a beagle tries on a bowler hat for size at Peterborough
While the Grove and Rufford claim the doghound championship, a resurgent Heythrop triumph in the bitch classes
MODERN ENGLISH
NO single pack dominated this year’s foxhound show, with the championships and top prizes evenly distributed. The Grove and Rufford cemented their success at Harrogate by taking the doghound championship, while the Heythrop won the bitch championship and both twocouples classes.
Dulverton West huntsman John Nicholson’s long journey up from the West Country was once again well rewarded as their hounds more than held their own against the bigger packs.
There were quality hounds shown throughout the day, but the restricted classes were once again sadly lacking in numbers.
Judging the doghounds were Jacky Thomas MFH (Glamorgan), the Masters of Foxhounds Association’s long-standing committee member for Wales, and from Scotland, Andrew Cook MFH, who was instrumental in restarting the Dumfries as the Dumfries and Stewartry in 2006.
They awarded the restricted unentered class to the wellproportioned Old Berks Stadium (by VWH Statesman 13) before being presented with a much stronger unentered couples class with 13 packs contending. Beaufort Falcon and Faraday were victorious over VWH Janitor
and Nomad in a close-fought run-off. However Nomad, a son of North Cotswold Devon 15, had the upper hand in the unentered championship with Falcon reserve.
This year there was a change in the structure of the entered couples class, with the winners of the restricted class being eligible for a new open section. Dulverton West Granite and Griffin were comfortable winners in the first part and successfully hung on to third place in the open. This went to Grove and Rufford Safeguard and Saxon 16, who combined size, strength and quality to clinch this from stiff opposition.
In the following two-couples class it was the Heythrop’s active and evenly matched entry by
VWH Steptoe 13 who triumphed, with the Grove and Rufford’s handsome quartet of whiskery grandsons of Beaufort Farrier 07 second. The judges later commented that this was the strongest class but with two very distinct stamps of hound on show.
The Grove and Rufford were at the fore once again in the stallion class with Saxon 16 (by Stilton 14), and with his kennel-mate Laxton 16 collecting third. Saxon was straight back in the ring to contest the championship and it says much for his stamina and the skill of his huntsman that, despite the heat, he showed to perfection.
Up against him were some of the finest hounds in the country, including North Cotswold Devon 15, Beaufort Radar 15 and the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray’s agile Ardingly winner Dragon 17. After careful deliberation the judges confirmed Saxon as champion, much to the delight of the many Grove and Rufford onlookers. Meanwhile, Beaufort Radar yet again had to settle for reserve.
Jacky Thomas said: “Saxon had quality, size and moved magnificently; four strides and he was across the ring.”
Andrew Cook added: “He ticked all the boxes, completely in the money, you just couldn’t catch him wrong.”
In the afternoon, Martin Scott made his eighth appearance here as judge, a unique achievement and fitting accolade for someone who has done so much to promote high standards of hound breeding. He and Tom Lyle MFH (Dartmoor) made fast, accurate
decisions to work their way through the bitch classes.
Only five packs came forward for the restricted unentered, which went to the attractive broken-coated Bicester Roamer.
As in the morning the open unentered couples was far stronger and was awarded to Beaufort Fabric and Fashion, whose siblings had won the corresponding doghound class, perfectly matched with size and quality. However, it was North Cotswold Walnut who moved beautifully across the ring to take the unentered championship.
There was more success for the Dulverton West in the restricted entered couples, which they won with Graceful and Gretel 16, and a well-deserved second for the Bedale, who had been consistently in the restricted ribbons.
It was now the turn of the Heythrop, who fielded their winning Ardingly team with similar success. Racket 17 and Stella 17, both by VWH Steptoe
13, first won the couples and then, joined by their respective littersisters, the two-couples class. Well-matched and athletic, they floated across the ring to outclass their rivals.
A hard-fought brood bitch class went to the North Cotswold’s talented matron Dervish 15. However, she didn’t make the final championship cut, which was whittled down to a “green coat” run-off between Heythrop Racket 17 and Beaufort Porridge 17. Racket was triumphant, and Tom Lyle said: “She was a brilliant mover, an out-and-out winner.”
OLD ENGLISH
THE North Shropshire have enjoyed quite a show season. Having notched up some impressive wins at Builth and Harrogate in both modern and old English classes, they now added the bitch championship on their Peterborough debut. Enthusiasm for the old English was more than emphasised by the large crowd of onlookers and the increase of both the numbers of hounds entered and in their quality.
The Hurworth’s promising young entry Torrent winning the unentered doghound class.
Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn’s (Wynnstay) always excel at this show, and their well-matched pairings of Chairman 17 and Champion 15 and Rambo and Rasper 16 caught the judges’ eyes to claim first and second in a class that judge Tim Allen MFH (Duke of Buccleuch’s) described as the strongest of the day.
In a ring that exemplified many different kennel types and degrees of genetic purity it was good to see York and Ainsty South Pelham 15 win the stallion hound class. His daughters Perish and Holderness Peanut were later runners-up in the unentered bitches.
