By David Hudson
The Balmoral International Event Keepers, Judges and the three teams
T
he chance to represent one’s country is a rare honour for the pointer enthusiast. If you run spaniels and retrievers there are regular events where dogs and handlers can run for their country but there have been just three Internationals for pointer people in the past twenty-one years. All took place at Balmoral by kind permission of Her Majesty the Queen and all were organised by the Pointer Club. Three teams have competed each time: England, Ireland and Scotland. Ireland won the first event in 2000 with England taking top spot in 2010. Originally scheduled for last summer, the third Team Event finally got under way on 16th August 2021 at Dalnadamph. Our Judges were Fiona Kirk and Meryl Asbury, Headkeeper Miichael Bennett and Beatkeeper Craig Hepburn carried the guns and David Hall was our Chief Steward. The past two matches were run as shooting days but the general shortage of grouse this year meant that no birds would be shot, though the Guns were 90
asked to act as though they were shooting when it came to getting in to position at a point and firing an appropriate number of shots according to how the grouse rose. There were four dogs in each team and they were run as competitive braces with fifteen minutes allotted to each brace. The aim was to simulate a shooting day rather than a Field Trial with the handlers in charge and the Judges simply observing – and marking each dog and handler of course. There were to be no eliminating faults so each brace would run for their full fifteen minutes regardless of the odd bumped bird, chase or missed ground though any faults would, of course, be noted and marked down by the Judges. There were a possible sixty marks available for each dog. Ground treatment rated a maximum of twenty points; game handling fifteen points; handlers instructing the Guns five points and overall performance ten points with a possible bonus of ten points for dogs that produced an outstanding piece of work. Each dog and handler would have
Winter 2021 Irish Country Sports and Country Life
two runs either side of lunch and the total number of marks would decide the places. Initially it was disappointing that we were unable to shoot any grouse, but in a way this worked in our favour as each brace was able to work for their full fifteen minutes with no breaks for retrieving.
The best pointers in Britain were strutting their stuff The first round was run along the side of an undulating strip of ground which was wide open on the left below the beat, but quickly turning to dead ground above us for dogs that went right-handed. The views were spectacular with the heather well in bloom and clouds of yellow pollen coating our boots as we walked. If there is a better place to spend a sunny day than a heather moor in August I have yet to find it and it was pure delight to be out on the hill at Dalnadamph to watch some of the best pointers in Britain strutting their stuff. It was a perfect day for the hill: bright and sunny with a blustery wind
