April 2010 Championship Show
Sunday 18th April 2010 - Sutton Leisure Centre,
Merseyside
Tim Hutchings Dog World write-up 30th April 2010
"It was a busy weekend with two days of
Championship shows. First up was the W&PBAW on a glorious Spring
day. Walker Miller was in charge and he gave a 4th CC and BOB to
Helen and Eddie Banks' Ch Norwatch Sunhawk Main Issue and we won the
RDCC with Ch Lichdel Uncle Silas to Winuwuk. Laura Clark won a 2nd
CC with Clarkenwells Vogue Trader, Linda Carnaby's Ch Faerdorn
Dusted Over Tartarian was RBCC and Betty McDonald's Yeteb Manhattan
was BP.
The following day it was up to the Merseyside where the club had a
last minute panic since the volcanic ash had done for Finnish judge
Kirsi Laamnanen who was obviously unable to travel to judge her dog
entry. Ann Wildman was called upon as the replacement and thanks to
the wonders of the internet we all knew about this before we
arrived. I have to say that the club put on an excellent show. In
recent notes I've talked about the little touches making a show and
the Merseyside certainly know how to do these, especially this year
when they were celebrating their diamond jubilee. There were free
canine newspapers, free wine, a photographer, free tea and coffee
for all exhibitors all day, free cake and plenty of sandwiches doing
the rounds at the end. In addition, making sure there was something
for everyone, there were junior handling classes – once so common at
Boxer Club shows but now in danger of extinction.
The venue is easy to find, close to the motorway, a good size,
offers superb exercising facilities in the adjacent park and has
parking right outside several doors to the hall. I didn't try the
venue's catering but with so many giveaways from the Club I didn't
need to. It was also excellent that we did actually get the benefit
of two rings in the day's timings with judging all wrapped up by
3pm.No-one rushed and this end time was appreciated at the end of a
double weekend. I thought the atmosphere was excellent all day,
especially when the free wine was cracked open, and I can't believe
that anyone can have had any complaints. The committee deserve 10
out of 10 for their efforts. It was certainly the best unbenched
show I have been to.
On that subject the club conducted a poll which came out just in
favour of unbenched by a margin of 61 to 59.After the show Mary Foan
dropped me a line questioning how valid this result was since she
heard of several exhibitors who were not asked for their opinion.
Indeed, a show entry of 240 but a total vote of just 120 must mean
that many folk were missed. Mary also felt that in doing this poll
at an unbenched show you necessarily had an audience skewed in
favour of no benching since those who prefer a benched show may not
even have entered in the first place. Mary thinks that if the same
poll were done at a benched show it would come out the other way. In
support of this view, I understand that the same exercise at the
Mancunian a few weeks earlier was a resounding victory for the
benchers. No doubt this debate will rumble on.
In the ring it was the stuff of dreams for Janice, Lynn and Suzanne
Mair who will forever remember doing the double, making up two new
Champions on the day and writing their own little bit of breed
history by having the first tailed bitch Champion. Many
congratulations to team Glenauld! Linda Carnaby and Robert McDougal
tell me that you have to go all the way back to the Leeds show in
1952 to find someone making up two Champions on one day. That
exhibitor was Dibbie Somerfield who won third CCs under Captain de
Quincey with Panfield Awldogg Attar and Panfield Party Piece of
Greentubs. Aren't we lucky to have people in the breed who know this
stuff?
It was a 3rd CC for Ch Star Attraction at Glenauld under Ann and a
3rd CC for Ch Glenauld Tommy Girl under Marion Cowan who was judging
her first Championship Show. Reserves went to the Veteran dog,
Pauline Taylor's Ch Newlaithe Look at Me and Carol Schofield's
former Pup of the Year, Koppernox Pop Princess winning her first big
green card. Best in Show judge Liz Davies gave it to the bitch,
handled by the youngest member of the Mair clan, and Best Puppy also
went to the bitch, Greg Dowell and Sandra Huckerby's Norwilbeck
Smart Move."
Thank you to everyone who attended the show
& Thank you to
Royal Canin for
sponsoring the event