Ferns Field Trial Forays

[Naj]

Well done. You deserve it!

[Amberquest]

Last Tuesday I received a call from the secretary of the Tyne, Tees and Tweed Field Trial Association asking me whether I wanted to take a run in their open stake on Saturday the 15th. I’d put an entry in a few weeks ago as I heard they were low on dogs and was originally drawn at number 23 so wasn’t expecting it. After a few seconds deliberating it I agreed and said I’ll be there. After I got off the phone I thought “Oh Oh, what have I done?”

I called my shoot captain up to let him know that I wouldn’t be there on Saturday and he wished me good luck. The way I looked at it was that the trial was on a Saturday, so I didn’t have to take time off work, it was only 2 hours away so relatively close and that there was no pressure on me at all as a novice dog.

Saturday came and I had a bit of a lie in, a 6:15am alarm, that’s unknown on a trial day!! I got the other dogs walked and fed, loaded up the car and made my way to the M6, up two junctions to Junction 38 and across to the Raby Estate. As I got closer and started to ascend, the clear sky quickly turned to a thick mist which made driving a bit perilous but I made it to the meeting point in good time.

Some of the top guys were there Clulee, Openshaw, English, Scott, Skidmore etc and the nerves started to kick in. I gave Fern a bit of a blast on the grass to clean herself and stretch her legs before picking up my armband and waiting for the brief. Once the brief was over we were back in the cars and away to the ground where the trial was to be held.

I was in at number 1, what a baptism of fire. An unqualified novice dog, who has only finished one trial opening up an open trial on an open bit of ground with the whole gallery able to see my run. Nervous? You betcha!!!

I was in under Martin Smee and was starting on an uphill slope with bracken and sieves, ideal rabbit ground. I cast Fern off and away she went, taking in her ground with speed and investigating the cover. I had a stone wall on my right and quite a big gap before the gun on my left so was trying to keep her pattern wide whilst keeping control of her.

In the end I took the decision to guide her around a little, going to where I thought game would be and this soon paid off. She indicated and two rabbits bolted from the sieves, the one that ran forward being shot by the gun on my right, I lost sight of the one on the left, but soon found out it’d been missed. “Send your dog” said Martin. Gave Fern a “Back” and away she went, straight on the line of the rabbit, winded it on the brow of a little hump and brought it straight back to hand. Relief.

We carried on and a rabbit was shot on the left hand side. The dog was tried and failed so I was called over. I’d seen where it had bowled over and cast Fern out, maybe 35 yards out. She took a little bit of handling to get her to the patch of sieves where the rabbit had gone into and she made a thorough attempt of hunting it through but came back with nothing. Both judges went out and there was a hole on the edge of the sieves which the rabbit must have made it to.

A short hunt followed before Martin said he’d seen enough and to call her up. I’d completed a run in an Open trial. I was chuffed. On my way out of the line Derek Lee commented on how well she’d gone, I thought she’d pulled me a little, but I’m still learning what the judges are looking for so I took his comment as a positive.

I made it back to the gallery and breathed. Fern was sneezing constantly and I had to get Vicky Williams to help me pull a rush from up her nostril. I got a few comments off people in the gallery that she’d had a good run etc and I was on cloud nine.

I knew it’d be a while before I was back in so got Fern’s coat on her and gave her some tit bits before her next run. The trial continued with some very good dog work. A few dogs went out for missing rabbits but overall the dog work was impressive to watch, Ian Openshaw and Eddie Scott pulling off excellent retrieves over a gulley within quick succession of eachother.

Carl Colclough was in line at number 14, with Will Clulee backing up at 16 with FTCH Poolgreen Farlow Ben. I was bound to be in soon. Out came Carl and in went will and I was called over by the steward. We were now in heather on top of a hill and as Fern doesn’t work in heather too often I was a little apprehensive about how she’d go. Will pulled Ben up and I was in under Paul Matthews.

I cast her off and she looked really nice, head down in the heather and moving with pace. I was happy with this as previously she had a tendency to bounce over the heather a little. It was a backwind beat so I was letting her go a little. In hindsight and speaking with Paul after the trial, I should have worked her on my right hand side a little more.

I’d maybe hunted 30 yards when a loose covey of grouse got up between the two dogs. Fern bounced a couple of strides and sat. If I had the chance again I’d have blown my stop whistle as soon as they flushed, but with it being an open stake I think in my head I had it that I had to keep off the whistle as much as I could. She sat there watching the grouse away, I knew I was going out, but remained calm in the hope the judge had somehow missed it. I know Paul quite well and knew he’d be fair with me, and he came over and said call her up.

I thanked him and went back to the gallery. Speaking to him after the trial he said she’d moved just a little too far which I can’t argue with in anyway. I’d have been more surprised if I’d have stayed in.

On the whole I was happy with how she’d gone and she didn’t completely disgrace me in some top quality company. She hunted well, handled well and maybe with a bit more help from me we could have finished the 2nd run but these things happen. I got some good feedback from the judges, an A with a slight knock under Martin for how she handled when trying to find the rabbit that went to ground. Not a million miles away but the quality of the top dogs was evident and I don’t think many would argue with the dogs that finished in the awards.

1st – Ian Openshaw – FTCH Mallowdale Midge
2nd – Eddie Scott – Chyknell Golden Eagle
3rd – Ian English – FTCH Broadmeafarm Beau
4th and guns choice – Jason Croft – Wrenmarsh Sweet Lady

[Alice]

Well done Scott!!! The fact she held her own like that is really impressive!! There's many an Open dog who've moved on Grouse like that I'm 100% sure, and people would not have made those good comments about her if they didn't mean it. It sounds like if you'd finished that second run there's no reason there shouldn't have been an award for you too.

[Sgurr]

Again, thanks for a super write up. You did really well - in that company too so be proud of her!

[Longy0710]

awaiting the next trial write up as I am sure Scott has plenty to tell us.................

[Amberquest]

Yesterday I took part in the North West Counties Field Trials Association Novice Cocker Stake at Blenkinsopp Hall near Haltwhistle. Despite being in Cumbria, a so called local trial, it still took me 2 and a quarter hours to get there. The joys of living in the most inaccessible cul-de-sac in England!

I was out the door around 6:30am for a 9am meet, with the obligatory stop at Southwaite services for a coffee and bacon butty from Greggs before arriving at the meet point around 8:50am. Briefings and the raffle, which I didn’t win, were soon out of the way and we were back in the cars to make the short trip to the starting point of the trial.

I was running at number 12 so thought I’d have quite a long wait, however, dogs number 2 and 4 hadn’t turned up so it wouldn’t be long before I was in. We started the trial in sieves with a rabbit and a few partridges getting up. The early dogs had quite long runs before we reached an area where there were 3 or 4 partridge pens which understandably meant there was a bit more game around.

Dog number 10 was unfortunately put out, I think for failing to find a bird, and I was called over to run under Roy Ellershaw. It was a patch of dense sieves next to a partridge pen and I cast Fern off, immediately powering through with nose down and pace. She soon bumped two partridge up, one of which was shot approximately 20 yards away. It was a runner so Roy told me to send her almost immediately after the fall. She went out straight to it and picked it, she struggled slightly to find me in the number of bodies, or at least I though that’s what it was but more of that late, before delivering to hand.

I cast her off again and she flushed another single partridge, sitting up whilst the gun on my right brought it down maybe 15 yards in front. Roy asked John Bailey who was judging the other side if he would like the retrieve as Wayne Parrington who was running under him needed one, so Fern sat patiently whilst that was brought back to hand. At this point Roy turned to me and asked which side of the bed I got out of this morning and I should go an buy a lottery ticket as all the other dogs had had long runs before their finds!

I cast her off again and she flushed 3 partridge, two breaking right and one breaking left, both sides had shots, me and Fern focused on the one on the right which was missed, but it was the one that came down 40 yards to our left that we were to try and get. Neither me or the dog had seen it come down so I sent Fern back to try and get her on the right side of the wind, however she was pulling to the right towards another partridge pen.

