SA 2008 state championship

[Gareth Tawton]

Hi Everyone,

SACA have asked the judges from the championships to submit a written report which I understand will be printed in the next SACA journal. Here is a copy of my report for those that may be interested and not members of SACA.

2008 SA State Championship Judges Report – Gareth Tawton

The 2008 SA championship was held in the Meningie on Lake Alexandrina and Poltalloch stations. The six runs were chosen jointly by me and co judge Robert Tawton. I judged run 2 and 4 while runs 3 and 6 were co judged.

Run 2 was a triple consisting of a walk up and double mark. All 3 birds were thrown right to left. The land was flat with moderate cover with a low levy winding between bird 2 and 3. The walk up landed in moderate cover straight ahead in front of a wall of reeds at approx 50 meters. Bird 2 landed behind a bunch of lignum at approx 140m, while bird 3 was in relatively open grass but required the dog to cross the levy twice. This was approximately 120 meters. The handlers were able to select the pick up order. Scores ranged between 53 and 15. The average of completing dogs was 34.4 The high scoring dog was Steve Hall with Levi who ‘nailed’ all 3 birds. Other high scores included both of Kevin Andrew’s dogs Tank and Abby as well as Russell Whitechurch with Kelly and Russell Kennon and Kita.

Run 3 was co judged. It consisted of double rise and 2 bird. The first leg of the double rise landed on the near side of an irrigation channel while the second leg was just across the channel. The 2 bird was well right and short of the of the double rise. It was launched as soon as the dog and started to return with bird one and landed in fairly heavy cover. Equal top score on my sheets were Jack Lynch and Fern with Russell Kennon and Kita. Other high scores were recorded by Heather Ellis and Czarda (not sure of the spelling sorry Heather) and Amand Golle and Vodka. Several handers treated the second leg of the double rise as a blind and were heavily penalised for not attempting the run as set. Top scores were 49 points while the lowest was 13 with an average of 33.5.

At the end of day 1 the leading dog was Russell and Kita.

Run 5 was another triple. Double blind and mark with a diversionary Quail. The mark was in the middle landing out of sight in heavy tussock. The right blind cut the corner of a small dam and was pinched by the quail and a high mound of dirt. The left blind required quite a tight line between a series of large bushes. If the dog got off line they would be out of sight very quickly. Pick up order was the right blind then left blind and the mark last. We lost several dogs on this run some on the mark and some on the left blind. High scores were achieved by Russell Whitechurch with Kelly and Jack Lynch with Fern both with 42. The other high scoring dog was Russell Whitechurch with Sid on 37. The average of completing dogs was 32.

Run 6 was co judged. It was another triple held in sand dunes. It was a double blind and mark with a diversionary rabbit drag. Pick up order was left blind (a Rabbit) which was pinched between a rabbit drag not to be picked up on the left and the mark with the right hand blind pinching the mark This run required the dog to deal with high rolling sand dunes on all three birds. We didn’t lose any dogs and only 6 points separated the 5 remaining dogs on my score sheet. The average was 35.2. The high score was 38 given to Russell Whitechurch and Kelly.

I thoroughly enjoyed judging the SA Championship for 2008. My thanks to the management and stewards for a job very well done. No one run destroyed the field we just progressively lost dogs with the cream coming to the top!!! It was a pleasure to watch some fantastic dog work with a special mention to Steve Hall and Levi and Russell Kennon and Kita who although did not finish did some amazing work in the early part of the trial.


Gareth Tawton

Co Judge 2008 SA Championship

[Robert Tawton]

2008 SA State Championship Judge’s Report by Robert Tawton

It was with great pleasure that I accepted SACA’s invitation to judge the 2008 SA State Championship. Not only was it my first SA State Championship, but the opportunity to judge with Gareth came as an added bonus. I have long been a supporter of the concept of having two (or more) Judges and more especially of having Runs co-selected and co-judged.

The event was held in the Meningie area of South Australia, on Poltalloch Station, which adjoins Lake Alexandrina. Two days before the event Graeme Allen, the Trial Manager, Gareth and I reconnoitred the area and selected our Runs. On the day before the event Graeme, supported by a dedicated band of Stewards, Gareth and I returned to the Site to put equipment into place and to run test dogs over the course. Some fine tuning was necessary as a result of this experience and especially on Runs 1 and 2. After taking into consideration the various logistical constraints and the time available, it was decided that we would conduct three Runs each day and that I would adjudicate Runs 1 and 4 and we would co-judge Runs 3 and 6.

Run 1 was a Triple Mark Retrieve. In the immediate foreground was a small rectangular dam surrounded by heavy cover, especially on the near and right hand sides. The first bird was cast from right to left to fall on land at a distance of about 120m and on a line diametrically across the dam. The second bird was cast from right to left and incoming to land in the dam at a distance of about 30m. The third bird was cast from right to left to land in an open area beyond the dam at a distance of 140m. The pick-up order was to be in the same order as the birds were cast. Jack Montasell’s “Rusty” was the first dog to complete the test without a handle. The median score for dogs that completed this Run was 40 with the highest 50 and the lowest 21 points. The best performances were by Jim Hargreaves with “Kato”, Steve Hall with “Levi”, Russell Whitechurch with “Kelly”, John Lawton with “Jock” and Jack with “Rusty”.

Run 3 was a Two Bird Retrieve linked to the first item of game to be recovered in a Double Rise Retrieve. The first leg of the Double Rise was cast to land on the near side of an irrigation channel while the second bird was placed on the opposite side of the channel. The “Two Bird” was cast to land short and well to the right in cover that from the Firing Point appeared to be denser than it was in reality. My highest scoring dog was Russell Kennon’s “Kita” followed closely by Jack Lynch with “Fern”, Heather Ellis with “Czarda”, and Amand Golle with “Vodka”.

At the end of Day 1 on my Score Sheet, based on Runs 1 & 3, the leading dog was Russell Kennon’s “Kita” followed by Jack Lynch’s “Fern”.

Run 4 was an across water Double Mark and Blind Retrieve combination held on a bay at one end of a “pink” salt lake. After firing at the Blind, the handler then called their dog to heel from where it saw two Marks. The first was cast from right to left to land on the shoreline of the far side of the bay. The second Mark was cast from a spit of land further to the left and out into the main body of the lake with a clearly visible “splash” and at a distance of about 150m. This was the first item of game to be recovered and the line to it involved a mixture of loping and swimming water, as did the lines to the remaining two birds. The Blind which was located right of the first Mark was recovered next and in doing so the dogs were required to pass a raft of decoys. Some dogs found these most attractive, but none tried to recover them. The original Mark was the last item of game to be retrieved and a number of dogs appeared to have forgotten this bird and consequently were handled. Clearly the high salt level in the water troubled a number of dogs, yet some competing dogs, the pickup dog and the test dogs were not troubled by the conditions. Locals tell me that they regularly hunt in similar conditions and certainly a number of Chestnut Teal were attracted to the decoys. The median score for the dogs who completed this Run was 37, with the highest on 44 and the lowest on 20. The best performers include Russell Whitechurch with “Kelly” and “Sid”, Heather Ellis with “Czarda”, and Jim Hargreaves with “Kato”.

Run 6 was a combination Double Blind and Single Mark Retrieve that included a rabbit drag used as a diversion. The Mark was cast to land midway between a “pigeon” Blind on the right and a “rabbit” Blind on the left. The diversionary drag (not to be picked up) was left of the “rabbit” Blind. This was a very “tight” Run, conducted in rolling sand hills, which placed a high priority on control and memory. The order of pickup was the left Blind followed by the right Blind with the central Mark being recovered last. All five dogs remaining in competition completed this test with aplomb and on my Score Sheet only 2 points separated the highest scoring dogs, Russell Whitechurch with “Sid” and “Kelly” and Jim Hargreaves with “Kato”.

It was a privilege to judge this event and I enjoyed the opportunity to witness some excellent performances. The game used throughout the Trial was of a high standard and those involved should be congratulated. What can I say about Graeme Allen, his Management Team, his band of Stewards and Marg in the tent, other than to say you should all feel justly proud of a job well done! To the sponsors who contributed in many ways to the success of the Trial, thank you!

Robert Tawton