A wonderful entry of Deerhounds which I really enjoyed judging. We were blessed with good weather and a large ring, which always makes exhibiting and judging so much nicer. A big thank you to all the exhibitors for travelling long distances for my opinion, and for bringing such a lovely group of hounds for me to meet.

1: Carr's Marandike Star Attraction, Very typy and attractive 6.5 month baby, with good outline. Gorgeous head and expression, good teeth and ears. A bit upright in pastern. Movement a bit uneven, but reachy and elastic, showing promise for future.

PD (3,0)

1: Edwards' Brackenland Ran. Very well made structurally with good bone and really excellent hock joints. Not too good in the head – too heavy across skull and dip between the eyes – some furnishings will eventually assist here. Excellent neck and front. Moved really well, elastic long powerful stride, single tracking in front and parallel behind, BP. Also won brace with his sister.

2: Grimshaw's Jamalison Sonata. Nine and a half month with a good outline, who has rather outgrown his strength at present. Head slightly better than first, but marred by big stop and low set ears. Neck is slightly ewe-shaped and set into rather straight shoulders and upper arms. Front and back pasterns are weak, soft feet and weak hocks. Movement nice but lacking any power.

3: Buckley's Packway Smart Money

JD (4,2)

Handsome pair of young males, both have very free moving long elastic strides, but neither really use their hocks.

1: Helps' Greyfriars Gille of Beardswood. 12 month old with good head, eyes, ears. Nice neck and shoulder, straightish upper arms, but better pastern shape than 2nd. Good general outline and better hindquarter angulation than 2nd. RCC

2: Finnett & Heathcote's Hyndsight Keep The Faith. Stunningly beautiful head on this 17 month hound and a lovely overall first impression with a great body outline – all flowing curves. But sadly he is very straight in upper arm, and very upright in pasterns, and straight in stifle and very straight through hock joint. So he is perfectly balanced in this lack of angulation front and back, resulting in good movement.

PGD (12,0)

1: Edwards Kilbourne Vincent of Brackenland. Medium sized dog, doesn't leap out to the eye immediately, but on a closer look he is very well made, with excellent front construction, particularly nice neck and neck into shoulder junction. Very good topline, excellent hindquarters. Needs more depth of chest. Shows a very good free strong stride in all movement.

2: Merrick's Clanardwood Sovereign. Bigger dog with nice outline. Good head, neck, shoulder etc, but not of the calibre of 1st. Lovely hindquarters. Moved very well, true strong and free.

3: Cummings' Killoeter Luss

LD (7,0)

1: Peach's Wild West von der Oelmuhle. Absolutely gorgeous smaller dog – in head and outline he is very like the old prints from the 19th century when they still hunted red deer. Fabulous strongly arched and perfectly set neck into 45˚ shoulder with matching upper arm. Very good topline and underline – deep ribcage with high tuck-up. Very good well muscled hindquarter, strong and broad, with excellent hocks. Moved brilliantly, huge effortless elastic stride, using all joints to maximum effect – lovely to watch. CC & BOB. Also won the Club trophies for best type and best head and expression. Absolutely delighted to learn that he went on to win the hound group. Congratulations.

2: Peach's Gentom Oliver Twist to Kilbourne. Big 2 year old of more rangy type and longer cast. A nice hound with excellent neck and shoulders and good upper arm. Lovely outline, but not as good as 1st. nice hindquarters, but not as strong or as broad as 1st. moved out well, but slightly stiff in hock joints.

3: Rhodes' Gentom Neo

OD (4,0)

A difficult class to judge because none of them moved well.

1: Helps' Beardswood Marmion. Elegant dog in excellent muscular condition. Strong and shapely. Good head, slightly ewe-necked, but good shoulder, upper arm and forechest. Good outline. Well angulated hindquarters, but need bigger hock joints. He moved out powerfully, but is rather restricted in his front stride.

2: Peach's Kilbourne MacLeod. First impression is very nice indeed. Lovely head, very good neck and excellent layback of shoulder, but blades are too widely set at withers and muscled up wrongly, producing a stilted and restricted front movement. Good outline and hindquarters, good stifle and hocks, and uses them quite nicely. Could do with more muscle here.

