The competitors ,officials and judges for the Northern Ireland Pointer Club’s Open Stake met at The Fort Royal at nine of the clock on Saturday 27th September 2008. I don’t remember meeting anywhere other than the Fort Royal but with the exception of the Foot & Mouth Year 2001 we were meeting for the twenty eighth time to go to the ground of The Glarryford Gun Club, the best pheasant stake venue in Ireland (Britain?). The judges ended up as John Christie and Michael Houston who got press ganged when Paddy Collins was unable to appear thouugh illness. God help him, Michael only came along today with his lifelong friend James Coyle to take a few pictures.
The day started off dry and bright but by the end of the day it was dull and we even had a few showers but in the context of 2008 they were a meer bagatelle. Some people think Glarryford is a walk in the park after Slieveanorra, yes it’s flat, but on a day like today the distances covered were vast and all on soft yielding and cloying ground. Very, very hard work. I would have liked to spectate more of this even but somebody had to drive round to pick up judges and competitiors so I didn’t see it all.
Roxy.
With one exception Roxy was good. In the context of a hill trial she would have been impressive but this was a pheasant stake in a bog and she was just too wide. I couldn’t turn her. There were shades of how The Shifter ( Int.F.T.Ch. Slieveanorra The Shifter ) used to run. Disappearing into the distance only to come back across your toes, literally. It was also nice that she was hunting hard and going at tremendous pace. Out of control and out of the stake.
Chris.
He also was great with one exception. He ran and hunted hard and had a lovely find (He looks extremely good on point) on a cock bird. He pointed first and then had to withstand extreme pressure from the other dog which was eventually pulled back. It took a few relocations before he had the bird banged to rights but he produced it and then dropped to the shot.
Unfortunately Chris cut back into the gallery from the end of his left hand cast, every time and was therefore excluded for faulty ground treatment. Pity really.
I was eighth and nineth brace and I saw relative little close up thereafter. What I had seen before that were a few dogs eliminating themselves and a very accomplished bit of work by Jimmy Dalton’s pointer dog Bone Apart. He was running in the sixth brace and several birds had been produced but dropped in again close by. Now recently dropped in bird are tricky as they haven’t had time to build up much scent around them so the scent trail is at best vague. Boney had done a few nice cuts and eventually pointed. It didn’t take him long to produce the bird and as this was one of Jimmy’s dogs I hardly need to tell you it was steady to wing and flush. His second find was even more impressive as the dog went out further and even back a bit to get the scent and again produce the bird and be steady. Michael Houston told me that when it came to Boney’s second round he said to Jimmy ” I think I would like a nice clean run from you Jimmy and you Stephen (Clarke) need a bird.” Jimmy’s dog went out to the left, turned back and pointed to produce his third pheasant!
Now I know that Gerald devine had a lovely run and a find and the same could be said for Int. F.T.Ch. Craigrua Osprey Desi Linton’s dog but I can’t say much not having seen either of them. There were probably other creditable runs as well but that is all I saw.
Results :-
1st Bone Apart Jimmy Dalton’s pointer dog by Lisenaire Luke Skywalker X Exile on Main Street. handled by the owner and bred by Des O’Neile.
2nd. Int.F.T.Ch. Craigrua Osprey Desi Linton’s red & White Setter dog.
3rd Lefanta Tinka Gerald Devine’s English Setter bitch.
4th Lagopus Yorkie Jimmy Dalton’s pointer dog.
The presentations were done in the Glarryford Gun Club’s H.Q. The awards were handed over by Frank McManus, the Chairman, and Carol Calvert the Secretary. Jimmy Dalton thanked the judges and Carol for her unstinting work and we got stuck into the scotch broth and the sandwiches which had been generously supplied by the club.
So that’s it for 2008 for the N.I.P.C. The Chairman and the Committee would like to thank all the competitors, especially those from far afield for their support and hope they will return next year, and bring along some of their friends.
