Our judge for East of England was Jeane Waller (Brykin) who had drawn an entry of 28 dogs with 7 absentees, despite utility day being a Friday. Although second in the ring after Boston Terriers, it wasn’t a late start and keesies were done by lunch time.
Jeane found her Best Dog with BOB from Post Graduate; Miles and Dean’s Neradmik Kiss Chase With Lekkerbek (Ch Neradmik Family Affair with Lekkerbek x Ch Neradmik Miss Hollyberry) and Reserve Best Dog with Best Puppy was Matthews & Ransley’s Szaryk Dutch Bargemaster With Valindale (Wund-R Y Workin For A Livin At Szaryk (Imp USA) x Keesridge Faithrustnpixiedust at Szaryk (Imp USA)) handled by David Matthews.
Best Bitch went to the open winner Geraldine Clark’s Byquy Pebbles At Kwajongen (Ch Klompens Who’s Your Daddy (imp Can) x Byquy Willma) and the reserve to the winner of limit, Hickson’s Kichigai Magic Dancer JW (Kichigai Luke Skywalker x Kichigai Tiny Dancer).
At the beginning of last year I wrote in my notes of the announcement by the Kennel Club of the new CC allocation for 2019 – 2021 revealing that keesies had gained 2 extra sets of CC’s at Paignton and Manchester; making a total of 22 sets on offer which includes both club championship shows.
Re the geographical distribution, giving our ‘well-travelled’ south western exhibitors a local show (Paignton) with CC’s makes sense and indeed, could encourage new owners to take up showing if they don’t have to drive hundreds of miles to a Ch show.
But Manchester, do we really need yet another general Ch show with CC’s held at the Stafford County Show Ground? We already have 3 sets there, plus 2 at the NEC and 1 at nearby Stoneleigh; a total of seven Ch Shows in the Midlands area including a club Ch show also held at Stoneleigh.
Yet we have none the ‘eastern side’ of the M1. Although Keesies haven’t had CC’s at East of England since the late 1990’s; the show invariably gets a good entry – often higher than some of the Ch shows which do offer CC’s.
A CC allocation for keesies at either of the championship shows (Boston or EoE) held at Peterborough would have made more sense.
Anji Marfleet