Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: S Burton/ F Briley

Handlers Critique:
Starting in thick cover surrounding a sequence of young plantations bounded by close cut rides, with the terrain and direction offering variably, head, cheek and back wind, the dog worked intelligently and at a pace to suit the conditions. A bird lifted away from the dog's beat and the handler brought the dog up to make the retrieve which was not marked. The bird was quickly found and delivered quickly to hand.

On the second run in the same conditions, the dog came on point which was claimed by the handler. Inder pressure from the dog the bird lifted and was not shot.

At the water test, the dog entered directly, and retrieved efficiently.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: N Cox/ L Wilks

Handlers Critique:
Starting in thick cover surrounding a sequence of young plantations bounded by close cut rides, with the terrain and direction offering variably, head, cheek and back wind, the dog worked intelligently and at a pace to suit the conditions. A bird lifted away from the dog's beat and the handler brought the dog up to make the retrieve which was not marked. The bird was quickly found and delivered quickly to hand.

On the second run in the same conditions, the dog came on point which was claimed by the handler. Inder pressure from the dog the bird lifted and was not shot.

At the water test, the dog entered directly, and retrieved efficiently.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: C Wilkinson/ M Jones

Handlers Critique:
Starting alongside a deep ditch with hedgerow at the top the dog was worked in and along the ditch to make the most of the wind. The ditch was filled with dense cover and watery bottom at times. The dog came on point and on command flushed a cock pheasant which fell wounded into the far side field and into cover of another ditch. Crossing the ditch to take a mark from the judge, the dog was then sent and efficiently picked the cock from cover returning it to hand. Hunting on a bird was flushed and brought down on the far side and again retrieved.

The second run had the dog hunting into thick cover between a hedge line and a derelict pen. The dog pointed a hen and in spite of the restriction of the cover, flushed the hen which was shot and then retrieved. Sent into cover to find a running hen, the dog came on point again, retrieving the marked bird.

At the water test, the dog entered directly, and retrieved efficiently.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: C Snelling/ S Robson

Handlers Critique:
The first run was alongside a deep drainage ditch adjacent to a ploughed field, with a backwind. The ditch had a watery bottom, and the fieldside bank cover was fresh dense nettle growth. The handler proceeded to work the dog downwind at the bank top, directing the dog into the ditch to work back with favour of the wind. The dog came on point while ascending the ditch bank and on command flushed a partridge which flew out of bounds. The dog remained on point and on command flushed a second partridge. Neither bird was shot.

On the second run the dog worked some thick cover between a mature hedge line and a large lake. On reaching the boundary, another drainage ditch, the dog pointed and on command flushed a large cock which flew away from the waiting gun. The dog was sent into the ditch and pointed again, producing a hen pheasant which was shot. The dog was steady to the shot and retrieved the hen on command.

At the water test, the dog entered directly, crossing the river to locate and pick the retrieve, returning by land.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: M Wakeham/ T Bennett

Handlers Critique:
The dog worked a double hedge uphill with only very slight favour of the wind through the hedge. The handler worked the dog forward and return and then forward and return again, moving on when the dog had hunted the hedge twice. This paid dividends as the dog was able to point, flush and retrieve two pheasants in quick succession.

On the second run the dog hunted a deep, steep sided gully, with a sparsely covered watery bottom. The dog pointed game in a large holly bush and flushed a large cock pheasant on command. The dog was steady to shot, but at this point the handler met with a serious eye injury having walked into the end of a broken bough. After an interval the trial recommenced and the judges gave a mark on the suspected area of fall of the bird. The dog was directed along the watery bottom, but returned to the holly bush and went on point again. The wounded cock was captured from the bush and returned to the handler, head up, eyes bright but missing a few feathers.

It was decided to run the dog a third time, at the top of the gully which was unrewarded with game. Offered a fourth run, the dog produced another cock bird having pressured it in deep overhanging cover at the bottom of the gully. The bird was shot and later retrieved as a blind. The water retrieve was satisfactory.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: C Snelling/ P MacDonald

Critique:
This dogs first run was in a rape field into the wind. The dog hunted with fast pace and with a good head carriage covering all of its beat and guns well, taking the correct bites going forward always into the wind and was sharp to every whistle. Towards the end of the dogs run it indicated and worked a moving bird that lifted and the dog was very steady to flush and shot. Her second run was in woodland with low bramble and bracken cover on a back wind. Again she hunted with good pace checking all covers well, indicating and coming onto point on a bramble patch. She produced a hen on command which flushed too low for the gun, but was shot outside of the wood. The dog was very steady to flush and shot. The dog hunted on and worked a pair of moving birds that lifted towards the end of the wood, where the cock was shot outside of the wood. The dog was taken out of the wood and made a 40 yard retrieve on the hen and a 60 yard retrieve on the cock and this finished her run. Water was very good.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: F Alcock/ A Johnson

