A team from Ireland has won the Kennel Club International Retriever Team Event, held at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire by the gracious permission of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The judges were Alan Schofield, Graham Slater, Malcolm Thwaites, Diana Harrison and Keith Barnes. The event is kindly sponsored by Eukanuba.
The test saw teams of talented retrieving breeds tested on their natural working abilities including marking the fall of a dummy and fast delivery to hand.
The winning team consisted of:
- FT Ch The Newcam Boss, owned and handled by Billy Lundy
- Lettergreen Razzle, owned and handled by Sean Nolan
- Ir FT Ch Copperbirch Mandell, owned and handled by Sean Diamond
- Ir FT Ch Miller McDuff, owned and handled by Declan Boyle
Tony O’Hare, team captain, said: ''It has been a great two days and I have really enjoyed it. The tests were extremely well done and very sensible with the ground being good. The dogs worked really well and everyone was happy. I would just like to say thank you to everyone involved.''
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "The Irish team did brilliantly to triumph over such stiff competition and they should be very proud of themselves. Their hard work has obviously paid off and the team work and bond we saw between the dogs – all Labradors – and their handlers was fantastic.
"To beat eight other international teams of exceptional quality is no mean feat and we congratulate Tony and his team on winning the International Retriever Team Event. The UK and German teams should also be very proud of themselves, and we wish them continued success.
"This competition fits well with the Kennel Club's 'Fit For Function, Fit For Life' campaign and aims to assess the working abilities of gundogs. It is all about the dogs putting their natural instincts to good use to work well for their handlers, and the Chatsworth estate is the perfect place for it, with woodland, moors, lakes and walls that can all be used in the retrieves."
The overall results for the test were as follows:
- 1st – Ireland
- 2nd – United Kingdom
- 3rd – Germany
- Best Individual Dog – FT Ch The Newcam Boss