Novice A/V Spaniel Trial 16th October 2025

Parsonage Farm, Hurstbourne Tarrant

Judges Terri Sivek and James Elliott

1st FOREVER GOLD Colin Marshall

2nd WESSEX MAC BLUE OF EPISCOPI Anita Jones

3rd TURNHOUSE MARY QUEEN also Guns Choice Nick Lyons

4th DARKLASS BRAMBLES ARTEMIS Hester Kemp

CoM LEERMOORE BEAU Alex Jew

Having taken on the responsibility for Kintbury Gundog Club’s spaniel Trials this year, back in the spring I arranged to visit this lovely ground to introduce myself to the shoot owner, Alasdair Murdoch, and his Development Manager, Roddy Wakeford.

Hurstbourne Tarrant is a village in a beautiful area of Hampshire that I absolutely adore. Lots of fabulous shoots, big and small. Loads of wonderful characters. Homely Inns and great communities.

Handshakes done, we three walked up through the church yard and high up onto the hill to where the farm was due to plant a cover crop. It was hard to imagine on that day, just by looking at bare soil, how fabulous the planting would prove to be for our Trial.

The morning of my first Kintbury hat wearing Trial could not have been nicer. Beautiful blue skies with fluffy high clouds of a non threatening nature. Coffee and biscuits for everyone. Happy banter as all the competitors assembled. Our senior Judge, Terri, is well known and our non Panel, James, was the winner of our Open Cocker last season: who then went on to win the Championships. A nicer young man you will not meet.

Two of our Guns, Des and James, had driven up from Sussex to support us. The other Guns, Tom and Stuart, seemed to have travelled their short journey via Greggs in the Hebrides… but they were keen and ready to rock as soon as their truck pulled in.

Roddy drove the beaters cart with about fourteen of us aboard. 4WD vehicles were invited to follow behind. We went around the bottom of the hill then up to an ideal parking area at the top..

All we had to do was creep through a hedge away from the vehicles and a sea of thigh high Phacelia (I think that’s what it was) stretched out in front of us. We lined out from that hedge and were away in seconds.

Dogs had to work to push up the birds and those that were not as fit as they might have been were tested thoroughly in this deceptive cover. Gun sense played a big part in the dogs’ marking and those that had it made their retrieves look easy.

We only had a few spectators, one of them was the Keeper from Faccombe which is just up the road. Bob loves taking the mickey and had everyone laughing. He must have enjoyed himself as he stayed until the end. Bob was highly complimentary about today’s cover and the Kintbury have been invited to have Trials with him next season. Whoopee!!

Jason Purver is the Keeper at Parsonage Farm but we hardly saw him at all. He acted as stop and sometimes a picker up. Ever present but at a distance. Keeping in touch by radio. The game supply was absolutely perfect. Thank you Jason!

We lost several dogs for various reasons but, despite their eliminations, it was really pleasing to see that everyone stayed for the prize giving. There was a dining area for the Guns to have their lunches and more coffee and biscuits in the kitchen for the competitors to devour. Hardly anybody had a Port or Sloe Gin… very abstemious! More for the rest of the season.

Whilst I wrote out the certificates, Guns Choice had to be decided with a tossed coin in the end. The Sussex boys wanted Nick Lyons, local lads wanted Colin Marshall. All dogs in the awards had done well throughout the day.

It was a super Trial and we’ve been invited back next season. Thank you Parsonage Farm!!