The Northern Ireland Pointer club held an Open stake for Pointers and Setters at Glenwherry on Saturday 22nd August 2009. The steward of the beat was the keeper Lee McMenemin and the judges were Patricia Wood MRCVS and Paddy Collins.
I took one wind reading of 6 mph and the temperature at dinnertime was 15.5c. While rain threatened in the morning I don’t believe that any actually fell and in the afternoon it was sunny and warm at least while walking.
The event was run on The Brunt. There are two distinct parts to this beat. A low flat boggy like area and the hill itself. This trial started on the lower ground but it wasn’t until we reached the hill that birds started to appear. Anybody I spoke to agreed that scenting conditions were good but the as the list of failures on game increased it became obvious that scenting was difficult. I believe that the first three brace after lunch perished in less than a hundred yards and several others fell foul later on.
Result :-
1st Lusca Happy Chappie Declan O’Rourke’s Red Setter dog by F.T.Ch. Lusca Speedie Boy of Ardoon x Dyllas Frill.
Basso.
He was up for it today and set off in fine style but at full tilt he reversed his direction in his body length and took a cut at a lark.
Chris.
I thought he did really well initially in heavy ground and later on in better ground. He covered both sides of the beat and was nice and flat. I presume that him coming back from his first cast to the left along the fence line was construed as a a back cast and led to him not getting another run. I’ll admit to being disappointed especially as I feel he could have handled those tricky birds later on given his vast experience on game.
This was a lovely day to be out and it is now obvious that the conditions were at best trying. This was no group of inexperienced novices as many have just returned from a summer in England and Scotland and spent a number of previous summers there also. I think it is telling that the winning find was on a large covey which would be much more easily handled.
I didn’t spectate the second round as I didn’t want to bore my apprentice but we did walk out after lunch with no dog in the trial. Not bad for a ten year old.
A good day with your place in the draw hugely affecting your chances, which is fine by me. I would have loved a crack at those birds. Maybe next time.