Wynnstay Chairman 17 emerged the winner of a hard fought championship. Last year he won both the unentered in
this ring and the restricted in the modern English section.
Judge Will Bryer MFH of the Cattistock — where he hunts a combined pack of modern and pure old English — eulogised: “Chairman exudes class and glides in a way that arguably has not been seen in this ring before. Tall and graceful, he stands at the opposite end of the scale to those who still jokingly mock an image of the ‘shorthorn era’ when discussing this type. If he is the ‘Michelangelo’ then the ‘Leonardo’ followed in his reserve — Percy Linseed 17 was a worthy contender.”
In the afternoon the North Shropshire bitches held sway. Blanket won the unentered, and they took the top two prizes in the entered couples with three daughters of Blacksmith 13 and one by Percy Spitfire 08.
Another of Spitfire’s progeny, Pocket 14, provided the Percy with a well-deserved first in the brood bitch class, and she later claimed reserve in the championship.
Also in the running in the brood bitch class were the Pytchley, with Plumpton 15 third behind York and Ainsty South Peewit 15.
The bitch championship, as in the morning, distilled to a contest between a pure-bred Percy hound and an old English type, with the judges favouring North Shropshire Brandy 16.
Will Bryer said: “She consistently showed well and was most impressive”.
NINETEEN of the 20 packs entered showed hounds in the beagle classes. Sadly the Dummer opted to withdraw, fearing their hounds might be coming down with a virus. The bitch classes were undoubtedly diminished by their absence, but many of this season’s previous prize-winners were forward to make for an interesting day as variations on those results developed.
Mark Campbell MH (Ampleforth) and Harry Gosling MH, presently at the Modbury Harriers but previously at both the Radley College and the Royal Agricultural College (RAC) Beagles, judged the doghound classes.
The Old Berkeley, who were consistently in the ribbons and won the points class for the most prizes gained on the day, won the unentered with Murton, a wellmade red and white member of the pack’s “Mu” family, who were prominent in both their and other packs’ prize-winners’ pedigrees.
Their entries were well shown by an all-female team of new kennel-huntsman Hannah Smith, her sister Jess, and Becky Gaylard, whose grandfather David, latterly at the Palmer Marlborough, had a distinguished career in hunt service.
Palmer Marlborough Winston 16, this year’s champion at Builth, was adjudged the best entered dog. He was beautifully shown by Danny Allen and Emily Woodruffe, two of the many capable youngsters appearing in the ring over the day.
The Stowe team of Freddy Richards and Tom Gurney secured both restricted classes with Captain 14 and Grateful 17.
Most shows have retained the 16in height limit for hounds shown in open classes but it remains contentious as many packs keep slightly taller hounds and measuring can be an inexact science. An unmeasured class was introduced here to allow hounds which might fall foul of the measuring stick to be seen by those on the lookout for a stallion hound. It was won by
RAC Viper 17.
David Every, in his first season as kennel-huntsman at the Eton College, produced Blenheim and Bluster to win the couples class over the Taw Vale, whose veteran master Geoff Cox was kept busy presenting trophies in both this and the harrier ring as part of his duties as the incoming president of the sport’s governing body, the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB).
Brighton, Storrington, Surrey and North Sussex Caution 15, a brother of their Harrogate reserve champion bitch Canvas, took the stallion class. Then the Eton were second to the Christchurch’s uniform quartet in the twocouples, before they produced Payson 10A (see box, p79) to win the veteran class. A short-coupled white dog, he went on to take the championship over Caution.
REWARDING LOYAL SERVICE
JACINTH ROGERS, retiring secretary of the Norfolk Beagles Hound Club, was presented with the Mid Essex Salver for her and the club’s service to beagling over the years. The Norfolk do not keep hounds but invite packs in to hunt their country through the season.
Mark Adams was awarded the AMHB’s young hunters
award. Although he was absent working on the family farm, the Taw Vale nominated him for his commitment to them in both the kennel and the field over the past four seasons.
Matthew Higgs MH (Trinity Foot and South Herts) and
Thorne Duggan MH (Wyre
Forest) sorted the bitches.
BSSNS Crocus, daughter of this year’s Harrogate champion Stammer 11, took the unentered over Chilmark and Clifton Foot Flourish. Christchurch Vision 17 won the entered bitches despite showing no interest in the run-off. The judges felt she had sufficiently demonstrated her action beforehand to beat the Derby, Notts and Staffs Wishful 17. Newcastle Avid 13 burst into the ring in the couples to win it with Jangle 17. Avid’s fluid movement greatly impressed the judges and she stood eventual supreme champion.
The two-couples went to the Palmer Marlborough’s blue-mottle quartet while their brood bitch, Woodbine 12, won the Northumberland Cup, which was presented by nonagenarian Mary Gibson, widow of Col. Leonard Gibson, its donor, and mother to the Newcastle’s present senior master Rupert.
She received as great a cheer as any prize-winner.
Jackie Thomas, secretary of the beagle and harrier show, should be congratulated on yet another successful day, her hard work providing ample opportunity to demonstrate the depth of quality in both breeds.