The Northern Ireland Pointer Club held an Open Stake for Pointers & Setters on Slieveanorra under Kennel Club Rules and Field Trial Regulations today, 23rd February 2008. The judges were Sammy Morrison and Ned Butler. There were thirty three dogs on the card and in the draw but one dog had to be withdrawn having sustained an injury and thirty two took the field.
While there was no heavy rain there were frequent squalls, some of them prolonged, and this made for difficult conditions when combined with the drifting mist and force four wind.
This was a potentially excellent day badly affected by the weather. Slieveanorra is starting to respond to the swiping and gritting being done and if there weren’t birds for every brace in the first round it must have been the vast majority.
There was one dog that particularly caught my eye. Gortinreagh Apache of Glynlark. Carol Calvert’s English Setter dog. A big strong wide running lightly marked dog with great pace that beat it’s ground well.
Results:-
1st. Stanedge BraveGerald Devine’s English Setter dog.
2nd Eagleshadow Winnie’s Boy Alan Neill’s Pointer dog.
3rd Ardera Goldie Paddy People’s English Setter dog.
4th Erinvale Rock Steven Clarke’s Irish red Setter dog.
Basso.
Started off in some style whith what looked like excellent lines but then contrived to get in front of a bird that was flushed by our bracemate.
Jalad.
After an initial bit of following I got him on his own pattern. Heading to the right nice and flat across my toes I turned him at the end of a good long cast but well before our bracemate which in addition to going further out was thirty yards closer to the wind. When it eventually turned it flushed a pair of birds and it must have been construed that the birds were there for Jalad as well. Not best pleased with this decision.
Roxy.
For once she never really got going, by her standards. That was annoying enough but to have the other dog, which was doing an even smaller beat at even less pace have a find in the middle of the beat and then go on to get an award was a real kick in the gonads. Especially as I probably robbed Roxy of a find on the bird pointed by our bracemate by insisting on her doing her ground properly.
All in all a bad day at the office.
Other than on a personal basis this was nearly a great trial only being robbed of greatness by the conditions which must have affected the performance of a good number of dogs. Slieveanorra is on the up. The bird count today was the best for some years and this gives ample opportunity for dogs to show what they can do.
Gerald Devine has the in form kennel at the moment. Of the last three trials he has run in he won one and was second in two.
