First Contact Grade 1 & 2 Starters Agility

Yet another very wet year of agility passes us by. It doesn't feel like a year has gone by since we had agreed to sponsor the inaugural First Contact Large Grade 3, 4 & 5 Agility qualifier.

The Final took place at the Dog Vegas show on 23 August 2008 at the Winterton Showground, Scunthorpe. We were blessed with a glorious evening, and perfect ground conditions for the competition. The crowd gathered to watch the evening's entertainment as the judge Liz Mutton had set a suitably challenging agility course for the 37 competitors. There was a real buzz in the air as there were cash prizes on offer.

There were also some lovely glass trophies, placings rosettes and a voucher for future Dog Vegas shows as well as a rosette for all unplaced finalists.

With the running orders drawn, the course set, the wine flowing and Lotta Bowers on the microphone, it was time to start the Final. First to go was Dave Hutchinson with Nobite Poetic Licence with a fast round in a time of 32.27, but unfortunately picking up 15 faults en route. The next three to run all got eliminated. Pat Brown, running 5th set the pace with a super clear round in a time of 29.072, an amazing three seconds faster than Dave's round. Was this going to be the winning round?

We then had a couple of Es and three clear rounds – all just over 32 seconds - before Jo Richardson and Nedlo and Behold, running 12th, put in an excellent clear round in a time of 29.752 to eventually finish fourth. Seventeenth to run was Jacqui Tarn with Morgans Halloween Kracker. This was a pair to watch. It was obvious that Jacqui meant business from the start. With a faultless clear round in a time of 29.232, she didn't disappoint us.

I think by this time, Pat Brown must have bitten all of her nails. She didn't have to wait long though as after Louise Rain ran a clear round in a time of 32.341. Then it was the turn of Will Rolfe with Nedlo Black Magic who had a blistering round in a time of 28.862 to take the lead. Would this be good enough to take the £100.00 cash and first place trophy? After a several more eliminations, clear rounds and a few with faults, it was clear that nobody could touch Will's time.

Out of the 37 dogs that ran, there were 14 clears, 6 with 5 faults, 2 with 10 faults, 2 with 15 faults, 1 with 20 faults and 12 eliminations!

This Final proved to be a very exciting competition to watch. Every partnership was worthy of being there, showing us that the standard of our handlers and dogs is getting higher each year. Grade 7 people, watch your backs!

Congratulations to Will and Nedlo Black Magic on winning the first Dog Vegas final. Well done and thank you to all the competitors who provided us with a thrilling and entertaining final, to the clubs that hosted the qualifiers, and the judges and ring parties throughout the year, Liz Mutton for judging the final, Lotta Bowers for commentating and thank you to the Dog Vegas organisers for hosting the final. We look forward to another successful competition next year.

Grades 1 & 2 Final Report

Yet another very wet year of agility passes us by. It doesn't feel like a year has gone by since the last First Contact Grade 1 & 2 Agility Final. As in 2007, the First Contact Agility Final took place at the Dog Vegas show in August at the Winterton Showground, Scunthorpe. The prizes on offer included some lovely glass trophies and a voucher for £100.00 of agility equipment, rosettes to 10th and also a rosette for all unplaced finalists.

We were blessed with a glorious evening, and perfect ground conditions for the competition. The crowd gathered to watch the evening's entertainment as the judge Kevin Bowers was setting a suitably challenging agility course for the 24 competitors. With the running orders drawn, the course set and Lotta Bowers on the microphone, it was time to start the final.

First to go was Emma Quincey with Bushy Boy of Bards with a fast clear round in a time of 29.65 the pace had been set. The next to go was Caroline Rain with Pickled Pepper who set the new standard with a lovely clear round in a time of 27.21, an amazing two and a half seconds faster. Was this going to be the winning round?

The next two dogs had 10 faults in 34.16 and 26.87 respectively, but proving that the time could be beaten. Fifth to run was Cindy Osbourne with Fizzy Tizzy, just picking up 5 faults, as did Boomerang Fudge. Angela Richardson and Nifty Noodle put in a faultless round in a time of 27.77 to eventually take the third place trophy.

After a couple of 5 fault rounds and a few steadier clears, it was time for Jayne Pettitt, drawn 15th with Wiccaweys Dancing Brave who produced a blistering clear round in a time of 26.71 which proved to be good enough to take the winning place. Only one other combination managed to beat the time, but unfortunately picked up 5 faults along the way and that was Sue Walters with Crystal Dream.

This Final proved to be a very exciting competition to watch, every partnership was worthy of being there, showing us that the standard of our up and coming handlers and dogs is getting higher each year. Out of the 24 dogs that ran, there were eight clears, nine with 5 faults, two with 10 faults, one with 15 faults and four eliminations! Grade 7 people –watch your backs!

