Working Trial 2006 Report

Click on the thumbnails to see full sized versions of the photos

Yes it was that time of year again when the nights are long and when it is light it is usually grey, misty, windy with very little chance of seeing the sun.
This is also the time when Barrie James, on behalf of MBCC along with his team of trusty helpers organises a 3 day Open Working Trial at Holwell, near Melton Mowbray. The trial always seems well attended as competitors in their eagerness after the long Xmas break can’t wait to get back dogging again.

On arrival on the first day, opening the door of the scout hut I was greeted with a typical working trials welcome, the smell of bacon butties. The catering was a change in personnel with Sue and Bob Carter running the 'Cabin Catering', which gave Joan and Chris a well earned break this year. Sue and Bob also run the workingtrials.co.uk website. How do they manage to fit everything in? Anyway we couldn’t keep Chris and Joan away for too long as on the first day, Friday, they arrived with the most of essential amenities, toilet rolls and bottles of bleach! They seem to think of everything! They also did a sterling job of displaying the wares of the MBCC gift shop on the Sunday.

We also had the appearance of our chairman Bob Tunnicliff on the Friday who did at one point mention that he might go and see some tracking. But unfortunately as he opened the door to leave, a big cold, wet, gusty wind blew him back and he promptly changed his mind! Never mind there is always another chance next year!
It was good to see Lyn Norton and Tony Blick on the Sunday although they had the most difficult task of working out how to fit a 6ft scale into Barrie James' small Citroen Dispatch van! As I have said before it is always good to see committee members, who follow the world of breed showing, braving it in all weathers coming to this trial.
Barrie James (Trials Manager) sporting cloth cap was as usual doing a sterling job keeping his cool, even when dog walkers and horse riders tramped over some of the tracks on the Saturday and Sunday. The qualities of being a good trials manger are to select a good team of helpers and respond to day-to-day challenges often beyond one's control and this is what Barrie achieved.

So the 2006 trial went without too many hitches and as Barrie padlocked the gate late on the Sunday night his final remarks were, "so who are we going to ask to judge for next year"?

Heather Donnelly.

Barrie James, Trials manager	Competitors booking in	Prizes!!
Jane & Mira at the long jump	Ready at the scale	Leslie and Clive starting the TD track