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