The Kennel Club’s Dog Agility Team GB squad has returned triumphant from the European Open Agility Championships in the Czech Republic with individual gold and silver medals in the Large Individual Agility classes, and a bronze medal in the Small/Medium combined team finals.

A second gold for Dobby

Team GB’s David Munnings demonstrated his skill by winning the Individual Agility gold medal for the second year running, beating over 320 competitors with his Border Collie, Dobby (Ag Ch Gunran Misteree). This year David snatched victory from the silver medal winner and fellow Team GB competitor Lucy Osborne, with her Working Sheepdog Ben (Ben Bombastic Mr Fantastic), by the incredibly small margin of just one hundredth of a second – 34.60 against 34.61 seconds.

The icing on the cake for Team GB was the combined Small/Medium ‘Eagle’ team’s bronze medal in the team finals. Amanda Hampson with her Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Minx (Winfren Vulpecula Kayla), Cheryl Harkness with her Cocker Spaniel, Beanie (Swift Lass), Joanne Tristram with her crossbreed Ellie (Ag Ch Ellie De Lyston) and Dawn Weaver with her Papillon, Puzzle (Ag Ch Tonring Just A Puzzle) took third place from a total of 89 teams.

They were beaten only by the ‘Team Finland-3’ in first place and runners-up ‘Czech Small 1’. Amanda Hampson’s Minx typified the quality of the Team GB dogs; having completed six final rounds in two FCI World Championships as well as this year’s European Open, Minx has never incurred a fault - a remarkable achievement in the high-pressure environment of an international championship.

Impressive performances from Team GB

Although the promise shown in Team GB’s individual agility rounds did not produce final round medals this time, the five ‘large team’ competitors who made it to the finals put in stunning runs against intense competition. The heavy rain and deteriorating ground conditions which hampered Saturday’s classes only made their performances the more impressive.

Graham Partridge, team manager of Team GB at the European Open, said: “We are definitely returning with our heads held high. We said, before we left, that our target was to achieve podium finishes against some of the best in the world, and we are delighted and proud to have achieved that.”

The GB team members were picked at a selection day in April, involving four rounds of competition on FCI-style courses. The competition was held alongside an ‘Agility for Britain’ Open Agility Show – which raised funds of just over £3,500 to supplement the Kennel Club’s financial and administrative support for the team. Further sponsorship was kindly provided by World Leisurewear, who supplied team uniforms, and Eurotunnel, who offered discounted travel for the team and free transport for the dogs through the Channel Tunnel.

The team was accompanied by Graham Partridge together with coach, Dave Jolly and vet, Rachel Mowbray – herself an international agility competitor – as well as Debbie Deuchar from the Kennel Club staff who took care of accommodation, transport and various other tasks on behalf of the team.

Competition to be held in the UK next year

The European Open Agility Championships took place this year from 23-25 July in Liberec, Czech Republic. It was recently announced that the 2012 European Open Championships are to be held in the UK and hosted by the Kennel Club at Kelmarsh Hall, home of the Kennel Club International Agility Festival.