Clumber Notes

14^th April 2024

Unfortunately, I did not make it to the Clumber Club Open Show due to my dear husband sharing his germs with me.  I understand the weather was not kind and therefore the judging was done indoors. There were eight absentees leaving Alastair Moss thirteen dogs and ten bitches to go over. BB and Best in Show was Paul and Hilda Monaghan’s Sh Ch Tweedsmuir She’s So Sheek, Reserve BB and Reserve Best in Show was Anne Moon’s and Emma Mathews Vanitonia Song and Dance. Best Opposite Sex was Paul and Hilda’s Kensequi Nice at Tweedsmuir JW and Best Puppy in Show was the Kirkman’s Clan’s Kirkara Minerva Mcgonagall which Sara shows.  Best Veteran was Marjorie Charlesworth Ironside’s Tavirosh Stonewall.

I have heard little about the AGM, but do know that the proposition to lower the weight in our standard was, thank heavens, defeated.  I also understand that there seems to be a problem with the Clumber Spaniel Club’s website at the moment which no doubt will be resolved soon.

The Clumber Spaniel lunch at the Kennel Club was a great success and I hope this could become a yearly event. Sara Kirkman organised our break in London, finding us a good Airbnb.  She drove Kath, myself and Hannah down to London where we met up with Lyndsey Steele who had flown down from Aberdeen. The lunch was very tasty, as was the wine, and the tour to see the Library, the art and photography collections was amazing. Gina Bowers even found a photo of a very, very young Lee Cox showing a Clumber. The chairman of the Kennel Club, Tony Allcock, popped in to see us and commented how good it was to see and hear people enjoying themselves, which we certainly were. I hope Lyndsey has recovered from paying a small fortune for a sandwich and coffee in Harrods.

I understand the Scottish Clumberites got together this weekend for a Chinese meal.  It would be good for the Club to organise an event/show in Scotland bearing in mind that it is the Clumber Spaniel Club of Great Britain and the number of exhibitors in Scotland is growing year by year.

Talking of those north of the border, I must apologise to Jacquelyn Nicolson for omitting her Best of Breed and Group 1 at Lanarkshire Canine Society under Mrs Alexandra Hill with Clumbus Jolly Jumper of Taranstigh (Ruben to his friends). Meanwhile, I see in a separate critique that we again apparently have a breed specific roll! I do wish judges would make themselves aware of the Kennel Club standard when they judge and do their write-ups, as it is disrespectful to refer to a feature that was removed from the breed standard nearly twenty years ago.  Clumber Spaniels to not have a characteristic rolling gait.

The show season kicks off with WELKS this month, with Hilary Male awarding CCs in our breed for the first time. She has drawn an entry of sixteen dogs and nine bitches, which is not too bad considering it is on a Thursday. Next will be the National, again on a Thursday, judged by Eunice King, followed by SKC which is holding both shows together. At SKC, we are on a Sunday with CCs at the first show (Jane Howarth) and an open show at the second (Irene Glen). Reduced rates were offered if you entered both shows; it will be interesting to see how this pans out. Bath finishes off the month with Jeff Horsfield, another weekday show with the added dynamic of it being a Bank Holiday Monday. We then have a big gap until Windsor and another before Leeds at the end of July.

Please do not forget to let me know if you do have any significant wins or awards at Open Shows as I do not, as a matter of policy and courtesy, take them from social media.

Do keep the news coming in.

Maureen Taylor

14^th March 2024

Well, that’s it over with for yet another year. It is frightening that it is 40 years since we first attended Crufts.  Back then, the show was held at Earls Court in London and I recovered a lot quicker in those days. Am I the only one to feel like I have been hit by a bus for days afterwards.

Our judge, Ian Layfield, looked exceedingly smart, being suited and booted complete with bow tie.  Ian always wears a bow tie when judging to avoid a tie flapping about and possibly frightening the dogs. He found his DCC and BOB in Lee Cox’s Sh Ch Vanitonia Soloist with his younger brother Vanitonia Something Extra (owned by Dee Carter Hunt and Adam Gardner) picking up the Reserve DCC. BCC was Sh Ch Vanitonia Secret Episode owned by the Crocker, Frost, Cahill partnership, with the Res BCC going to our Maursett Masikean and BP Beskerby Flora Finching owned by Ian, Pam and Michelle Dawson. Best Veteran was Multi Ch Big Booms Joker Donkey owned by Lana Levai.

