A gamekeeper and his dog from Wellington in Somerset have taken the top honours in the gamekeepers’ classes at Crufts 2010. Melvyn Hobbs and his English Springer Spaniel Whitebrook Lord of the Rings, also known as Moley, won the Northesk memorial trophy.
They went head to head in the main arena with winners of other gamekeepers’ classes, which were run at the event by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). Mr Hobbs and Moley qualified for best in class by winning the BASC Nickerson trophy at the event at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday (14th March).
Mr Hobbs said the experience was “absolutely fantastic”.
He said: “I never dreamed of getting that far. I expected this year to go there, enjoy the day and get nothing. But to come away with the top trophy was mind-blowing. It took me until yesterday dinner time to come down from cloud nine. I haven’t quite got all the way to earth yet. It was always my wife Fran’s dream to get one of her dogs into that ring and I’ve fulfilled the dream for her. She bred him and trained him for showing and I trained him for the shooting side of it.
“My wife and I have travelled the world a fair bit, we’ve been to some places and done some places but nothing has given me an adrenaline rush and experience of being there and actually winning. I’ve never had an experience like that.”
ENDS
Click here to see photos from Crufts 2010
Click here to see results from Crufts 2010
Photograph copyright www.farlap-photography.com