Thread: Trial Reports.

Not sure about the first run today, but Robyn was 1st and 2nd on the second run this afternoon.

The Ulster Irish Red Setter Club – Open – Pointer & Setter- Sunday 15th September 2013

The Ulster Irish Red Setter Club held an Open Stake for Pointers & Setters on Murley Mountain at Fivemiletown as the guests of the Hamilton- Stubber family on Sunday 15th September 2013. The trial was run under Kennel Club Field Trial rules and regulations and the judges for the day were Steve Robinson and Carol Calvert.
The outstanding feature of the day was the weather. We were in the throws of our first autumn storm and I took a wind speed reading of 37 mph in the afternoon and on the way down the M1 some hours earlier I saw a grey squirrel blown bodily across the road. The morning saw frequent and heavy showers but these dwindled over the day and although the wind gusts didn’t fall much below 20 mph we were in bright sunshine by the late afternoon. There was a vote of the competitors so see if the trial should go ahead and obviously the majority decision was to proceed.
Result :-
1st F.T.Ch. Ballyellan Cara Bill Connolly’s English Setter bitch handled by Gerald Devine.

Alex.
Things conspired against Alex. He is so responsive to other peoples’ whistles that it can curtail his performance. Our opponent today isn’t a noisy handler but it was enough in the circumstances to make him look poor. The more I think about it England in July with plenty of grouse is Alex’s forte.
Basso.
What to say? Trialling is 85% ground work and 15% bird work. Basso was good for 95% of the time but in trials anything less than 100% doesn’t usually cut the mustard.
His first round was top drawer. We had a slight cheek wind from the right with the ground running at a fairly steep angle from left to right but also slightly from forward to behind if you catch my drift. This meant to do the wind correctly Basso would be slightly forward and up the hill on the left and back and down hill on the right, and that’s exactly what he did. The right side was terminated by a deep gully maybe two hundred yards away and the skyline might have been a hundred and fifty on the left. He did his ground extremely nicely and at good pace. He took direction when needed and that was only the once. I reckoned that any grouse on the left, exposed to the full force of the wind, would be the village idiot. I liked the right side away down in the relative shelter by the gully and towards the end I turned him in the middle once and sent him back down to a likely looking spot.
The second round was in heavier ground but we started off doing the ground right. There were birds about and I wanted to get as many cuts in before we were over the top. Again only the village idiot would have been on the windy side of the hill. Ha! Double Ha!
Basso was going fairly well for a second round in heavy ground but then all of a sudden he was running twice as fast. We had hit The Duck Pond Lane and ultimately it was our undoing. The lane ran across our beat. Basso isn’t lazy and he isn’t stupid either so he took a spin up the lane on the right. By the time he was back level with me on the lane he was behind me so I called him off the lane to run in front of me. With hind sight maybe I should have let him go on out along the lane to the left but I was worried that he would just come back along the lane and judges don’t like dogs behind handlers. So he ran past me maybe twenty yards into the wind before going left at right angles to the wind. Our fate was sealed as we were now over the brow of the hill and The Village Idiot was lurking in the heather, now down wind of Basso. It looked really strange to me when Basso turned back to try and locate him and ran maybe ten yards down wind, you guessed it, over the top of the idiot grouse.
So there’s the stats and all. Lets keep it simple. He probably made fifty casts over the day in total, like they were drawn with parallel rulers and his last cast is flawed. As I said 98% doesn’t cut the mustard, but that said he did me proud.

I didn’t vote for the trial to go ahead and I feel there is little doubt that had we got a better day for a rerun there would have been a better result but that said the event is now over and judges etc. don’t have to turn out again later in the year.
With the exception of Alex all the other dogs ran, some harder and some more effectively than others, but they all gave it a go. Bird work was always going to be difficult but it was no surprise that the winner’s find was in the lee of a small bank of peat. Any bird in the open ground had ample opportunity to get off side.

Neat report, Des.

The Northern Ireland Pointer Club – Open – Pointer – Friday 27th September 2013


The Northern Ireland Pointer Club held it’s annual breed stake on The Crieve beat of Glenwherry Moor on Friday 27th September 2013. The trial licensed by and run under the Field Trial Rules and Regulations of The Kennel Club was judged by Ned Butler and Davy O’Neill. The steward of the beat was Conor Kelly the Irish Grouse Conservation Project’s keeper.
The temperature was around 15ºc and although the visibility improved from time to time you could say it was misty the whole day.
We had high hopes for this annual event and were even hopeful of a puppy stake but the fates intervened. Richard MacNicol, who had been involved in a road traffic accident in July drove all the way down to his friend Jon Kean’s but in the morning when he stooped to move an empty planter his back gave out. Shaun McCormack’s wife was taken ill and Michael Houston had to withdraw due to a sudden work commitment. I’m not sure how many dog this affected but the Puppy Stake was scuppered and we had the bare minimum, sixteen, for the Open Pointer Stake.
Result : -
1st Koram Kaiser James Coyle’s Pointer dog. Born Christmas Day 2009 by F.T.Ch.Fearn Mate of Burncastle X Fernhill Diamond of Koram. ( Subject to Kennel Club ratification Kaiser is now a F.T.Ch.)

Chris.
The fog was at it’s worst and we were first brace. I cast him off and let him run a bit but the first time he looked at me I blew the whistle and raised my hand. The thought of chasing him over miles of heather in the fog did not appeal. I picked him up.
Basso.
A big disappointment. Never got going. The third time he pointed and failed to produce I withdrew him.
Van.
Ran hard enough but the lines weren’t good and he didn’t get another run.
Alex.
I honestly can’t remember why our original brace mate was picked up but it was very much in our favour as the big dog hadn’t really got going but when Jimmy Dalton was put against us he did much better. We were in better ground, which makes it slightly easier to run, shots had been fired, birds flushed and he was much more up for the job. He did dwell on scent a bit at times but by the end of the run, which culminated in a joint find, very close, on a hare, which neither dog chased, he was going quite nicely.
In his second round run, against the same dog he was again running quite hard and wide. I was able to engineer a back when our brace mate failed to produce the hen of a supposed pair. We were run on and he knocked up a snipe, which was ok in the context of this stake but was disappointing when you consider he is a dog that competes regularly in Ireland. Then he came on point BUT couldn’t produce what was obviously grouse. ( that we walked them up walking back to the cars was no surprise but still very disappointing)
Sophie.
Seemed to run a blinder. She was a bit left sided for a time but boy did she cover her ground flat out. She is a competitive bitch ( I don’t mean female dog here) and put all her aggression into her run but didn’t get a second run which surprised Roy slightly.
Uno.
His first event at thirteen months old and it showed. Overawed by the whole thing he never really got going but you have to start somewhere. He was picked up when it became obvious his sole desire was to trail the other dog. Roy’s efforts to stop him trailing meant he sort of threw the towel in.

There have been years when we were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough dogs for our breed stake. This year, up until the preceding Wednesday we were happy and then it all nearly fell apart. All the competitors are club members but we are still eternally grateful for the support of the members who travel from far afield to make this weekend a success and of course well done James Coyle. Another Champion.

thanks for the report Des and I hear your about your concerns about having enough dogs -16- to put a trial on with your breed .16 of any pointing dog here together would be a huge turn out ......

Originally Posted by el borracho

thanks for the report Des and I hear your about your concerns about having enough dogs -16- to put a trial on with your breed .16 of any pointing dog here together would be a huge turn out ......

Any more than 16 and we would be running short of trialing grounds....