There were very few absentees and it was nice to catch up with friends from Europe. In the Open Dog and Open Bitch classes, there were only two exhibits from the UK - the rest being from Europe. It must be the first time for a number of years that UK dogs have done so well at Crufts.

It was sad to hear that the keyboard warriors were straight on to social media spouting the usual rubbish about the dogs exhibited at Crufts. Did you know that today’s Clumbers are nothing like those in Victorian times?  Thank heavens they are not, having read critiques from Crufts way back when and seen photos of them we have moved on with better and healthier Clumbers now being shown.

Just before Crufts, I had some news from the Brown family in Scotland.  They have Maursett Meadie (aka Barney) and he won AVNSC and Group 2 at Tayside and Lochee under judge Frances Carlton.

Entries are closing thick and fast, with both Edwinstowe and the Clumber Club Open Show closing soon, and then WELKS followed by SKC.

Please do not forget to let me know if you do have any significant winning at Open Shows as I do not take them from social media.

Do keep the news coming in.

Maureen Taylor

28th January 2024

Well, that’s the first Championship show of the year done and dusted.

It was a long wait to get in the ring and a tad chilly, but it was also a good opportunity to catch up with folks.

Gordon Haran found his DCC in Maja Bubalo’s Int Ch Hrothgar’s Hop Skip N Jump giving him his UK title, with Vanitonia Something Extra (owned by Dee Carter Hunt and Adam Gardner) having a fabulous day picking up the Reserve DCC, Best Puppy in Breed, Gundog Puppy Group 1 then Reserve Best Puppy in Show under Tom Mather. BCC and BOB was Sh Ch Vanitonia Secret Episode owned by the Crocker, Frost, Cahill partnership, with the Res BCC going to Paul and Hilda Monaghan’s Sh Ch Tweedsmuir Just a Dream. There were quite a few baby puppies taking advantage of the £5 spectator dog offer and all seemed to be quite chilled.

Eunice King has asked me to remind all members that their subscriptions are due by the end of the month – full details on the Clumber Spaniel Club’s website.

Anyone who fancies going to the Clumber lunch at the Kennel Club on 3rd April 2024 also needs to cough up their monies to the Club via Paypal or direct debit (remember to reference your names) or, alternatively, a cheque to the Club’s Treasurer John Newsham.

Also, a brief reminder about the AGM where nominations for Officers, Committee, Judges and Agenda Items are also due in shortly.

Meanwhile, I see that Crufts entries have been extended, so if you have not got round to entering I suggest you get a move on.

Please do not forget to let me know if you do any significant winning at Open Shows as I do not take them from social media.

Do keep the news coming in.


Maureen Taylor

10^th January 2024

Happy New Year to you all and I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for (mind you, with the cost of living at present he may have downgraded some of the presents).

We move on to a new year of shows and Manchester has drawn a fabulous entry for Gordon Haran with 40 dogs making 42 entries.  I know there are a good few puppies due out this month and next so let us hope this trend continues. We are in Ring 7 in the Prestwood Hall (it can be chilly in here so extra layers are advisable) after 44 Field Spaniels and 23 Sussex Spaniels; judging starts at 9 am, so I guess we will probably not be in until late morning. The weather next week does not look good so there may be quite a few absentees.  Do take this into account when planning your journey time.  It flashed up on my memories on social media that eight years ago our entry for Manchester was only 28. The Maursett Mob hopes to be at Manchester with a small furry gremlin (a Tibetan Spaniel) in tow as a spectator - heaven help us all as he is certainly full of himself and likes to announce his arrival to all and sundry!

Do not forget that the entry for Crufts closes straight after Manchester.  We are first in the ring at Crufts this year (provisionally).

Congratulations to Lee Cox on Sh Ch Vanitonia Soloist being Our Dogs Top Clumber 2023 with his younger brother Vanitonia Something Extra (owned by Lee’s mum Dee Carter Hunt and Adam Gardner) claiming the Top Puppy in breed award.

I understand Rachel Wareham is now back at home recovering; we look forward to seeing her ringside in the not-too-distant future.

Please do not forget to let me know if you do any significant winning at Open Shows as I do not take them from social media.

Do keep the news coming in.

Maureen Taylor