Three voices from Glenalmond

The eagerly anticipated 2019 IGL Retriever Championship headed to Scotland for the first time since 2015 last November. Some 62 dogs ran in the championship (of the 64 who qualified, 47 were dogs and 17 were bitches), nearly all achieving FTCh status during qualification.

The event was hosted by the kind permission of Astrup-Fernley, the steward of the beat was the estate’s headkeeper Brian Dickson, while the judges were Keith Bedford, Lynn Mitchell, Damian Newman and Phil Parkins. The principal sponsor was Skinner’s pet foods.

I caught up with three of the key figures from this year’s championship: winner Declan Boyle, IGL committee member and organiser Tom West, and judge Damian Newman.

Each of the three men faced their own unique challenges either before or during the championship – not least the wet weather on the first two days – illustrating just how much hard work is involved in putting it on every year.

THE ORGANISER Tom West

Gundog trainer and IGL committee member Tom West was heavily involved with the championship from the very beginning. The prestigious event was just a glimmer in Tom’s eye when he and others started the planning two years ago but after months of increasingly hard work and dedication it was transformed into reality.