy

2nd – Graham Roberts and Wendearose Hector
of Riversway (Lab dog)
Winner of the UGS (K&ES) Shield for Guns’ Choice,
the Meadowmill Cup for the best looking retirever in the awards
and the Hoopwick Trophy for the Best Runner
3rd – Barbara Kuen and Dipplelodge Bronte (Lab bitch)

Stan Tweedy and Tweedshot Mango (Lab bitch)
Winner of the Skinners Trophy for the Best Marking Retriever