Brief Notes on the History of the Spaniel Championships - taken from the schedule of the Kennel Club Championship Field Trial in 1992
The first Championships were held on January 9th/10th, 1914 at Wytham Abbey near Oxford, judged by Lt. Col C. Heseltine and Mr L. D. Wigan. Mr. C. C. Eversfield won the Single Championship with Denne Duke, the Brace with Denne Duke and Denne Jester and the Team with Velox Powder, Denne Duke, Denne Jester, Denne Normal and Denne Punch all English Springers. In the Single Championship nine English Springers, three Cockers and one Clumber competed.
The Duke of Hamilton and Brandon repeated the success of one kennel winning all three Championships in 1921/22 and again in 1922/23.
In the first championship for retrieving Cocker Spaniels in 1924/25, Mr. J. Shortt's black dog F.T.Ch. Elibank Attention won, with six Cockers competing. Whilst in the Championships of 1930/31 the Team event was won by Dr. W. J. Dawson's Cockers, the first time for Cockers.
The last time the Team Spaniel Championships was held in 1938/39 when Mr. H. C. Cumberbatch's English Springers Blendworth Linda, Labes and Hamptworth Chippy won it (only team competing). The last time the Brace Championship was held in 1954/55 being won by Lt. Col. R. H. Ogden's Cockers, F.T.Ch. Merlin Micky and Merlin Mark (only brace competing). The most successful brace in the Brace Championships were F.T.Ch. Spy O'Vara and F.T.Ch. Don O'Vara owned by Mr. Selwyn Jones, and trained and handled by Mr. T. J. Greatorex winning in 1933/34,1934/35 and 1935/36 (F.T.Ch. Don O'Vara came 2nd in the 1933/34 and F.T.Ch. Spy O'Vara won in the 1934/35 A. V Championships).
In 1927/28 Mr. C. A. Phillips became the first person to win with both the Cocker and the A. V Championship at the same Championships.
The most successful "Championships" kennel is the O'Vara one, owned by Mr. Selwyn Jones, trainer/handler, Mr. T. J. Greatorex. In the period 1928-56, this kennel won in the A. V. Championship seven 1sts, four 2nds, one 3rd, three 4ths, three Reserves and seven Diplomas The second most successful kennel is the "Elan" one, owned by Lt. Corn. E. A J. Collard who trained and handled his own dogs together with the late John Forbes. In the Cocker Championships this kennel gained six 1 sts, two 2nds, two 3rds, four Reserves and sixteen Diplomas, during the period 1949-1970. During the last 20 years the "Barnacre" kennel of the late Hal Jackson has had the best "Championships" record with four 1sts, two 2nds, one 3rd and three Diplomas, all between 1956-1972. Recently two of Mr. D. F. Cock's dogs, trainer/handler Mr. C. Lawton Evans, have in four seasons won the A. V. Championship three times, and second once, a record over such a short space of time.
Another record was set up recently when successive A. V Championships were won by litter brothers, namely Mr. R. M. L. Black's F T.Ch. Cortman Gary and Mrs. A. M. Erlandson's FT.Ch. Cortman Lane, handled by her husband, bred by Mr. P. Onslow.
No dog in either the Cocker or the A. V. Championship has equalled the record of the Cocker bitch "Speckle of Ardoon" with three wins in a row, but in the A. V. Championship Mr. D. F. Cock's E.S.S. dog "Sport of Roffey" bred, trained and handled by C. Lawton Evans, has come very close to it by winning the A. V, Championship in 1974/75 and in 1975/76 as well as coming second in 1976/77. Mrs. Quinton Dicks (later Lorna, Countess Howe) E.S.S. bitch "Banchory Bright" won the A. V. Championship twice in succession in 1925/26 and in 1926/27 as did Mr. Selwyn Jones's E.S.S. bitch "Scramble O'Vara" in 1954/55 and in 1955/ 56. Whilst in the Cocker Championship two consecutive wins have been recorded by Miss J. C. dark's dog "Punch of Blair" (1937/38,1938/39), Lt. Corn. E. A. J. Collard's dog "Simon of Elan" (1960/61, 1961/62) and Cmdr A. M. Gregory's bitch "Tayburn Cockle".
Of the minor spaniel breeds, the last to compete and gain an award in the A. V Championship was Mr. L. G. Beaumont's Field, F.T.Ch. "Saxpence of' Skerries", with a Diploma in 1937/38. It was a Field Spaniel that gained the highest award that any minor breeds spaniel has gained in the A. V. Championship when Major H. Beaumont's "Butter of Srouds" came 2nd in 1936/37. Only two Welsh Springers have gained awards, both Diplomas. Dr. G. P. Barff's "Bacchus" (1923/24) and Mr. W. Richard's "Tess of Shill" (1928/ 29). The only Sussex ever to compete was Mr. J. Stephenson Clarke's "Broadhurst Bexie" (1922/23) but gained no award; whilst the only dumber ever to run was Col. R. C. Cane's "Beechgrove Benjamin" which gained a Certificate of Merit in the first Spaniel Championship of 1913/14.