NIEUWS UIT HET BUITENLAND

Onderstaand schema laat zien dat het aantal geregistreerde Welsh Springer Spaniels in Engeland sterk is gestegen ten opzichte van de jaren 2000-2007.
Alleen 1999 had meer registraties.

Een terugblik op Welsh Springers in de eerste 9 jaren van het 2^de millennium:

WELSH SPRINGER SPANIEL BREED NOTES
FOR 1^ST January 2010

By Jayne Jackson - ardiniawss@yahoo.co.uk   

For the first notes of a new year I have, in the past, done a quick round up of the previous year, looking at the main winners and events from the championship shows and other significant events. However, as we are about to enter the second decade of the new millennium, I thought it would be nice to take a whirlwind tour of the first ten years. There will be many dogs who do not get a mention that you feel maybe I should have written about but the column does have its limitations on space – so I have picked out the bits that I felt ‘stuck out’.

I think possibly the biggest and possibly most controversial event of the decade in regard to the showing & working of gundogs was the docking ban – it has changed the face of the breeds concerned and has caused much controversy. 

The foot and mouth crisis at the start of the decade devastated lives especially in the countryside and on a lighter note caused the President and Chairman of the WSSC to miss the Club’s AGM. The crisis had a big impact on dog shows & youngsters looking for Junior Warrants found it difficult to collect points as many shows were cancelled.  It was at this time that the KC had a new system for JW points with dogs needing an even split between Open and Ch Shows, one of the few recipients of this new style award was Sh Ch Ferndel Storyteller for Glenbrows who was later in his career to take BOB at Crufts (2004) his litter mate Sh Ch Ferndel One Vision of Nyliram also gained this award. The KC later reverted to the current system. The Show Certificate of Merit Award also came into being – for wins gained at Open Shows. One of the first Welsh Springers to gain this award was Cleavehill Calennig at Bantani – who did so in three or four shows.

 On the working side the KC introduced the Working Gundog Certificate which a number of welsh have gained and the WSSC of SW ran a Qualifying meeting for the first time at which several welsh ran and were successful including Typica Goldigger who became at full champion on the day.

With sadness the breed saw the passing of their two breed record holders ‘Harvey’ Sh Ch Russethill Royal Salute over Nyliram and ‘Ziggy’ Sh Ch Northoaks Sea Mist of Menstonia who began their show careers within a short time of each other and died similarly in their fourteenth years.

The first title holder of the new millennium not only resided in Scotland but was also bred there; Gordon and Angela Ross’ Kazval Catwalk to Beagmhor ‘Gladys’ was bred by Frank Whyte & was already sitting on two CC’s when the millennium arrived and quickly gained her crown under Moray Armstrong at Manchester 2000.  Coincidentally the last new Sh Ch of the decade was also resident in Scotland (Andy and Janice Neilson’s Arkview Chicargo at Llawkrik who gained his title under Arlene Tester at GBAS last month, though was bred in the north of England by Jane and David Howarth). It was also in 2000 that Arlene Tester took over the mantle of producing the WSSC’s excellent Year Book, a position she still holds today.

At this time the North was good at producing ‘good ones’ as the Top WSS of that year was Sh Ch Cleavehill Brynberrys, from North Yorkshire, who would go on to win well both in the breed and Group rings, ‘Berry Taylor’ (as Jean called her) would become the only Welsh Springer of the decade to go BIS at an All Breeds Championship Show – Darlington in 2002.  ‘Berry’ also took Group 2 at Crufts in 2001 under Frank Kane.  She had some great battles in the breed rings with another rising star John Thirlwell’s homebred Sh Ch Ferndel Cecilia who also had her share of Group placings including going Group 2 at Crufts in 2002, but her greatest claim to fame was becoming the Top Brood Bitch Ever of All Breeds producing a wonderful 10 UK Title holders.  Indeed, she saw her son Sh Ch & Irish Sh Ch Ferndel Maverick Top the Group at Crufts in 2006 under Freda Marshall being only the second WSS to do so (Sh Ch Dalati Sarian being the first).

The Top WSS male of 2000 was Parkmist Pit Your Whits and it was he and Brynberrys who took the top honours at the WSSC’s millennium Ch Show (Tom Graham and Anne Walton doing the judging honours) with Berry taking the top spot.  2001 saw the death of Cliff Payne (Tregwillym) at the age of 94, a great doyenne of the breed whose association spanned many years. The North continued to dominant the Group rings when Cecilia’s son Sh Ch Ferndel Copywrite topped the Group at East of England from Junior. Berry Taylor was once again BOB at the WSSC Ch Show (this time under the current Chairman Sue Connolly) and took Group 2 at Richmond.

2002 saw Cecilia take Group 2 at Crufts, whilst son Copywrite took Group 2 at LKA. Sandra Bell and Roy Palmer’s Sh Ch Glanhafon Lleuceu also took a Group 2, at Bournemouth, whilst Sh CH Highmere Foxy Lady was Group 4 at SWKA. The Top WSS’s of the Year were once again Copywrite and Brynberrys and the WSSC’s Year Book saw its first colour photographs appear!