3: Francis & Blatchford's Wickwar Worcester of Peopleton

MPB (1,0)

1: Owen & Brodie's Marandike Ebony's Choice to Wolfscastle TAF. Lovely puppy. Gorgeous head, eyes and expression. Very good neck and shoulder. Well boned with good feet. Very nice outline and hindquarter construction. Moves beautifully.

PB (5,0)

A very good quality puppy class.

1: Edwards' Brackenland Odelle. Lovely puppy, workmanlike and feminine. Very nice head, even though minus whiskers at present. Very good construction which was expressed in her very good movement. Excellent muscle development. Good bitch, litter sister to BP, what a good litter this must have been. They also won best brace with ease.

2: Grimshaw's Jamalison Melody. Pretty girl. More feminine and taller than 1. slightly ewe-necked, good shoulder and upper arm. Very nice outline. Toeing out a bit in front on the move, but otherwise moved well. Excellent muscling.

3: Rhodes' Kilbourne Charity of Gentom

JB (4,0)

Another class full of gorgeous girls – what a pleasure to see such generally high quality in the youngsters.

1: Finnett & Heathcote's Hyndsight A Box Of Dreams. Fabulous bitch with gorgeous head and expression. Lovely outline and classic type, reminding me of an old 19th century print. Great bone whilst remaining elegant, very good upper arm, shoulder, depth of chest, tuck-up and hindquarters. Excellent mover RCC and awarded Club points for best RCC winner.

2: Bailey's Greyflax Milly Molly Mandy. Very good quality bitch. Similar to 1st, slightly less good in all parts, but still really lovely. Excellent muscle tone and development. Moved very well.

3: Reynolds' Wickwar Wagg.

PGB (13.6)

1: Cannon & Wickstead's Kilbourne MacBeth. Exceptionally lovely light grey bitch. Very feminine with excellent head, a great arched neck beautifully set into good sloping shoulders, long upper arms, good legs and feet. Flowing and curvaceous topline and underline. Big, strong and well angulated hindquarters with very good hock joints. Movement was stunning – light, elastic and long-striding. BCC

2: Parsons & MacKinnon's Claonaiglen Orrin. Another good bitch but overshadowed today. Lovely head, slightly ewe-necked, and slightly straight in shoulder, good upper arms and well-boned legs. Very good outline, hindquarters and muscle development. Moved really well.

3: Smith's Wolfscastle Fern of Nimloth

LB (10,3)

A disappointing class after the excellence of the previous three classes

1: Hird's Claonaiglen Albyn at Cloweswood. A very well presented feminine bitch with good head and outline. Nice neck wee set into good shoulders and upper arms. Good bone. Needs longer femurs, more stifle bend and stronger hocks. Moved freely.

2: Bailey's Greyflax A Kind Of Magic JW. This bitch looked like the class winner initially, but her back and loins were over-arched and she was unable to drive through behind with her hind legs – her movement was all under her belly. Beautiful head and expression, very nice bitch to look at all round, it was a shame about the movement.

3: Helps' Beardswood Morwenna

OB (4,2)

Only two bitches present in this class and neither of them was able to use their hocks properly on the move, which was a pity.

1: Bailey's Greyflax Waterloo Sunset. Very shapely and feminine bitch with excellent type and beautifully presented. Gorgeous head slightly spoiled by low set ears. Her neck is a bit ewe-shaped and set into straightish shoulders, nice upper arms and front legs. Good topline with well arched loins, deep chest and good tuck-up. Good hindquarters with big musculature. Moved very well with big elastic strides, but hock joints unable to open up correctly.

2: Wragg's Neroche Halistra. A different type of bitch with a longer body and less outline shape. Nice head, with better ears than 1st. well laid shoulders and upper arms. Hindquarters a good shape but she has very small hock joints with an inward curvature. She was completely lacking in any muscle at all. This clearly affected her movement, which was free but lacking any power, and no flexion in the hocks, so no drive.