As the dust settles after “sprockergate”, David Tomlinson muses on what the Kennel Club and the trialling and gundog worlds can learn from the scandal.
THOUGH THE STORM of “sprockergate” may have passed (News and Gundogs, 18 January), it has left behind a lot of stirred and muddy water that will take a long time to clear. For those who missed the sprockergate story, it was the accusation that sprockers — cockers crossed deliberately with springers — were being run in cocker field trials, giving their handlers an unfair advantage. Though there had long been rumours of sprockers competing in cocker trials, the matter came to public attention when a group of 20 A-panel spaniel judges wrote to the Kennel Club (KC) with their accusation. The story featured in national newspapers, including The Sun and The Times.
Spaniel trialling is a largely male pursuit in which there have always been bitter rivalries. Divisions and arguments over sprockergate, many aired over social media, have upset, even infuriated, lots of people. The inevitable result is that there are those in the spaniel world who won’t run their dogs if a certain judge is officiating or even if a rival handler with whom they have fallen out is competing. It is not a happy situation and it is one that the relatively small world of spaniel trialling will take a long time to get over.
Denne historien er fra March 15,2017-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra March 15,2017-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside
