Dervish whirls for the North Cotswold
Nigel Peel enjoys a stellar day at Builth as the North Cotswold win both foxhound championships, but there is more depth in the Welsh and Fell rings
THIS was the 50th year that the Wales & Border Counties hound show has been held on the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells. It was therefore very heartening to see such strong support for the Welsh ring, with a marked increase in both numbers and quality. Alas, the same could not be said for the English classes. As at Ardingly, numbers were badly depleted with a corresponding lack of quality in some of the classes. Particularly noticeable was the absence of the three- and four-day-a-week packs.
It was a good day for the
North Cotswold, however, who took home both championships, and the restricted prizes were evenly distributed among the local packs.
Judging the doghounds were Robin Vestey, long-serving jointmaster of his family pack the Thurlow, and his cousin Charlie Shirley-Beavan, joint-master and huntsman of the Tynedale.
The first class for single unentered hounds set the tone for much of the day. Despite all six of the local packs being in the ring, the lack of numbers and widely differing stamps of hound made the judges’ task much harder. They chose Curre and Llangibby Steptoe, a well-made son of VWH Steptoe 13, ahead of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn’s (Wynnstay) Chairman, a lovely example of the less conventional old English type for which this kennel is renowned. Steptoe also took the local championship and the pack were in the ribbons throughout the day, well shown by their new huntsman Neil Coleman and a credit to former master Peter Swann. Steptoe’s brothers Statesman and Sterling did well to take third in the open unentered couples but were outclassed by the bigger packs. North Cotswold Draycott and Greenwood had the edge over
the Beaufort’s entry by Grove and Rufford Poacher 14. The well-balanced and classic quality of Draycott won him the overall unentered prize.
There was success for the
South Shropshire in the restricted single entered, which they won with the powerfully built, homebred Saga 16.
The Beaufort triumphed in the open couples with the well-matched Hawker 16 and Rancher 16, by two of their top sires, Foreman 12 and Belvoir 13. The North Cotswold were rather let down in this class by Ragdale 16, who didn’t show himself quite as well as he might. However, in the two-couple he was back on form as part of their winning combination, which included the morning’s champion Rallywood 16. The second-placed Beaufort fielded a broken-coated quartet including Pegasus 15, a partWelsh son of Pembrokeshire Farrier 11.
The biggest surprise of the morning came in the stallion class, when Monmouthshire Doublet 15 beat the two bigger packs for first prize, the judges saying: “He had a lovely deep chest, good feet and pinged across the ring.”
Normal service was resumed in the championship run-off between Beaufort Radar 15 and North Cotswold Rallywood 16, with the latter victorious.
Robin Vestey said: “They were both tall and athletic, with lovely conformation, but from the moment we saw Rallywood he was an obvious show winner.”
FIRST WIN IN TWO DECADES FOR CHESHIRE
IT was the turn of Tony Leahy MFH, who hunts the Cornwall hounds in Illinois and Georgia, in America, and Heythrop jointmaster Nessie Chanter to assess the bitches.
The Monmouthshire’s success continued with Frilly winning the single unentered ahead of the old English types fielded by the Wynnstay and Cheshire. These had obviously caught the judges’ eyes as the Wynnstay went on to win the open unentered couples class with Reason and Reckless (by Warwickshire Remus 13).
The Cheshire took the single entered and the local championship with Woven 15, a daughter of Percy Woolen 09, much to the delight of senior master Charlie Barlow.
“This is the first class we have won in more than 20 years and with the type of hound that we are trying to breed, which is half old English,” he said.
From then on the afternoon was dominated by the North Cotswold. Gravity 15 and the ultimate champion Dervish 15 won the entered couples, followed by a superbly matched quartet — all by different sires — who, exuding quality, took the twocouple.
In the brood bitch class it was the turn of Story 15, a daughter of the influential Bodmin 10, who clinched it ahead of Beaufort Forage 14 (another progeny of Foreman 12).
For the championship the North Cotswold put forward Dervish and Rainfall 16 against the Beaufort’s Paleface 16 and their unentered overall winner Botany. Having narrowed it down to Dervish and Botany, the judges awarded the championship to Dervish, who was also champion at Honiton last year, with Botany reserve.
Nessie Lambert said: “It was a tough decision, but she is outstanding and covered the ground so athletically.”
All four judges were in the ring to judge the overall champion; this too went to Dervish.
Tony Leahy commented:
“It was difficult, but the bitch just crossed the ring better than the dog.”
He added: “It was a shame there weren’t more hounds, but the top 25% were outstanding, and it was particularly good to see the quality of the Old English type.”