There were 54 teams entered, and it looked like the majority had camped - I've never seen Daventry so full! There were 7 of us who stayed, as the venue is so nice…………
Our new 'livery' had arrived at the show (Royal Blue with Yellow Trim), and it was noticed by all teams who know us! It was even suggested that I ought to have strips on the sleeves!! It was also noted that the 'dogs bodies' were still in the old kit! Including the box loader!
Saturday was the turn of Allsorts, seeded 4 in Div 5. They were short of Meg, after her mishap at Anglesey, so only had Ollie, Merlin, Beau, Alfie & Angel on stand by. Merlin isn't as confident at passing with Ollie, so we lost time on some slow passes, otherwise Merlin was running out. But it was noted by the commentator (Chris Fulford I think at that time), that each time Merlin had re-run and completed correctly, how Katy praised & played with him!. Other than that, the dogs all ran well (as they usually do in Allsorts!) and with their slow passes at the moment, were only able to win one race.
So we came 5th in Div 5, best time 20.74 (?), and Rachel was crowned Queen of False Starts! Chris & Dave had a surprise at prize giving, when their Silver & Gold Awards were presented, having been told that they wouldn't be ready (and I didn't know until Thursday evening - then the panic was on to organize Spencer's photo, the certificate frame & Molly's cake), and the evening was rounded off with a BBQ.
Sunday was the turn of Hotdogs. Meg joined Katie, Tosh, Molly & Spencer, as seed 3 in Div 4. It was an excellent Div to be in. All teams had close racing, and in the end, there were 2 run off for 1st, 2nd & 3rd places, and 4th , 5th & 6th place. Our first race against Barney Owlers was very close, and we just struggled to win 3-2, with a best time of 18.89. Next up Daventry Bumbles, who we should have beaten, but…!! Molly managed a fumble on the first race, Pete managed 2 false starts on the second, and as Meg appeared to be running well, and someone said we had them on speed, even with Tosh/Meg pass being 'slow' I decided to keep the same 4. Unfortunately, I think Meg saw me move slightly, and she ran round the jumps. So we lost.
The afternoon's racing should have been straight forward, as we were fastest in the Div so far. But you know what we're like! Molly managed 3 fumbles in a row, so loosing race 3, but then we managed to pull ourselves together to win the final 2. We then went into the 3 way run off for 1st, 2nd & 3rd places. Mmmmm………Race 1 - Molly fumbled, but we weren't far behind, and the last race………….'arguing' within the ranks!! And we missed the start lights. BUT, it wasn't until we returned to the tents, that I happened to say, I hadn't realised we were ready, only to find out that Claire hadn't realised either & Elaine hadn't given the OK!!!
So we came 3rd in Div 4, best time 18.84.