Another Successful Test For United Retriever Club

The United Retriever Club (North Midland Area) held an Open Working Test for Any Variety Retriever on Sunday 11th May 2008 at Shirebrook Country Park, by kind permission of Nottinghamshire County Council and Forest Enterprise.

Supported by Retford based feed company, Alpha Feeds, the day was well attended and the weather stayed warm and sunny, with only a little breeze perfect for helping the dogs pick up the scent.

The judges; Ged Leeson, Janet Allsop and Andy Kinta had a tough time scoring the dogs on each of the retrieves. Shirebrook Park is a reclaimed colliery spoil heap, landscaped with young forestry plantations on the hills, and with ponds in the valleys.

The morning retrieves consisted of a mark in a pond out of sight of the handler, a long mark on a grassy hillside, and a walk-up in a plantation including a mark amongst conifers.

After lunch there were three double retrieves. A blind across a lake and over a fence was picked first, with a distraction on the water to be remembered.

On the hill there was a double blind over a fence into a plantation, and another double blind in a rushy clearing. Thus the dogs were well tested on marks and blinds in a variety of terrain and cover.

At the end of the day the cups and trophies were presented to the dogs and handlers who were in the awards. The winners and the runners-up all received bags of feed kindly donated by Alpha Feeds.

Open Tests Results:
1st AJ&J Richardson’s Golden Retriever dog Gortons Eye of the Storm
2nd Annette Clarke’s Labrador bitch F.T.CH. Garronpoint Little Dove
3rd PG&JC Bills’ Labrador dog Creazanbre Gypsy
4th Phil Wagland's Golden Retriever bitch Moscargrange Barley of Pebbletoft

Certificates of Merit:
Mick Newsam’s Labrador dog Hatchfield Breeze of Maswen
Annette Clarke’s Labrador bitch Garronpoint Liffey
Russell Hodgen’s Labrador bitch Russjancoe Almondine.