Judges at IWT'07
Tony Parnell
Tony had his first Labrador when he was 21 years old, aptly named Rebel.
The most successful dog he has ever had was Field Trial Ch. Blackharn Jonty, who won seven Twenty four dog open stakes, thus qualifying him six times for the Retriever Championship, one year coming Third.
In 2006 Tony Parnell was 4th with his new dog FTCH Tweedshoot Maximus of Blackharn.
Tony came fourth with Ft.Ch. Blackharn Brewster in the 2004 Retriever Championship.
Tony has represented England many times at the English Game Fair with his dog.
He has Judged in USA, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Italy, France, Sweden, and Ireland which he enjoys very much, and has judged the Retriever Championship twice.
But the challenge of choosing a puppy from his own selected breeding, training it through to Field Trial competition standards, is what he loves best.
Peter Hammond
He started his working life as a shepherd where he trained border collies for working with sheep.
Changed to a game keeper aged 35 and started field trialling, he had some very good Labradors over the years.
Peter was a founder member of Suffolk Gun Dog Club being the Chairman for many years.
He has been an A panel judge for many years.
He judged many trials each year and has helped to judge The International Working Test on two other occasions.
Peter took the sporting rights on the Ampton Estate in 1982 and has hosted many field trials each year since then and has also hosted both the Labrador and Spaniel Championships.
In last years championsship on the Ampton Estate Peter handled his new young dog Upcountry Hawk of Strammers.
John Greeves
I was born in the village of Sculthorpe Nr Fakenham Norfolk and while still in short trousers got into beekeeping, befriended and worked alongside the local Gamekeeper which led to me becoming a Gamekeeper immediately I left school.
During my 19 years as a Gamekeeper I trained and handled Labrador Retrievers for Dr T S Acheson (Ballyduff) in numerous Field Trials until his untimely death. My first success was with Ballyduff Glenfarg Brambling, qualifying for the Retriever Championship in 1961 and in the same year Brambling won best Labrador Bitch at Crufts. I continued training for Mrs Acheson (latterly Mrs Docking) during which time I gained FT awards with Champion Ballyduff Holly Branch of Keithray, which was Best Dog in the Gundog Group at Crufts. Sadly, as we all know, it is now a rare occurrence for a Labrador Retriever to obtain CCs, in the Show Ring and gain awards at Field Trials.
Becoming a Ministry of Defence Police Officer after 19 years as a Gamekeeper did not quell my enthusiasm and the involvement in the world of dogs has never abated. Indeed it has increased through competing in and training for Field Trials until the present day although now, I undertake more Judging as an “A” Panel Retriever Judge rather than as an active competitor. I judged the Retriever Championships at Windsor in 1994 and since then have judged Trials and Working Tests worldwide including demonstrating the English method of Gundog Training at the Anoka Game Fair, USA for nine years. During the last years judging has taken me to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Belgium. I am a committee member of the Norfolk Gundog Club which I also chaired 7 years, appointed as Vice Chairman of the Yellow Labrador Club in 2004 and have been a KC Field Trials Liaison Council Representative for many years.
I also share the running of the Norfolk Gundog Club Training Classes with Tony Parnell, pick up and load on Norfolk and Suffolk shoots, and enjoy shooting at every opportunity, which probably can be said to now be my first love.
My working Gundog experiences turned full circle when, with great pride and pleasure, I judged the Crufts 2004 Gamekeepers Classes, which again combined the Show and Working elements of all the Gundog breeds.
As everyone knows dogs can be great levellers in competition but we also know that they lead to long standing friendships among owners around the world and are themselves great companions - what more can one ask of a relationship?
Graham Stephenson - Rhypyker Gundogs”
I have been involved with working dogs for most of my life. I currently own 6 labradors, 2 cocker spaniels and have recently acquired a Golden Retriever from France. I enjoy picking up with my dogs during the shooting season especially on the grouse moors near to where I live.
I started competing in field trials over 20 years ago and since then I have won trials with both labradors and golden retrievers. I have made up one British Field Trial Champion Rhypyker Phantom, who became the first dog from the UK to compete on the European mainland. Ellie - her kennel name - came second in the Belgium Retriever Championships. Her son Rhypyker Rafter owned and handled by Fons Exelmans has also been a successful dog in Europe over recent years.
I am a Kennel Club judge in the UK and have widely judged or taken training classes in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Hungary, Finland and Italy. I always enjoy my trips into Europe and have been impressed by the huge improvement in standards of the dogs in all working breeds. I wish all competitors good luck over the coming weekend.”
Peter Burton
Peter’s first dog was a black and white English Springer Spaniel bitch which gained a second place in a novice trial and so his love of the sport was born. Further success followed with a novice win by a pup out of this bitch and he then took the plunge and branched out into Labradors and Cocker Spaniels.
Peter has competed in the IGL Labrador Championship, the AV Spaniel Championship and The Cocker Spaniel Championship. All his dogs show consistency in competition with FTCH Larford Gabby of Saxaphone qualifying for five consecutive years and open stake winner Simonside Flick receiving numerous awards.
Over the years Peter has continued to have wins and has received many awards with all three breeds of dog and is now only one of a handful of people to have trained and handled a field trial champion Labrador and a field trial champion Cocker Spaniel.
Peter has not just produced great trial dogs but also dogs which compete equally as well in working tests. He was selected to represent England with FTCH Saxaphone Express at both the Sherbourne International Test and the CLA Game Fair and he was in the England team at the Belvoir Castle Game Fair with Simonside Flick.
Flick has displayed her reliability in working tests with a third in the Beta Working Gundog Weekend where she was the top hunting dog. Other successes have included awards in local working tests and cold game tests with FTCH Saxaphone Express continuing to excel with a final win at nine and a half years of age.
Peter has also had success on the other side of the sport as he has judged both Springers and Cockers in tests and trials and he is on the kennel club ‘B’ list for judging Labradors. He is also a grade A assessor for The Gundog Club and has been involved with them since their inauguration.
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