Puppy/Novice/Veteran Working Test
Pearce’s Farm Shop, near Puckeridge, Hertfordshire
by kind permission of Mr D. Pearce
Sunday 18th April 2010
Judges: Barbara Kuen, Doug Leake and Peter Buckle

We were invited to a new venue for this gundog test at Pearce’s
Farm Shop, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, by kind invitation of
Mr David Pearce and his family.

The land surrounding the farm shop gave us all sorts of
opportunities for setting tests with ample scope on fields, woodland
and water. Not only that but it also came with some retail therapy
in what proved to be an excellent farm shop!

Tests were quite varied throughout the day with a walk-up, a
double mark, a mark in water with a bank of reeds in front, a
picking up exercise in woodland and a mark with a blind.

Puppy Test
1st – Mr J. Collins’ Brockaghs Caitlin (Lab bitch)

2nd – Mrs S. Palmer’s Brockaghs Conn (Lab dog)

Novice Test
1st – Mr C. Tanner’s Walbro Primrose (Lab bitch)

2nd – Mr C. Wilks’ Salpal Botham (Lab dog)
3rd – Mr W. Parrott’s Minterburn Mills Monty (Lab dog)

Veteran Test
1st – Mr J. Keegan’s Geordieland Admiral (Lab dog)

2nd – Mr J. Keegan’s Copperwheat Wagtail (Lab bitch)
3rd – Mr W. Parrott’s Dixon Harry (Lab dog)

Judges and award winners at Pearce’s Farm Shop


Open Working Test
Standon Lordship, Hertfordshire
by kind permission of Geoffrey Pearman and Philip Smith
Sunday 16th May 2010
Judges: Richard Beckerleg and Martin Brace

This stunning ground once again provided plenty of scope for Phil
Allen to set some excellent tests for the dogs. We were able to use
the reed beds for two of the tests and for the first time were able
to incorporate a retrieve across the river. Undulating land higher up
also provided some nice retrieves. In the afternoon we were able
to make good use of the lake.

This being an Open Test the dogs were stretched accordingly and
the winning dog hardly dropped a point all day.

1st – Mrs C. Heasman’s Highroost Jasmine (Lab bitch)

2nd – Mrs E. Ingram’s Garrethall Myrrh (Lab bitch)
3rd – Mr J. Gale’s Earnsfield Kestrel (Golden Ret dog)
4th – Mr J. Collin’s Brockaghs Aodhan (Lab dog)

Judges and award winners at Standon Lordship

Open Sugar Beet Test
Lord Rayleigh’s Estate, Terling, Essex
by kind permission of The Lord Rayleigh
Monday 30th August 2010
Judges: Sara Gadd and Sue Morley-Riches

As always the head keeper had allocated us splendid fields of sugar
beet on which to hold our test.

The day commenced with all 25 dogs walking-up and retrieving two
long marks, one into the wind. Dogs were very impressive with their
marking ability, particularly on the first retrieve which was into the
wind. The dogs then had another mark with a blind behind the line.

Following a short lunch break we then had two static tests. A blind
retrieve into a wood from the sugar beet followed by a second
blind through a gateway alongside the wood proved to be tricky
with some dogs pulling for the woodland a second time.

The other test was a long mark out into the sugar beet, this to be
picked after the dog first retrieved a blind on the corner of some
cover at the edge of the field.

Jim Gale had put a lot of thought into setting these tests with
scenarios that you could encounter in a field trial and it certainly
gave competitors the opportunity to see what they should work on
with their dogs.

1st – Mrs E. Ingram’s Garrethall Ouka (Lab bitch)

2nd – Mrs. G. Hillier’s Birdgreen Shining
Sidney of Tofts (Golden Ret dog)
3rd – Ms M. J. Opie’s Decies Dodge
by Studebaker (Lab bitch)
4th – Mrs S. Carew’s Cypher Black Mamba
of Sullington (Lab bitch)
CoM – Mr M. Elsey’s Elder Athos (Lab dog)

Judges and award winners at Terling

We are most grateful to Skinners Dog Foods for the continuing
support in providing product prize vouchers at all our events.

Thank you to our band of merry helpers who have continually
turned out to assist at our Working Tests and our training classes.
I don’t know what we’d do without them!