Des are you seeing younger or for that matter older people joining you ranks or are you seeing a declining role in general with the pointer setter crowd

Originally Posted by Petros_mk

Any more than 16 and we would be running short of trialing grounds....

thats a good point but then we would probably shorten the time to run also -trouble is we unlike the English don't have the birds .Pigeon trials would be ok with bigger numbers .The truth is we need those numbers to survive as our members either get to old or retire themselves and dogs .

Its upto young guys like you Petros to lead the charge

Our group of competitors is shrinking, and quite quickly too. There has only been one new competitor over the last couple of years. I would say the average age is 45 +.
To run a puppy trial we must have a minimum of 8 dogs, an all aged or novice trial 12 and a open 16. If you are running two stakes on a day and neither is an open the maximum number of runner is 45. If there are two events and one of them is an open or you are only running an open the maximum is 40. I don't know what the minimums are under Irish K.C. rules but the maximum is 30. A much better figure in my opinion.

The Northern Ireland Pointer Club – Open – Pointer & Setter – 28th September 2013

The Northern Ireland Pointer Club held an Open Stake for Pointers and Setters on Craig’s Moss Glarryford with the permission of The Glarryford Gun Club and local land owners. Conducted under Kennel Club Field Trial Rules and Regulations the judges for the day were Dominic Goutorb from Derbyshire and local lad Robert Simpson. David O’Neill was the steward of the beat. The main quarry expected was pheasant but snipe were also likely and maybe even woodcock. (Patricia Wood won this trial one year with points on pheasant, woodcock and partridge.)
The day was bright and sunny but prevented from being warm due to a wind steady in both direction and strength. Nearly a perfect day for the job.
Result :-
1st F.T.Ch. Ballyellen Cara Bill Connolloy’s English Setter bitch handled by Gerald Devine.
2nd F.T.Ch. Ardclynis Caitlin Laurence McAlister’s Pointer bitch.
I think most people had these two at the top but maybe a few had them reversed.

Alex.
Ran well enough to please me. Covered sufficient ground at a reasonable pace and ended up with a tricky find in ground our brace mate had done. A hen bird in a patch of heather no bigger than half your table top and sitting there bobbing it’s head up and down. Dropped to shot and cleared his ground.
Basso.
Got a heavy bit of ground but stuck manfully to his task and ran good lines. He even tackled the heavy ground just off the edge while our opponent bored up the beat.
Sophie.
Messy as the other dog was very slow in roading on it’s two false points and then to add insult to injury Roy fell into one of the wee narrow drains.
None of these dogs got another run and before you ask, I don’t know.

A well organised event, well stewarded and run in good sport. All the dogs ran well and were obviously hunting. A nice day to be out with the dogs.

Gerald is definitely the man to beat just now. This might take his open stake wins into double figures for the year, if he isn’t already there.

The Ulster Gundog League – Open – Pointer and Setter – Sunday 29th September 2013

The Ulster Gundog League held an Open Stake for Pointers and Setters on The Point Beat of The Hill Farm at Glenwherry on Sunday 29th September 2013 working with the permission of The Hill farm and local land owners. Run under Kennel Club Field Trial Rules and Regulations the judges for the day were Dominic Goutorb from Derbyshire and Laurence McAlister (Joke – Well known pointer man Liam McAllister!!!!!!!). The steward of the beat was Ned Butler.

Result :-
1st Int. F.T.Ch. Glynlark Apollo Carol Calvert’s Irish Champion Stake winning Irish Setter dog and just about my favourite red at the moment.

SW 6.4 mph < ?? Bright and sunny the whole day. 13ºc (Maybe felt slightly colder in the morning)
Alex.
In so much that there were a couple of small fenced off enclosures on his beat an awkward bit of ground but exactly where I would have wanted him to run otherwise. Beautiful smooth running. Handled well and covered his ground at pace ( if he wouldn’t run here he wouldn’t run anywhere) Progressed well until out brace mate failed to handle a bird.
Again his second round was were I would have picked if offered a choice. He was running with a bit of drive but not as even sided as I would have liked. The minute he dropped his nose on a scent we were picked up which was fair enough. This was a second round.
Basso.
Shaped up to run good lines at pace. Ignored a hare, or did he just not see it?. Pointed. Couldn’t produce. Cast off again, pointed again. Roaded to where birds had flushed, probably the birds he couldn’t produce the first time (judges words not mine). We were allowed to finish off the ground but he didn’t get another run.
Sophie.
Didn’t see her run but she only got the one.

Lots of people were making lots of excuses for why their, or others people’s, dogs couldn’t handle birds. There is this urban myth that here in Northern Ireland dogs couldn’t smell frying bacon if the wind is from the North East. If there is any truth in this it is more to do with the fact that a Nor’ easterly may well have blown all the way from The Urals and be exceeding cold. On this day the breeze was from the south so it’s accuracy didn’t matter.
There was no doubt that dogs that I would be prepared to bet my pension on did bump birds but that just gave the winner the opportunity to show why he won the Irish Championship and why he’s an International Field Trial Champion.

Ulster Gundog League – Open – Pointer and Setter – Saturday 12th October 2013.

Ned Butler, the Pointer & Setter Section Secretary of The Ulster Gundog League organised an Open Stake for Pointers and Setters at Craig’s Moss, Glarryford with the permission and assistance of The Glarryford Gun Club and the local land owners. For the first time in a while we had not one but two A panel judges officiating in Charlie Neeson from Sion Mills and my long time friend from Huddersfield Shaun McCormack. The Licence was issued by The Kennel Club whose Field Trial Rules and Regulations the event was run under.
9ºc. Steady breeze. Bright but not sunny. Feeling cool at times.

Result :-
1st Shanrycon Eagle of Oisin Andy Law’s Irish Setter dog.
2nd. Oksby Basso Des O’Neile’s Pointer dog.

Alex.
Roy and I poke fun at each other, or maybe more correctly I poke fun at him for wearing his rose-coloured glasses when talking about Sophie and Uno. I don’t think I do the same thing when talking about Alex but if that’s correct then I’m really confused. Alex ran out of his skin. He ran flat and hard. When needed he handled easily. He backed when our brace mate had a find and it was easy to keep him steady. This was at least his best ever competition run and maybe his best under any circumstances but he still didn’t get another run. Add that to what happened the last time we were at Glarryford and I’m, to say the least, confused.com.
Basso.
He was in the first brace. Drawn on the right he went right, not a full out run but he didn’t get much past the centre of the beat on his way left when he pointed. The bird was on the far windward edge of a clump of higher heather not much bigger than a tablecloth. I made a point of walking through the clump when we went in to road. Basso was reluctant to move but when he took his first step the bird flushed and he was steady to wing and shot. Put down again our brace mate had a find on the extreme left of the beat but couldn’t put the running bird into the air so we were picked up.
We were on the far side of the Moss, over by the causeway, for the second round. Beautiful running ground with quite a few small drains running across it. These don’t seem to affect the dogs. The same can’t be said for handlers, and judges. That we were cast off down wind of where one of the previous brace had flushed a snipe probably affected his performance has he had two non-productives, one of which was the snipe haunt but it probably didn’t affect the result. He ran nice and flat, had good pace and more to the point it was so obvious that he was hunting. He probably ran as wide as he has all season, even wider than in Dublin but he still managed to turn more or less on the first peep. For his work over the two rounds we were given second place.

Offered the position I now find myself in i.e. qualified for Open Stakes and The Champion Stake this morning I suppose I would have broken your arm clean off but what happened to Alex did take a bit of the shine off it.
It being my 37th Wedding Anniversary Shaun, Her and me repaired to The Golden Elephant for a few bottles of Singha and crispy duck. Coconut rice of course.

Des, was Hugh Bradly running his dogs in the trials above?

Hugh's mum was in hospital recently and between that and being the secretary of a club that had an event in Connaught he hasn't been up to every event.