The Crufts Committee has agreed to accommodate two breed club championship partnership shows at next year’s event, due to the extraordinary circumstances of Crufts moving its dates in 2021 to July 15-18 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Irish Water Spaniel Association show will now be held on the Saturday (Gundog day) and the Old English Sheepdog Club of Wales show on the Sunday (Working and Pastoral day) at NEC Birmingham.
Vanessa McAlpine, Crufts Show Manager, said: “As Crufts has moved its dates, it unfortunately clashed with some championship shows scheduled on their respective group days. The Kennel Club’s policy is not to grant two sets of Challenge Certificates for the same breed on the same day unless the show is held as a partnership show or the show is held back to back with the relevant general championship show.
“With this in mind, the options which could be considered in these circumstances were to change the breed club show date to avoid the clash of CCs; to hold a back-to-back show (on the days either side of the group day at Crufts); to reschedule the breed club show to 2022; to cancel the 2021 breed club show; or to hold a partnership show with Crufts. We are very pleased that the latter option has been decided for these two breed clubs, and Crufts very much looks forward to working with them at next year’s event.”