In 2003 Copywrite once again dominated the breed, he topped the Group at Manchester and then took Group 2 at Crufts, Midland Counties and Border Union, Group 2 at Blackpool & Group 4 at Belfast; whilst a ‘Southerner’ came to the fore in the bitches in Gill Tully’s homebred Highclare Energizer (though she had Northern blood as her sire was Brynberry’s brother). She took BIS at the WSSC and at National Gundog (A Group Ch Show) and topped the Group at City of Birmingham; she also took Group placings at Bournemouth, WKC, Leeds, and SKC. Later in her career she gained her SGWC to become a full Champion joining Ch’s Steelriver Rysa, Julita Regal Request and Highclare Stormtrooper who all became full champions in this decade. Stormtrooper also gained his Irish bench Title. Other Group placers in the year were the afore mentioned Ferndel One Vision of Nyliram taking Group 2 at Southern Counties and Sh Ch Beagmhor An Albannach who took Group 3 at Richmond.

2004 saw Energizer start the year with Group 2 at Manchester, whilst Copywrite again topped the breed at Crufts & also took Group 3 before crossing the Atlantic to live in the US where he gained his American bench title.  Energizer took group placings at WELKS and Blackpool but it was John Thirlwell’s Cecilia son Ferndel Maverick who ended the year being Top Welsh after taking BIS at the WSSC and the Group One’s at Leeds and City of Birmingham and a Group 4 at Belfast.  We said ‘goodbye’ to Pat Dean (Pasondela) at far too young an age, and also to Jean Taylor (Cleavehill) who after a lifetime in ESS’s, producing well over 20 champions, ‘turned her hand’ to Welsh producing Sh Ch’s Brynberry’s, Ceri for Glenbrows,  Kaluo Spice at Aindrea and Roseilly Baye via Ardinia.

It was Maverick, who once again topped the breed in 2005 with full younger sister Parody taking the top bitch spot. Though another Ferndel, ‘Storyteller’   was BOB at Crufts with Lesley and Graham Tain’s Sh Ch Taimere’s Thornbird winning the BCC.  It was a sad year too the breed said goodbye to some great supporters of the breed; Dodo Hunton Morgan’s (Dalati) the Dalati’s influence on the breed is legendary, Molly Hall (Eshenor) not only a well known and popular WSS exhibitor but a great ‘friend’ to her community, who was honoured with an MBE for her good works, and also to a wonderful man Chris Gibson (Lligwy).

2006 saw two welsh topping Gundog Groups; Maverick at Crufts and Sh Ch Cleavehill Roseilly Baye via Ardinia, at East of England after gaining her bench title. It was two ladies who jointly topped the breed, Sh Ch Roseilly Baye and Sh Ch Highclares Queens Logic. Top male being Sh Ch Slapestones Tornado. At Crufts that year a little bit of history was made when an undocked ‘foreigner’ from Finland Int Ch Benton One More Duck took the Reserve Dog CC, the first overseas, undocked Welsh Springer to win such an award in the UK. The following year his owners Hannele and Jukka Pakkala made the epic journey again this time he went on to take the Dog CC under Jan Rees. 

On the working side Tina Smith’s homebred Isfryn Ghost Swfit was notching up some lovely Working awards including taking numerous Field Trial Awards.  Sadly a great breeder of the past, Ann West (Linkhill) died, Ann had many top winners in the show rings including Sh Ch Deri Darrel of Linkhill who was Reserve in the Group on three occasions.  Sadly Tony Lucket Roynon (Solva) also died.

2007 saw the rise of a new ‘star’ from the Ferndel kennel Pat Butler Holley’s  Sh Ch Ferndel Hollberry. She took Group 2 at City of Birmingham and Belfast to Top the Breed with Sh Ch Slapestone’s Rysauryn topping the males. The following year, 2008, it was Hollyberry again who topped the breed with a phenomenal number of Group Awards including Group 1 at Darlington and placings at: WELKS, National, Three Counties, Bath, City of Birmingham, Richmond, Driffield and Belfast, it was a tremendous year for Pat and husband Mike as they bred the top male Sh Ch Shandwick Kristoffer of Sarabande. The afore mentioned Sh Ch Slapestones Tornado took BIS at the National Gundog Group Ch Show, whilst at Crufts the following year he took the YKC Gundog Group Stakes and was  Runner Up overall.  Sadley a great Welsh lady and wonderful supported of the WSSC of South Wales events Mary French died.

And so we come to 2009 where John and Joy Hartley’s homebred Sh Ch Weslave Hot Property has dominated the dog rings at the years’ Ch shows culminating in a wonderful Group win at LKA. Leading the lady’s was Lesley and Graham Tain’s Sh Ch Ingsman Acer at Taimere. The only other Group Award winner during the year was The Ritchie’s Sh Ch Hillrobin Galaxy who after taking BOB at Crufts in March took Group 3 in the sweltering heat at Windsor.

So I will finish this whirlwind tour of the last decade by wishing you all a very Happy New Year and I hope this next decade brings you all the happiness you deserve.