What can one say? What a family achievement – three title winners and two runners-up for Martin and Molly Burrow, Joanna Satterthwaite, Denis Reay and Caroline Graham with their team.

The roll of honour reads: Veteran Champion – Thorn Fire, runner-up Thorn Dancer; Puppy maiden champion – Thorn Rose; Joint Open Non Winner champion – Thorn Rose; and Open Restricted runner-up – Hunters Flame.

Thorn Fire opened her championship challenge on the first day of the season at Wardhall, beating Spring Dazzler. From here on in she was hardly headed, winning 11 veterans trails and two major trails, the veterans at August Premier at Tallentire Hill and the Autumn Premier at Stockdale,

Beau earned herself 75 points over the course of her campaign, beating her rival kennelmate Thorn Dancer by 35 points.

The pair this year were a force to be reckoned with as they dominated the grade, and also put in some good turn of foot in other grades, and it was rarely they went home without a ticket.

Thorn Rose, bred out of Freespirit and Jenny’s Rascal, became a double champion for the team as she won the Puppy Maidens and tied in the Open Non-Winner grade. Her campaign for the puppy maiden championship started at Bridekirk on August 1 where she finished second to Show Me The Rose.

She then went on to have a couple of good placed tickets and her campaign ended on September 27 at Stockdale, giving the owners a long agonising month’s wait to see if she could be caught.

She maintained her advantage and won by eight points over her nearest rivals which came down to a three-way tie for runner-up with Brian and Joy Lister’s Imagine, Duncan and Amy Chisholme’s Fly Me To the Moon and Ellie and Grace Napier’s Huntsman’s Prince all finishing on the last day of the season on 11 points.

In the open non winners she tied the championship with Ellie and Grace Napier’s Foxparke Just Got It with 12 points.

Both these hounds and owners had a long wait as Foxparke Just Got It finished her non-winner quota on October 1 and Hunter’s Rose on September 27 when she won the Puppy Maidens, taking her out of the non-winner grade.

Denise and Caroline joined the family party by being runner up to Andy Horn’s Showbiz. Hunter’s Flame completed his tally in the grade on September 27 at Stockdale and had a month’s wait to find out if he could be caught for runner’s up spot in the table.

September 27 at Stockdale and Aspatria and Wigton Area Autumn Premier was a great day for the team when they took three of the six trails, with Thorn Rose starting the ball rolling by winning the Puppy Maidens, then Hunter’s Flame joining in the party winning the Open Restricted. Thorn Fire completed the memorable day.

The team can look back in pride at their achievements this year and hopefully continue another successful campaign in 2021.

Joanna and Caroline run the Junior Members club and are very active throughout the year with the junior members providing treasure hunts and competitions. This year has been challenging for them with the Covid restrictions, but they achieved some memories for the junior members during 2020.