Deepfleet Kennels

01/11/2024

Shellspoon with a Suitcase (Deepfleet Jagger x FTCH Shellspoon Time to Shine) now 5 months old.

19/10/2024

19/10/2024

17/10/2024

It is the responsibility of the officers and committees of all field trial clubs and societies to ensure the Code is strictly adhered to. This is essential for the future of our sport.

Code of Good Shooting Practice

Releasing pheasants and partridges

Under normal circumstances, all birds should be released before the start of the shooting season. Shooting must not commence until the birds are mature and fully adapted to the wild-a minimum of one month from release. Birds must never be released to replenish or replace any birds already released and shot in that season. Partridge release pens should be removed before shooting begins.

17/10/2024

Meet Deepfleet Olav, 19 months, Springer dog, nicely bred out of field trial winning bitch, all grandparents field trial champions. He is at the stage of training where he is steady to ground game in pen, steady to feather,shot and flush. Keen retriever with good delivery, sound mouth, no noise, no faults. Starting to handle nicely and cast to blinds. Hunting needs to go up a few gears to make a trialling dog but would at the very least be an excellent junior member of a picking up team and his temperament is such that I’m sure with experience he would sit at peg. 🏠 pm

17/09/2024

Just a heads up that I and five trialling friends attended a top class training day at a prestigious Norfolk estate with a great trialling history. Wild partridges and hares in well topped sugar beet, tested an excellent team of guns led by Henry Carr,another leading supporter of spaniel trialling on his own grounds. The day was arranged by Steve Newman through Jessie Musk who manages the ‘gundog’ days on the estate. Jessie also, with advice of the keeper, led the line enabling the handlers and spaniels, some ‘open’ experienced and others ‘first time out’ to get the most out of the day with contact flushes, marks and blind retrieves in testing scenting conditions. Thanks must also go to Angie Musk who not only provided refreshments but with her picking up team ‘eyewiped’ us on a number of occasions and Mitch who blanked in for us all day. Could not recommend the ground for trial or training days more. If interested make contact with Jessie Musk.

29/08/2024

Deepfleet Donna and Deepfleet Sting but who is this interloper…..it is ‘Shellspoon with a Suitcase’ the latest addition. She is by Deepfleet Jagger out of FTCH Shellspoon Time to Shine.

09/08/2024

Another starting pistol bites the dust, they used to last forever now they just fall apart. Any recommendations for one that has a life or any good quality used ones available.

30/07/2024

I have a friend looking for a quality bred Golden Retriever pup. He is experienced with goldie’s using them as his own peg dog and for picking up. First class family home with a knowledgeable handler. PM me with any ideas.

29/07/2024

Big Lintran Dog Box I’ve had it in Toyota Hilux and Ford Raptor. Has divider and keys. £250 collection only.

22/07/2024

Teeth cleaning

17/06/2024

‘Time to cut back’ he said🙄well here we go again Deepfleet Sting and Deepfleet Donna……(FTCH Rytex Ringo x FTCH Shiveck Beretta of Deepfleet). The dam (Tess) has had two previous litters but only had two pups each time and although she is the hardest hunting springer in tough cover I have personally seen I wasn’t going to breed from her again. My thanks to Ian Openshaw of Rytex fame who firstly persuaded me to breed again and secondly arranged the progesterone testing that proved to be the answer. Tess had a litter of seven. I have kept two, one has gone to Juan M in Spain and the others hopefully to be seen on the trialling circuit in the future. 🤞🤞

07/06/2024

07/06/2024

Support for our way of life from a political party. Perhaps at last 🤔

03/06/2024

Perfect recall 😂😱

31/05/2024

23/05/2024

Tess’s litter 7 weeks today:

16/05/2024

I think many in the trialling community may be interested in the content of the report below and I post it for that reason:

Chairman’s Report for Annual General Meeting 15th May 2024

The time and seasons seem to absolutely fly by as we rapidly approach the 2024/25 field trialling season. A time for the Eastern Counties Spaniel Society of considerable change but one that your committee and officers will approach with enthusiasm and a will to provide our members with an open and welcoming club that endeavour to provide good trials, with adequate game supply on even but testing grounds that allow our judges to find the best hunting spaniels. Looking back to the 2023/24 trialling season we can be pleased to report that it was in the main successful and I am sure our field trial secretary will cover the trials in more detail and our treasurer in her report will inform all of how each trial effected the society financially and the financial position overall. I know some clubs in there financial report do not detail the breakdown of the costs of each trial but I think it is essential that we do that so each member has that information available and can clearly see how we are spending their money. I also support the ethos that we try and keep the cost of trialling down for our members as far as is possible, of course there is a balance to be struck to ensure financial stability. I am aware of one society that has put the cost of entries up this coming season to perhaps the highest in the country whilst having an unused bank balance approaching thirty thousand pounds. The Eastern Counties Spaniel Society will not be following that path. Another lesson that I think we have learnt from last seasons trials is that time spent visiting new trial grounds at different times prior to the trial is an important part of the work that we do. What a ground and cover looks like in July will be totally different when the cover has gone down after a series of hard winter frost and this can drastically effect how game will hold and the conduct of the trial. Of course on our established trial grounds this is not an issue.

This years Chairman’s report is certainly different to the ones I have done in the past and it is one that for me and perhaps all of us has an element of sadness as I report that our long standing field trial secretary Wendy and our treasurer Gill will be standing down at this annual general meeting. I would like now in my report to enlarge on the description ‘long standing’.

Wendy Knight has been field trial secretary of the Eastern Counties Spaniel Society for 40 years, interrupted only by a one year sabbatical after about 10years. During this time she has been supported throughout by her husband and ex committee member David and in latter years by her daughter Gill. During this time Wendy has seen off a number of Chairman, Edward Martin was in place when Wendy took over the role from her mentor Madge Hart, Ray King followed Edward, then Paul Rawlings from whom I took over from. Of course not only did Wendy fulfill this administrative role but throughout was a dedicated and successful trialler gaining her first trial award in 1975. Wendy has explained to me how times were different then for a female trialler in fact how difficult it was to be accepted,resulting in very few woman entering the sport. Even in the shooting field when Wendy started women were not allowed in the beating line or picking up. Wendy, living in the middle of a commercial shoot used to follow the drives from a distance with her spaniels until she eventually wore them down “well you are always here you might as well join us” What a difference it is today, thank goodness, and as a practical example Wendy put forward with the committee’s blessing to the Kennel Club’s last Judges Panel for selection one of our female members who was successfully selected for the A panel. Some may say that this situation was a very long time ago. I would suggest to you that it is not. How many female judges have judged the Springer and Cocker Championship? I think I am right in saying only one and does anyone know who that accolade belongs to? Well, yes of course, our own Wendy Knight. I’ve asked Wendy her opinion on the comparison of judging spaniel trials today and in the past. I found one of the most poignant views for me was that she felt judges in the past let the dogs ‘get on with the job’ more and were not so constrained by procedure, that hunting ability was first and foremost. Finally I asked Wendy what we could do on the committee to encourage our new field trial secretary Steve Newman to remain in post for the next 40 years. She replied that we must give him support at all times especially when things have not gone according to plan and to proactively help before, during and after our trials. Wendy thank you from all of us.

Peter Avery
Chairman