It was lovely to be able to watch a variety of breeds competing in a final. We had breeds ranging from Whippets to German Shepherd dogs to German Shorthaired Pointers. Also a large number of the dogs were rescued or rehomed and seemed to be enjoying every minute of their new lives together.

Congratulations to Jayne Pettitt and Wiccaweys Dancing Brave on winning the final and collecting numerous rosettes and trophies over the four days.

Well done and thank you to all the competitors who provided us with a thrilling and entertaining final, to the clubs that hosted the qualifiers, and the judges and ring parties throughout the year, Kevin Bowers for judging the final, Lotta Bowers for commentating and thank you to Dog Vegas for hosting the final. We look forward to another successful competition next year.

Place	Handler	Dog	Faults	Time
1	Jayne Pettitt	Wiccaweys Dancing Brave	C	26.71
2	Caroline Rain	Pickled Pepper	C	27.21
3	Angela Richardson	Richo's Nifty Noodle	C	27.77
4	Charlotte Hughes	Gimme Five Levi	C	29.30
5	Emma Quincey	Bushy Boy of Bards	C	29.65
6	Kenny Waddle	Canen Kim	C	31.23
7	Anne Armstrong	Talieivy Alie of Beckshire	C	31.49
8	Pat Pickard	Ice Mead Atlantis Mist	C	37.81
9	Sue Walters	Crystal Dream	5	25.32
10	Sharon Footitt	Little Bezler	5	27.98

For more information on the heats or the final or for information on hiring or purchasing agility equipment, please contact David Bew or Hazel Higgins on mobile: 07776215812 or 07790506946 or email: info@firstcontactagility.co.uk

Qualifiers

1st Contact Equipment	Show & Qualifiers	Pictures
	Dog Vegas - 21March 2008 1^st – Paul Maidwell Heavy Infantry 2^nd – Sarah Garbutt Flybye Misty May 3^rd – Karren Newton Brodsta Blue Eye 4^th – Adrian Barnado Mila Minute 5^th – Roger Brunt Charlie's Red Rocket
	Wallingford - 19 April 2008 Part 1 -Judge: Mary-Ann-Nester 1^st – Julie Vallery Maximum Revs 2^nd – Dalton Meredith Loui Lucky Love Eyes 3^rd – Lynne Cartwright Shepwood Nirvana Dream Part 2 - Judge: Mary Ann Nester 1^st – Eleanor Croft Super Smudge 2^nd – Chris Lawes Keigame Smart Mover 3^rd – Philippa Coggins Midsummer Lily
	Dordale - 3-4 May 2008 1^st – Jayne Pettitt Wiccaways Dancing Brave 2^nd – Lisa McDonald Touch Of Spice 3^rd – Michle Phillips Symonsdean Georgette 4^th – Kate Wheeler Tilting Towards Trouble 5^th- Kirsten Carey Hammer Boy
	Dog Vegas - 17-18th May 2008 1^st – Angela Richardson Richos Nifty Noodle 2^nd – Sharon Footitt Little Bezler 3^rd – Kenny Waddell Canen Kim 4^th – Alan Bowden Ekko & The Funny Man 5^th – Cindy Osbourne Fizzy Tizzy
	Nottingham - 25-26 May 2008 1^st – David Gripenstam Millyja Jannaleta 2^nd – Trevor Shelswell Bartonview Castaspell 3^rd – Angela Richardson Richos Nifty Noodle (already qualified) 4^th – Sally Jervis Bob Gonzales 5^th – Edward Lidgett Xpreshun Of Miss Prim 6^th – Sharon Footitt Little Bezler (already qualified) 7^th – Kenny Waddell Canen Kim (already qualified) 8^th – Sue Bond Kiz Be Quick
	Wigton - 31 May - 1 June 2008 1^st – Jane Potter Foxy Baby from Windy Way 2^nd – Graeme Rossiter Murphy Isla Blue 3^rd – Caroline Rain Pickled Pepper 4^th – Anne Armstrong TalieIvy Alie of Beckshire 5^th – Anna Hunter Flirty Bertie
	North Derbyshire - 7-8 June 2008 1st – Wendy Ball Shepwood New Dimension 2nd – Sue Walters Crystal Dream 3rd – Karen Rowe Bankland Bomber 4th – Charlotte Hughes Gimme Five Levi 5th – Dawn Jones Merledaze Evangelista
	Golden Valley - 15 June 2008 1^st – Stephen Warren Samkings Travellers Joy 2^nd – Susie Tawney Havoc of Harbury 3^rd –Jackie Travis-Spencer Boomerang Fudge 4^th –Charlotte Huges Gimme Five Levi (already qualified) 5^th – Kirsten Carey Hammer Boy (already qualified) 6^th – Carol Doane Inger Flyer 7^th –Angela Parry Mayhem Milly
	Caerphilly - 19-20 July 2008 Watch this space!
	Dog Vegas - 22 25 August 2008 Watch this space!