By Morwenna Crossley

I would like to thank you so much for your kind sponsorship of prizes at Clwyd Retriever Club Field Trials this year. I know everyone who has taken home their Salmon Oil has been delighted to receive it from you. Your sponsorship is very much appreciated both by the Club and by our prize winners.

I thought you might like to see the write ups from each of the four trials so I attach them below. Its a shame I am no good with a camera which is why there are two missing pictures.

This year we never had a Trial without a result although the first one at Bryn y Pys only produced a second – no first prize awarded. Our 2 day event was a really good trial and it will be lovely to see Peter Thompson run at the IGL Championships in December.

Once again on behalf of the Club thank you very much for your continued sponsorship. It really is very much appreciated.

Acton Reynald Novice Trial 2018 Results

Another good day’s sport for us all, so well provided by Acton Reynald Shoot and Craig Roberts. I have no idea how Craig controls the line which seemed to stretch for ever across half a field of wet roots, but he controls it brilliantly. The partridge were a bit wet – as were all of us – but they and Trevor Gibson’s Guns provided us with plenty of sport to Trial our dogs.

The first round, judged by Dave Brown, Nick Coates, John Yarwood and Gareth Lewis, saw a few dogs going out fairly early on, but the latter dogs had to work for their retrieves in conditions of rain, wind, no wind, damp, muggy, in fact everything except nice sunshine!

In the final round there were 3 dogs left in and the winner could have been any of them. At the finish the well deserved win and the Gordon Humphries Trophy went to Wayne Mitchell running Lynn Mitchell’s bitch Labdom Lapwing of Millcottage who was pretty much faultless all day. Steve Le Voi’s yellow dog Maderablanca Amarillo ran well too all day and went out on the final retrieve of the day which must have been a disappointment for his handler. Maderablanca Amarillo and David Jackson’s Shipka Birchwood both were awarded Certificates of Merit, which were thoroughly deserved. Steve Le Voi also went on to win the Guns’ Choice trophy.

Clwyd Retriever Club owe a big thank you to Acton Reynald Shoot and to Craig Roberts their Keeper, to the beaters and to Trevor Gibson’s team of Guns. Thank you also to our sponsors CSJ Speciality Dog Food and Olympic Trophies. I would also like to thank all those Club members who came to help. You all know how grateful I am to you because you and all those involved make my job so easy. It is thanks to you all that everyone has such a great day.

Results

1st LABDOM LAPWING OF MILLCOTTAGE
Wayne Lynn Mitchell

COM: SHIPKA BIRCHWOOD – David Jackson

COM: MADERABLANCA AMARILLO – Steve Le Voi

RESULT OF NOVICE TRIAL: 22/09/18 at Bryn y Pys, Overton on Dee.

No winner.

Second – John Yarwood and Ragweed’s Image

We were very fortunate to have a dry day – or at least a dry half a day – for our second Clwyd Retriever Club Novice Trial of the season. We failed to get inside our record time for completing a Trial but only failed by 6 minutes. The Trial was over in time for coffee at 11.20am which was a bit disappointing for both Judges, competitors and our Guns. Our Judges were very forgiving in pointing out at the end of the Trial that these were all Novice dogs right at the start of the Trial season. They would expect them all to continue to gain experience through the season and make it into the awards on another day.
The last three dogs standing worked hard in both roots and in a very steep sided wood. That reduced the number to one dog only and more retrieves were needed to finish the Trial. Our guns and beaters produced more birds and the gallery were able to have a grandstand view as John Yarwood’s dog made a very workmanlike job of retrieving from the roots. The Judges awarded him a well earned second place. Guns’ Choice went to Phil Brown with Abbottshall Mosquito.

We owe a big thank you to the Rosseli Family and to Tom Painter and his team of beaters. Without the support of our Hosts and especially the Keepers we would struggle to run Trials at all. Our four judges Sue Hutton, Keith Barnes, Neil Appleton and Helen Goodwin deserve a big thank you too, as do our team of Guns who were taken off for some additional shooting to make up the bag. Last but not least our thanks also to our sponsors CSJ Dog Foods and Olympic Trophies.

I would like to thank all those who came to help today. It takes a whole team to make these days happen and their help is very welcome. As ever the catering from Home Farm Produce was a highlight! One lovely competitor gave me and my co-Steward a bottle of wine each as a thank you and the rosy glow is spreading as I write this!
Onward and upward…..
Clwyd Retriever Club 2 Day Open at HyFly Results
I haven’t run many Trials but I can honestly say this one was the one I have enjoyed the most. Somehow everything came together to provide our competitors with exactly the right sort of birds shot brilliantly by our guns and presented impeccably by Kevin Hughes at HyFly. We owe a massive thank you to the Holden family for hosting the Trial, to Kevin, to our four judges – David Jackson, Ali Hogsbjerg, Phil Smithies and by great good fortune at the 11th hour Gilly Nickols. And a big thank you to our Guns who shot so amazingly not just on the first day in lovely sunshine with not a breath of wind but also today in the drizzle and breezy conditions after an interesting previous evening!

At the end of the first day 11 dogs went through to the following day, where the retrieves in windy conditions and in wet roots proved more challenging. There was some excellent dog work on show, including a noteworthy retrieve for Richard Hinks’ dog, handled by Annette Clarke, which unanimously earned them the Guns’ Choice Trophy.

The eventual winner, who not only earned his place in the IGL Championship but also made his dog up to Field Trial Champion today, was Peter Thompson and Thornyoaks Topaz.Annette Clarke in second place has secured half her ticket to the Championship with Castlemans Gobi of Garronpoint owned by Richard Hinks. Wayne Mitchell, who had two dogs running right up to the last 4 dogs left in, was third with Turpingreen Barrera of Labdom,and in fourth place Mike Jones and Cynhinfa Jarmen of Wauniago completed the awards which were kindly presented by Kevin Hughes. CSJ K9 Dog Foods very generously again sponsored prizes for our award winners – photos to follow on our Club website.

I would like to add a personal thank you to the two club members who helped keep me in order on both days, and to our two game-carrier volunteers who had some serious work carrying the bag on both days.

1st: Peter Thompson and Thornyoaks Topaz
2nd: Annette Clarke with Castlemans Gobi of Garronpoint owned by Richard Hinks
3rd: Wayne Mitchell with Turpingreen Barrera of Labdom
4th: Mike Jones and Cynhinfa Jarmen of Wauniago

Guns Choice: Annette Clarke with Castlemans Gobi of Garronpoint owned by Richard Hinks

Novice Trial At Bryn Y PYS 27/10/18

For the final CRC trial of the year we had a lovely clear sunny day but with a bitterly cold northerly wind blowing over the first root field of the day. As the line formed to walk up, a couple of birds got up, were shot, and were picked cleanly, boding well for game in the rest of the field. Sadly that proved not to be the case. Someone had been through the field with a dog – unrelated to our Trial – and pushed every bird out, whether intentionally or accidentally no one could confirm.

A bird down at the far end of the field in a slight hollow out of sight of the handlers put paid to 4 dogs as the judges picked it exactly where it fell. A further 4 dogs went out in the next field of roots similarly failing to find a bird the judges collected. The birds shot in the roots put paid to another number of dogs, at least one of which was eye-wiped by the eventual winner. A mini drive provided enough birds to allow the last two dogs standing to finish the day. Dave Abbot was unable to push his young dog out of the roots to a bird down on the headland track, which was ably picked by our winner.

Congratulations to Katarina Ljungquist and Meadowlark Humpty Dumpty, bred by Birgitta Staflund-Wiberg, who was there watching in an agony of apprehension throughout! Katarina goes back to Sweden tonight, after a prolonged visit to Trial her dog, with a win!

Guns’ choice went to Morton Redpath’s dog Dealminster Drew of Hassycott.
Our A panel judge, Phil Bruton, wisely explained to the assembled competitors at the prize giving that while good dogs occasionally have a bad day or unexpected failures, if a great number of dogs all fail on a day there is some other explanation, especially given the experience level amongst the handlers. Its not just a mass bad day. His advice was that some of the dogs need to do more work before being presented in a Trial as not really up to the required standard.

It was well said and I don’t believe anyone would disagree who was present. I would like to offer my thanks on behalf of CRC to all four of our judges – Phil Bruton, Glenys Caldwell, James Murphy and Charlotte Earnshaw, who must have been frozen out in the roots and the wind. I would also like to thank our hosts the Roselli family and Tom and Alex Painter and their team of beaters, for their generous hospitality. Thank you also to Stuart Hughes and his guns, to CSJ Dog Foods and Olympic Trophies, and to all the volunteers who helped on the day.

Particularly I would like to personally thank Bronwyn Roberts and Lis Weigh who have both been a massive help at every trial this season. A Field Trial is a team effort and there is no Trial without a good team. Thank you Ladies! And a thank you from everyone to the Home Farm Produce Cafe team! Their bacon and sausages (home grown) are amazing, their soup and goodies afterwards are equally amazing and the chocolate cake is to die for!! Bring on next season!

Morwenna Crossley
FT Secretary
Clwyd Retriever Club.