1 August 2019 Horse&Hound 81dulytookthestudbookstallion
houndclassandstoodreserve
championtoHolcombeBrindle,
whileAxeValeWinstonwonthe
equivalentWestCountryprize.
Theveteranclasswas
particularlywell-supportedand
manyoftheentrieshadaged
superbly.Itwasa delighttosee
theseolderhoundsdemonstrating
theirdurabilityandlongevity,
whichis surelywhateveryoneis
tryingtoachieve.Bothstudbook
andWestCountryhoundswere
showntogetherinthissection
andDunstonBelton 13 took
thehonoursfromTaunton Vale
Badger12.
TheWestCountry
championshipwasa run-off
betweenAxeValeWinston 17 and
NorthNorfolkBlizzard18,the
winneroftheenteredclass.There
waslittletochoosebetweenthem,
butWinstonjusthadtheedge.
AlastairJacksonandnew
MeynellandSouthStaffsmaster
andhuntsmanGuyLandauwere
theafternoonjudges.Theresults
werewelldistributedbetweenthe
12 packscompeting.
Theunenteredclasseswentto
theValeofLunewithDarcyand
theAxeValewithTreasure.The
AxeValealsotooktherunner-up
spotintheWestCountryclassand
bothweremature,good-moving
hounds,wellshownbyhuntsman
CliveShillam.
Intheenteredclass,thePendle
ForestandCravenproduced
theirwell-balanced,qualitybitch
Treaty16,whowouldgoonto
bechampionstudbookharrier.
However,it wastheturnofthe
NorthNorfolktotakethehonours
intheequivalentWestCountry
classwithBlackberry18,and
theWaveneybothtookfirstand
secondplacesinthestudbook
broodbitches,courtesyof 2018
PeterboroughchampionLaughter
15 andhersisterLavender.
However,theCotley,whohave
beeninthehandsoftheEames
familysincethereignofGeorge
III,hadthestaroftheafternoon
intheirlovelywhitebroodbitch
Hasty17,whomovedlikea dream.
Shedeservedlywontheaccolade
ofbestharrierinshow.
BASSETS
FESTOONEDinrosettesdown
botharms,MarkGuy,master
andhuntsmanoftheEastLincs
Harehounds,wasinshockatthe
endofthedayinthebassethound
ring,havingwonnineofthe 12
classeshishoundswereentered in
andbothchampionships.
Thechallengejudges—
manyofwhomhavelittledirect
experienceofthebreed—have
withthischarismatichound,
is that most packs retain their
distincttypeandit is difficultto
comparethemwithoneanother.
Oncethejudgeshavedetermined
onthesortofhoundtheylike,it is
likelythebulkoftheprizeswillgo
toa particularpack.
Althoughthevariationhas
narrowedrecently,it is stillmuch
widerthaninotherbreeds.
Somepacksfavourtheheavier,
shortertype,whichmoreclosely
resemblestheKennelClubbreed,
whileothersfavourthebigger,
moreathletic“harehound”first
developedbyColMorrisonatthe
Westerbyandusuallycarrying
harrierorbeagleblood.
Sixoftheeightpacksregistered
inBritainshowedhounds,judged
inthemorningbyNigelPeelMFH
(Thurlow)andTonyHoldsworth.
TheFourShires,whosenewjoint-
masterLibbyCookewastaking
a keeninterest,drewfirstblood
intheclassforhoundslessthan
15 inchesattheshoulder with
Lidstone18.Hewas
reservechampion.
Except for the veteran class,whichwenttoDeBurghand
NorthEssexHumbug13,the
remainingdoghoundclasseswere
wonbytheEastLincs,theirEagle
16 beingadjudgedchampion.
WesterbyDiver14A,secondto
himinthestallionhoundclass,
wasaninterestingfirstcrossbythe
HolcombeHarriersDigby10A.
Intheafternoon,IanArnett
MH(ChilmarkandCliftonFoot
Beagles)andDaphneThorneMH
(Barony)sortedthebitches.
FourShiresNettle 15 won
the15-inchclassandWesterby
Latenesstheunentered,before
theEastLincswontheremaining
classes.Theenteredbitchwinner
Volume 15 wasthejudges’choice
aschampionand,withrather
morescopethanherkennel-
mate,shetookthesupreme
championship,too.DRAGHOUNDSITwasgoodtoseeanextrapack,
therecentlyformedBorder
Counties Draghounds from Wales,vyingfortheeyeofthejudges.
Forthepast 10 ormoreyears,the
threemainpacks—theCheshire
Blues,StaffCollegeandRoyal
MilitaryAcademySandhurst
(SC&RMA),andtheBerksand
Bucks—havebeentheonlyones
tocomeforward.Therehave
beenmanychangesintheworld
ofdraghuntinginthepastfew
seasons,soit wasexcitingtosee
whatthesechangeswouldbring.
JudgeswereG Bosslemann
fromtheHamburgHuntin
Germany,GeorgeWhittaker,
formerhuntsmanofthe
WoodlandPytchley,andMartin
PageoftheAssociationof
BloodhoundBreeders,who
wastoleadthejudgingfor
thebloodhoundclassesthat
afternoon.
Thefirstclasswasfor
unentereddoghounds.Itwas
clearBerksandBuckshuntsman
AndrewClarkeputinsomework
athomewithhisRoman18,who
displayedthehighstandardand
stampofthestockexpectedfrom
theLambourn-basedkennels.
Intheunenteredbitches,the
BerksandBucksscoredagain
withKindle18,byprevious
championKimble15,whowas
attentiveandsteadyinthering.
Followingonweretheentered
doghounds.Thistimeit wasgreat
toseeDarrenFoxleyMDHofthe
BorderCountiesbringinsome
ofhisdraftedhoundsalongside
someofhisWelshcrosses.Sadly,
it wasn’ttobehisdayas,once
again,theBerksandBuckstook
thespoilswithStamper16,with
thefast-movingSC&RMAStatus
16 insecond.
Theenteredbitchclasshad
someoutstandinghoundsinthe
ring.Again,SC&RMAhuntsman
StephenHalltriedhisluck,this
timewithsomeofhisOldBerks
lines,butwasbeatenbytheever-
presentAndrewClarkefromthe
BerksandBuckswithCypher15,
The Axe Vale’s winning couple of unentered West Country harriers a solid, strong bitch whose litterThewell-balanced,qualityTreaty 16 takestheenteredbitchclassbeforegoingontostandchampion
studbook harrier for the Pendle Forest and Craven and their long-serving huntsman Richard Lloyd