Handler's Critique:
The dog worked a hedge line with a backwind, turning right at the corner to work a wide, tree-lined, dry ditch adjacent to a wood which was out of bounds. The dog was “encouraged” wood side into cover edging the wood, without favour of the wind. A bird lifted and flew back and was shot, gliding a fair distance beyond the original hedge line. The dog was brought out of cover and sent alongside the ditch, winding the wounded bird on reaching the corner. With no handling, the dog captured the bird out of sight and returned efficiently, presenting the bird to hand. Working on, along the dry ditch no further birds were produced. Later the dog hunted a wood efficiently with style and at the boundary pointed a bird in a ditch bottom. The bird was flushed along and out of the ditch bottom but was not shot. On its third run in woodland the dog hunted well and into likely game holding spots but no birds were found. At the water, the dog swam and retrieved to hand.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr NR Wroe

Judges: R Howard / L Anderson

Critique: First run was in woods resulting in some impressive work with very little handling which resulted in two good retrieves, one of which was pointed. During the second run the bitch had two retrieves, one of which was a runner in tall white grass. Although a little hesitant to retrieve the live bird, she brought it back with head up. Water work was well done. - LA

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: NR Wroe

Judges: C Carpenter/ N Jones

Handler's Comment: Kassie's last time in Puppy Stake. Next will be Novice and all that that entails: splits, blinds, shots, launchers, etc. Not to mention the competition from dogs twice her age and more.

Still, perhaps the exuberance of youth may prevail.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr S & Ms M French & Holmes

Judges: M Canham/ G Pillinger

Critique: Dog came into line for a retrieve on a strong runner which was not found. The dog ran into open woodland surrounded by brambles, covering the ground with a steady pace, acknowledging scent. Indicated several birds which were always moving, producing themselves from brambles, the dog was very steady.
Second run had the dog working a double hedge with ditch on a back wind. Handler worked the ground well putting the dog over the ditch gaining favour of the wind. Came on point on a bramble hedge, produced on command from a distance a pair of hen birds. Both were shot. Dog was steady to flush shot and fall making both retrieves to hand. Good water.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr S & Ms M French & Holmes

Judges: K Scattergood / C Snelling

Critique:

Her first run was in marsh which was holding a lot of water, She located a cock bird which was shot, a runner, and retrieved to hand. She then went on point to a snipe. Her second run was a cover crop with a cheek wind and towards the end of her run came on point. The cock lifted and was shot. She made a blind retrieve on a hare. Her third run was blank. Water was good.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr S & Ms M French & Holmes

Judges: F Wensley /C Carpenter

Critique: This dog had a good head wind in cereal crop standing 6in high with a high hedge to the right. She ran with good pace and drive with the correct head carriage, only occasionally putting it down to check scent. But she quickly moved on, turning unfailingly into wind. Her ground treatment was thorough. She indicated scent to her right and drew in to a staunch point. When asked she positively produced a pair of partridge which she acknowledged away. As this was in the early part of her run, she was run on producing two pheasants from staunch points which she acknowledged and handled with ease. The performance was clean from both dog and handler who worked in harmony.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr S & Ms M French & Holmes

Judges: F Alcock / S Burton

Critique: Quietly and sympathetically handled Weimaraner bitch brought in at start of the turn in to the wind at the bottom of the field. Soon came on point and produced a hen on right hand side of beat, shot and fell over two hedges and track into grass field. Taken to field to make a short blind retrieve over a small stranded fence. Brought forward on second run to find a previously shot hen, handler kept dog in area, eye-wiping previous dog. Going on to hunt backwind quickly found another previously shot hen which she picked and brought tenderly to hand. Running on, soon pointed and produced hen, steady to shot and short marked retrieve. Tidy performance. Good water retrieve.

Handler: NR Wroe    Breeder: Mr S & Ms M French & Holmes

Judges: Sylvia Cox / Stevie Allerton

Critique: This bitch hunted out well on her initial 10 minute run, but no birds were found on her beat. She impressed sufficiently to warrant a second run. Again, she hunted out well, covering the ground in a speedy and efficient manner and drew onto point in the middle of a patch of low heather. One bird broke off to the side of her and flew back, but she remained on point while the handler approached. A bird broke in front, taking another with it. She was steady to the flush of the birds. Altogether a sound performance, which earned her a grading of Good.