Results 2013

PUPPY SAFARI & NOVICE WALKED-UP TEST AT BRACKENBURGH

Sunday 23 June 2013
By Kind permission of Mr J Harris
Judges: Jayne Coley (A), Steve Hore, Andy Jardine, Neil Parkinson.
Puppy Class
1st Mr P Dixon’s Greenbriar Tango
2nd Mrs P Clover & Mr N.Aubrey’s Garagill Rana (Handled by N. Aubrey)
3rd Mrs S Halstead’s Greenbriar Thunder at Drakeshead
4th Mr N. Barton’s Lindeth Fern
Best puppy under 12 months Mrs K Leith-Ross’s Hop Off Newfoundland Coast into Tintagel Winds

Novice Class
1st Mr N West’s Grovery Delta
2nd Mr A Taylor’s Gablegorst Hermes


POTTERS, PLUMPTON-OPEN WALKED UP TEST

Sat 27 April 2013
By kind permission of Mr Brian Atkinson

Judges
Mrs L Mitchell (B)
Mrs C Clarke
Mr W Mitchell
Mr G Slater

Steward of the beat – Mr Steve Hore

1st – FTCH LOWFORGE ARAGON OF LEACAZ
Mr L Hartis, Lab D 01.07.07
FTCH Greenbriar Viper of Drakeshead x PIttendreich Highlight of Lowforge
Br A Whelan H/O

2nd – BROCKWEIR BLITZ OF SMITHSTEADS
Mrs P Dunckley’s Lab D 05.03.06
FTCH WHingsham Tinder of Smithsteads x FTCH Brockweir Rosemary
Br D Wiggin H/O

3rd – DELFLEET PIKE
Mr A Jardeen Lab D 13.05.09
FTCH Mediterian Blue x Delfleet Dawn Flush
Br Mr S Crisp H/O

COM – CYNHINFA JENNY
Mr M Nelson’s Lab B 02.08.09
FTCH Levenghyll Peacock x Ropehall Poppies of Cynhinfa
Br R Jones H/O


INTERCLUB FOUR WAY MATCH

Sunday 28 April 2013
By kind permission of Mr P Hayley held at Turton, Bolton

1st – Pilling Moss Gundog Club
2nd – Burns and Becks Gundog Club
3rd – Pennine Training Area
4th – Northern England Flatcoat Retriever Association
Top open dog – Burns and Becks, Nicola Rudgard with Waterford Featherman


PUPPY, NOVICE AND OPEN SAFARI WORKING TEST, PLUMPTON

Sunday 26 May 2013
By Kind permission of Mr Brian Atkinson
Sponsored by P V Dobson and Sons Isuzu
Judges: Nicola Rudgard (B), Les Earl, Steve Hore, Peter McCurrie

Puppy Class
1st Miss S Shankar’s Fenhart Opal
2nd Mr M Nelson’s Fenhart Onyx
3rd Mr G Connolly’s Morzine Rocket
4th Mrs P Clover’s Garagill Rana
N.C.D Mr M McAvoys Haweswater Hatty
Best puppy under 12 months Mrs K Leith-Ross’s Hop Off Newfoundland Coast into Tintagel Winds

Novice Class
1st Mr N Aubrey’s Swelling Tide
2nd Mr D Merrall’s Touchie Bilko
3rd Miss S Shankar’s Shandybug’s Desert Dahlia
4th Mrs M J Smith’s Glenavon’s Lionheart
C.O.M Mrs J Lawson’s Midnight Maiden Quest
C.O.M Mr D Smith’s Auchendolly Wrap Up Warm Of Pondview

Open Class
1st Mr N Parkinson’s Rockybrook Levi
2nd Mrs J Johnston’s Westmacott Lamp Sonius
3rd Mr M Nelson’s Leader Blue
4th Mr D Hope’s Glenfia Amber
C.O.M Mr D Merrall’s Touchie Bilko
C.O.M Mr D Hope’s Calderhey Allie


FOUR WAY TEST AT BEANLEY ESTATE, NORTHUMBERLAND

28 July 2013
This year the much anticipated 4-way test (formerly the 5-way test but minus the French team this year) took place at the Beanley Estate, near Powburn in north Northumberland. The ground consisted of rough heather moorland interspersed with rocky headlands and bracken patches Teams of four dogs from the Burns and Becks, Tyne Tees and Tweed, Northumberland and Durham Labrador Retriever Club and Golden Retriever Club of Northumbria took part as usual.

The Burns and Becks team were selected by team captain Andy Jardine at a special selection test to which the ten members’ dogs with the best records in Open working tests this year were invited. Andy’s own dog Jasmine had won two Open working tests this year, and after the rigorous selection tests he chose Paul Dixon’s Waysgreen Barracuda, Les Earl’s Drakeshead Volvo and Paddy Merrill’s Touchie Bilko to join him in the team.

After a month of red hot weather, it was ironic that the day coincided with a deluge in the North East and the morning session took place in driving rain. Challenging individual tests had been organised on the morning by the judges, led by Burns and Becks judge Steve Hore. The team knew that they would have their work cut out as the home team featured international handlers Lee Hartis and Mark Demaine, and Jimmy Swindlehurst had been brought up from Settle.

The first test was a double thrown out into light cover, but with a strong crosswind. All four of the Burns and Becks dogs, each with a little handling, completed this without any problems and the team were encouraged as they made their way to the second test, a long blind.

Some 250 yards away, across a patch of light heather, and just out of sight over a brow, lay the dummy, again with a crosswind. Two of the four dogs took good lines and were able to pick with almost no handling, but the other two missed the dummy on the wind, and at a fairly extreme distance had to be handled for a while to achieve success.

This pattern was repeated at the next test, a mark and a blind in light cover and reeds, respectively, with two dogs picking quickly and well, and two having to be handled extensively to achieve success.

Then in the last test of the morning, a straightforward mark in thick bracken at the top of a hill, three of the four dogs did well, though all four dummies were picked in the end.

The team estimated at lunch, from what they had seen of the other teams, that they were likely to be in second place, and had work to do to overtake the home side. Unfortunately there was only one test after lunch to make up the difference, though it was a team test where the handlers could choose their retrieves.

Marks were thrown to extreme right and left, and two blinds were hidden behind bushes some 150 yards across the heather in front, and the dogs sent in turn.

Our first mark was the hardest of the four retrieves, falling in thick marshy tussock grass across 100 yards of dead ground , and it took a while for Paddy Merrill’s Bilko to find. With failures at this retrieve from the next two teams, Paddy was to feel better later.

The two blinds were collected by Andy Jardine’s Jasmine and Les Earl’s Volvo with great efficiency, Les’s retrieve in particular appearing clinical with a straight run-out and pick.

Waiting all this time for the last, seen retrieve was Paul Dixon’s Ross, who put aside some uncertainty and stickiness earlier to complete a very good retrieve up the hill, behind a tree to complete the team’s marks.

Would they be enough to overtake the home team? Sadly, no, because they fell some 30 marks short over 560 available marks, and there was disappointment at an overall performance below what the team felt their dogs would normally produce. However, in the high-pressure environment of a team test, lessons had been learnt and there was real determination to get back to winning ways at the next opportunity.
Thanks were given to the judges and the event organiser, Chairman Lynda Heron of the Northumberland and Durham Labrador Retriever Club, and the top dog shield was given to Mike Nelson, who was running for the home club on this occasion.


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