GRCS held it’s 12 Dog Open Breed Stake just over the Border in Northumberland at The Newton Estate, Bellingham, courtesy of our head keeper for the day John Robson of Reiver Sporting Game.

With an entry of quality dogs our judges for the day Polly Dunkley, Graham Bird, Alan Schofield & Glyn Coupar had a job on their hands! The spooky little partridges appeared to stay one step ahead of us and despite lots of game we chased them around the estate in order to get the retrieves.

Two dogs quickly went out on the first retrieve being eye wiped by Richard Ashdown’s handy little bitch Mistybrook Tegan. The first round took it’s casualties and we were left with 6 dogs going through. Unfortunately one elusive partridge took care of a couple and we were left with John Williamson with his dog Nordenlights Cherokee, Richard Ashdown with Mistybrook Tegan, Steve Crookes and his bitch Millgreen Opal Of Moscargrange & Kirsty Cousins and her dog Gortons Bannatyne Boy.

Sadly on some very testing retrieves we lost Kirsty, Steve & Richard which left John needing two clean retrieves to complete his final round. The guns obliged and the trial was finished quite a distance from our starting point with our eventual winner being John Williamson with his dog Nordenlights Cherokee.