I stopped her and it took two redirections to the left before she was in the area, which to her credit as soon as she was she had it on the way back to me in no time at all. Frustratingly she circled me again before delivering, I couldn’t put my finger on why this was, she’s been fine in terms of delivering to hand. That was my run over under Roy and I was relieved to have got through it. Fern’s gears were continually going up and if she’d have had any more flushes I think I’d have struggled to hold her hunting, she’s a dog on the edge at times.

The next few dogs again had relatively long runs, some going out for running in and failing on retrieves. It wasn’t too long before I was backing up prior to going in under John Bailey. Fran Ardley who was running before me had a long run before finally getting a flush on a rabbit and that was her run done, I was up!!

I’ve entered a few trials now where John has been one of the judges, and I’ve never actually lasted long enough to get a run under him, something which I mentioned when I got called up. I let him know that I’d had three flushes and 2 retrieves under Roy and he jokingly put his book away and said “That’ll do you”. If only it was that easy!

We were again in sieves, slightly less thick this time, and I thought it’d give Fern an opportunity to show herself a bit more and flow. As soon as I cast her off her nose was down, hunting with intent where the rabbit Fran had flushed had run through the sieves. We maybe hunted for a hundred yards or so before we came to the end of the sieve bed. It was lead on and a short walk over to another sieve bed to head back towards the partridge pens.

We had another hunt of 200 yards or so as the only dog as there were only even numbered dogs left, all eyes were on us, before finally flushing a single partridge which was shot around 50 yards out to the left, which was also a runner. “Great” I thought to myself. I sent Fern back as she’d watched it away but pulled to the right towards a partridge pen with birds flapping around in. a quick redirect and she soon picked the bird and was on her way back. She stopped short and put the bird down. “Balls!” I thought to myself. A quick readjust and she came into me, but again circled me before delivering, what was she doing?!?!?!

Handed the bird over to John and that was me done. I’d finished another trial, I was elated. Numbers 14 and 16 again had quite long runs before the trial was declared over, there was to be no run off and it was back to the vehicles for the presentations.

I knew Fern had hunted very well, she was fast, thorough and kept her nose down with a nice action. However, her delivery had gone off the boil today and ultimately that cost me. If she’d have been clean with that I may have been up there.

The dogs were read out from the winner first.

1st: Steve Winspear – Kiltonbeck Cooper
2nd: Simon Ryder – Clarburgh Ben
3rd: Wayne Parrington – Whitebeam Frost Pocket
4th: Hawksbeck Belle –John Park

Certificates of Merit:
Fran Ardley – Crimson Promise
K Gaskell - Lisburn Judy
Frances Brooks - Saxaphone Bounty
Scott Mossop – Creechdale Phoebe of Amberquest

GET IN THERE!!!!! I’d finally got an award. I had to help John out with reading the name out and he said I had to get it changed as it had taken him so long to write it out! I was over the moon. I’ve persevered with her and this is some reward for all the time, money and effort I’ve put into getting her this far.

I spoke with Roy and John after the trial and they both couldn’t believe she was a bitch because of the power she has and said if the retrieves would have been clean I’d have been up there in the placings, probably not first as Steve Winspears dog was a cut above the rest from what I saw.

The drive home was a happy one once again!! I’m starting to think that number 12 is my lucky number. I was number 12 when I got Guns Choice in the Gwynedd Trial a few weeks ago, I was number 12 yesterday, in my 12th trial with Fern, in December the 12th month of the year. I’m not one for being superstitious but I will now only be running if I’m number twelve in December trials haha!

[RAH]

Well done Scott and Fern, officially FTAW! Top Christmas present I'd say

[Strathcraig]

Well done.

As someone else's tag line on her says: "a champion was once a contender who never gave up"

[Merlin]

Very well done, I really do enjoy reading your write ups...

[pontbeck]

Well done Scott, you see persistents pays off.
I shot at Blenkinsopp two weeks ago, first time under the new keeper and we had a great day. From your description the trial must have been held on the Northern part of the estate to the north of the military road. We tried to shoot partridges there and we saw a good number but they weren't keen to fly, the pheasants were excellent though. Glad you've had your first success hope it's followed by many more.