Back for its 10th year, the highly anticipated Skinner's International Retriever World Cup arrived at the Highclere Game and Country Fair over the weekend and saw England storm to the top to claim back victory from the 2010 Swedish team.

Welcoming 13 teams from across the globe, this year's esteemed event involved dogs and their handlers representing their respective countries to compete for the coveted title. With each team consisting of four dogs and their handlers, the competition remained at a very high standard throughout with various Working Tests set up to test the dogs on their game finding ability and both their quickness and effectiveness in retrieving under various set ups.

Narrowly missing out on last year's first place, England came back with a renewed enthusiasm this year as they took first position with a stunning 710 points and of course the 2011 title. Hot on their heels were team Wales, who were followed by Holland in third. Commending such a unique competition, Countryman Fairs' Chief Executive, Ian Harford praises yet another fantastic showcase of championship action: “The Highclere Game and Country Fair has various gundog events and competitions to its name and is the perfect place to host such a prestigious event as the Skinner's International Retriever World Cup. Not only does the championship represent a gundog competition at the very highest level, the camaraderie and fellowship displayed between the teams is something to behold. A fantastic end to a great championship, well done England!”

Here are the results from last weekend…

29th May & 30th May 2011

Skinner's International Retriever World Cup Results

Final Team Scores and Places

1st        England            710
2nd       Wales               706
3rd       Holland             680
4th       Austria              671
5th       Sweden             663
6th       Italy                  662
7th       Switzerland        658
8th       Germany           653
9th       France               637
10th     Scotland            629
11th     Ireland              616
12th     Denmark           613
13th     Norway             594

Top Dog

Switzerland     Tasco Swift of Lockthorn and D. Marx