This season's colour is petunia!

In agility terms, there is no competition on earth like Olympia. Truly, there isn't. The atmosphere for the agility competitors is super-charged, and the evening finals even more so. It far eclipses anything that Crufts can do; which is a bit worrying, considering that Olympia is the Horse of the Year Show devoted, naturally, to horses; and Crufts is all about, well – dogs. Heather Noddle reports, day by day, on her experiences there as Agilitynet's own Lois Lane.

Believe me. I've competed at Crufts, and been proud to do so. Don't get me wrong. But Olympia, well – it's just a whole different ball game. Into a massive arena of floodlights, sand, huge courses, screaming audiences and bellowing commentators, the talented few take steps. They must be talented. They've fought their way through qualifiers up and down the country for their shot at this fleeting (35 second?) moment of fame. Competing at Olympia must be an adrenaline surge to beat all others. It's bad enough watching; goodness only knows how much stress and steely nerves it involves to partake.

Well Olympia 2006 is well underway and sincere congratulations to all who have made it there this year. From the rest of us – 'You're living our dream!' What an achievement!

Thursday - Medium's Day

The first day of agility (Thursday) is 'Medium' day featuring the Kennel Club Medium Speed Jumping in the morning by way of a warm-up for the Kennel Club Medium Dog Agility Stakes Grand Final in the afternoon. But the fact that it was effectively a 'warm-up-event was not going to stop the Mediums pulling out all the stops in the morning. The competition was red hot and down to business, right from the start.

Morning: The Kennel Club Medium Speed Jumping
A big, open, flowing jumping course requiring speed over the ground but tight turns, (that would make all the difference to times,) a good weave entry, and was benefited by the ability to sendaway over the last three obstacles. A typical, clever, 'not-in-yer-face' Andy Hudson course that ran smoothly yet punished the complacent. Excellent.

First to run was Amanda Hampson with her cuddly Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Minx (Winfren Vulpecula Kayla). There was a minor hiccup initially with the radio-timing that left them both on the startline for far too long, which would easily have unsettled the nerves of lesser competitors. However Amanda set off in grand style and stormed round in 31.96 seconds to lay down the law with a very neat round which the other handlers knew they now had to to comply with.

Second off was Hannah Mitchell with Gem (Shanandi Hit and Run), a black miniature Poodle wearing a very fetching pink collar. These two attacked the course with great gusto but ran into problems and collected an E at jump 9, a jump with a tight turn back onto the tunnel.

Third away was Rosie Ison with Disney (The Cartoon Classic), her collie/poodle cross. These made a promising start to the course but an adventurous tight turn into the weaves cost them a second-pole-weave entry which Rosie didn't correct and they copped the big E.

Fourth to run was Karen Bugler with her Sheltie Ace (Niaben Gaelic Storm) This pair set off with great speed and ran the course fluently, coming home in 34.31 seconds, not enough to frighten Amanda but enough to eventually net a third place and prove to the remaining handlers that there was work to be done if they wanted a sniff of that crystal.

Fifth out was Karen Smith and the diminutive WSD Gypsy (Mission Accomplished.) These two powered round the course but collected a devastating 5 for a knocked pole at 18... just two jumps from home. Aaagghhh, how the crowd sympathised! This was enough for fifth place however.

Sixth out was a second Sheltie Hamish (Telshador Handsome Hamish) run by Pamela Keith. These two wasted no time round the course and set up a steady clear 36.36 seconds, sadly not quite in touch with the leaders but enough to bring home sixth place overall.

By now the crowd was well stoked up, as up stepped Fiona Vaughan and Nell (Ag.Ch. Hooligan Nell), the defending champions. There is simply nothing to touch this dog in the Medium department. Stunning running contacts, reverse and front crosses as if they had been born to do them – what a partnership! Fiona and Nell motored round in 30.08 seconds, Amanda was toppled into second place and a new time had been laid down. Could anybody even touch that performance?

Carol Wallace and her popular JRT Compo (Last Of The Summer Wine) certainly gave it a good go. To the delight of the crowd this handsomely-spotted chap thundered round the course but sadly collected an E at jump 19, just ahead of the weaves. Was there anybody left who could topple Fiona and Nell?

Next up was Suzanna Dry and her lovely smooth-coated collie-X Gemma (Dazzling Lady Gemma.) They put in a very promising round with some very tidy turns and neat action, but despite coming home in 35.38, still couldn't quite touch the winning time.

Fiona's lead could so easily have been history with the last partnership to run, Petra-Craven-Houghton and Rattie (Defeur's Bracken Bank.) This adorable little crossbreed who only moments previously had been attired in a natty, lime green fleece dog-sweatshirt, was now armed with rippling muscles and the working elegance of a whippet. Rattie took to the course at top speed, arching effortlessly over the obstacles. It was all going swimmingly when Rattie randomly indulged in a spot of 'take your own line' and shot off over jump 19 instead of turning back for the weaves. Oh, naughty Rattie; that cost them dear – a big E and a big piece of crystal winging it's way into Fiona's waiting arms.

Was she grateful? No! (well – yes, of course!) 'I just hope I haven't jinxed my chances for this afternoon!' said Fiona, clutching the morning's stylish crystal vase. We all hoped it hadn't, but only time would tell.

Afternoon: The Kennel Club Medium Dog Agility Stakes Grand Final
The morning's events lubhad clearly set the tone for the afternoon. A few hour's shopping had failed to dampen the nerves or the determination of the competitors. (It had done quite a lot to dampen the contents of my bank balance however.)

I met them all in the collecting ring once again, this time even more determined to get it right. Once again a clever Andy Hudson course went up. There was a tempting choice at obstacle three between the A-frame and the weaves that could be avoided by a recall start for the brave, then a very sharp (but far from impossible) weave entry that would cost some competitors a precious few milli-seconds as they rushed to get the correct body position to ensure entry. Some speedy turns out of tunnels and send-out jumps would also have benefited from some very tight commands to shave the odd moment off the clock. Two from the end sitting menacingly on the home straight was the dog-walk, a crafty touch when you're motoring for home. Would it catch anybody in this afternoon's final?

The short straw was drawn by Pamela Keith and Sheltie, Hamish. As in the morning the first dog to run went clear, which must of course be a relief to the handler but instantly heaps pressure on the watching, waiting competitors. The rest of the rounds featured some superb speed contacts and some super-fast weaving. Andy's course had the handlers running at full tilt and the commentator wound the audience into a frenzy. Only one handler missed the dog walk contact right at the end of the course – getting that particular contact must have been a logistical nightmare given the speed the dogs came piling down that home straight, what's more against the noise of the audience, any verbal commands would have been as lost as a black cat in a coal cellar.

Rosie Ison ran fourth with excellent control over the turbo-charged Disney and put in some very tight turns and some great work-aways to put in a blinding run at 34.08 seconds. This round proved hard to beat and both Amanda Hampson and Petra Craven-Houghton picked up the big E trying to follow it and ending up in the weaves by mistake. Karen Smith with her Sheltie also tried to topple Rosie as they stormed round in 34.21 but it wasn't quite enough.

Enter the reigning champs. Running second to last, Fiona Vaughan and Nell knew they had to pull out all the stops to retain their Olympia title. I don't envy the pressure they must have been under as Fiona left Nell in a wait, walked out to obstacle two and set off on a recall.

Nell flew. Fiona's urgent body language and sharp hand signals chopped the corners off the course and tightened the turns. Nell was really shaving paint as she skimmed the jump poles and wrapped herself around the wings. The tension -not to mention the audience screaming - as Nell flew up the dog walk on the way home, was unbearable. With two last bounce strides she finished clear in 33.03 seconds to what can only be described as an eruption of noise, cheering and celebration. Straight into the lead by over a second – and we had thought Disney was fast...

It fell to Carol Wallace and her beautifully spotty JRT Compo to 'follow that'. The crowd loved a Jack Russell and willed them on. The noise by now was so loud that poor Compo couldn't even hear his release command at the start! Sadly, despite the goodwill of the audience, Compo picked up five faults and the competition was done and dusted.

A simply fantastic run by Fiona and Nell, the unassuming but fiercely determined partnership delighted to be clutching a second beautiful piece of crystal in one day and more to the point, to be clutching their crowns as undisputed queens of the Olympia Mediums.

Friday - Smalls Day

Once more unto the hallowed halls, dear friends. Once again, Olympia is a great place to be and a great place for girlies to shop until they drop. That is, so long as you don't mind being trampled and squished by hoards of teeny-bopping pony-crazy little girls sporting puffa jackets and pig-tails and looking like they've just fallen off their Thelwells. At each and every turn you are met with shrill cries of 'Oh, Momma, I want one of those...!!' and if you don't duck quick you get your eyes poked out as they jab excitedly air-wards at the desired article(s) which are, inevitably, pink. Pink and lilac horse nick-nacks are everywhere. As as non-horsey person I'm allowed to call them horse thingies as goodness knows what half the paraphernalia is used for, although I did see something called a 'tassled fly-fringe'. Uh? No matter – it was pink. Well, 'petunia'. Plain 'pink' is passé Daaahling – this season's pink is 'Petunia'.

Take me to the dog lead stall somebody, please...

Morning: The Kennel Club Small Dog Agility Pairs Relay
Wow! What a line-up of top experienced handlers and super-fast small dogs. I'm sure there must have been a flutter of nerves stirring under their steely exterior, but it really didn't show. Once again Andy Hudson's courses were spot on, using the tube tunnel as a catapult and incorporating wide sweeping areas of course that required both speed and accuracy. This time an arcing approach to an off-set right hand weave entry towards the end of the course could have caught the unwary or caused over-working, but in the event it was handled by everyone with the speed and dexterity you would hope for at this level of competition.

Drawn first to run were Dawn Weaver and Chelsea (Ag.Ch. Piquant Painted Sunshine) a miniature poodle, and matching partner Ruby (Upanova Limited Edition) run by Sharon Brewster. Both halves scorched round the course but a tad too much haste off the dog walk cost Dawn five on the down. Sharon followed and ran clear, taking a steady see-saw and a wide out-sweep to the weaves to finish in 59.97 seconds, laying down the law well and truly to all who dared follow!

Second up were Miranda Frankham with her sheltie Chico (Chandling Idiots Charger) running with Angela Sallis and her patterdale x JRT Zeta (Zeta The Dark One.) Both ladies were in the mood to win and set off with great pace, slightly wider turns and marginally slower weaves bringing the time down a little. Miranda ran clear but Angela collected a refusal at jump 3 for turning her shoulders wide into the upcoming sees-saw just a millisecond too early and pulling the speeding Zeta with her. Their time of 66.69 seconds would be enough to place them fourth.

Third on the line were the highly-tipped partnership of Alan Bray with Portia (Ag.Ch. Harvest Geld for Aprika) and Linda Hutchinson with Portia's grandson Ozzy-Noodle (Upanova New Edition.) With usual charismatic style Alan took off round the course and executed a concise clear in record time.

Linda set off in hot pursuit, incorporating a dashing reverse turn in front of the see-saw which successfully trimmed a potentially wide turn and added speed to the final straight of weaves and jump.

With the commentator and crowd in full cry and certain of two clears the Commentators Curse struck and Lynda pulled Ozzy around the last jump and collected a disastrous unexpected refusal. Just proving that it ain't over til the fat lady sings – and it can happen to the best of us. Returning to complete the jump they still came home in a time of 67.80 seconds which was still enough to place them third.

Next to go were Dave Alderson with the diminutive toy poodle Libby (Ag. Ch. Steelthorne Rum Truffle) - surely the smallest and most cute Ag.Ch. ever - running with Helen Davey-Smith and her JRT Henry (Rescue Me Henry.) Not to be outdone by the previous pair, Dave and Helen ran flat out and urged every last once of performance out of their dogs. