SGRS joint working tests for Flatcoated and Golden Retrievers
Results from the FCRS (Southern Area)/SGRS joint working tests for Flatcoated and Golden Retrievers held on 25/6/23 on the beautiful Penshurst Estate in Kent by kind permission of Lord d’Isle. This year the Southern Area of the FCRS were hosting and classes were run for ND/NH, Novice and Open dogs. This was the first year we have run an open class jointly for the two breeds. We had a good entry for all three classes with Flatcoat to Golden number roughly 50:50.
The Southern Area of the FCRS is delighted to have a new trophy, the Sheindubh Open Trophy, generously donated by Paul and Madeleine Burr, to be awarded annually to the winner of the Open competition whether a Flatcoated or a Golden Retriever.
Our judges were Graham Stanley, Kim Jinks and Andy Snow. The tests had been set with the weather in mind and made full use of the shade available. Despite the heat we were blessed with a cooling breeze from across the Medway and plenty of shade.
The NDNH tests consisted of a mark and a memory, heel work and a hunting exercise, a mark falling over the brow of a hill into long grass and a retrieve from water, the River Medway. The Novice dogs were tested with a short and a long mark, having to push the dogs back over the fall of the first dummy to pick the second, heel work and a hunting exercise with a distraction mark, a blind through long meadow grass and a marked retrieve from the water and a distraction mark thrown on the land. The Open dogs had a marked retrieve followed by a long blind, having to push the dogs back over the fall of the first dummy to pick the blind, a hunting and handling exercise with a distraction mark, a drive, a blind retrieve through long grass over the brow of the hill and a blind retrieve from the river with a distraction shot on land.
The results were as follows:
NDNH:
1st was David Wimsett with his Golden Retriever bitch Rosgar Coconut Belini,
2nd was Nicola Radtke from Germany with her Flatcoated Retriever bitch Mavisflight Lucky Star and,
CoM was awarded to Helen Cobby and her Flatcoated Retriever bitch Waverton Ice and Fire
Novice:
1st and awarded the FCRS Tomstan Bowl was Jane Calverley with her Flatcoated Retriever bitch Gwenadillo Tweetie Pie,
2nd was Cecilia Erhabor with her Golden Retriever bitch Elkshead Flame of Honeyroyale, and
3rd was Anne Strachan Hanans Golden Girl
Open
1st and awarded the new FCRS Sheindubh Open Trophy was Jacqui Crew with her Golden Retriever dog Hanans Kertis
2nd was Sue Jackson with her Golden Retriever dog Pandapaws Angus and
3rd was Shaun Baker with his Golden Retriever dog Tawnyhill Iwan.
All of the above also received FCRS Diamond Anniversary rosettes celebrating this the FCRS’s 75 year and vouchers from our sponsors, Skinner’s.
Finally the highest scoring Flatcoat of the day was Nicola Radtke from Germany with her Flatcoated Retriever bitch Mavisflight Lucky Star. Nicola was running in only her second working test ever and achieved a 93% score in NDNH. As our highest scoring Flatcoat Nicola and Riley were awarded the FCRS Varingo Tankard.
Many thanks must go to our judges and both the landowner and the keeper of the ground. Also a heartfelt thank you goes to all the wonderful people who turned out to help with setting up, stewarding, dummy throwing, shooting pistols, catering and the many other jobs that go into an event like this and without which help the event would not be able to go ahead. Finally I would like to thank Paul and Madeline Burr for their generous donation of a new trophy, supporting our venture in the Southern Area for have Flatcoats and Goldens competing at the highest levels. Thank you.
Sarah Young
FCRS Working Test Secretary
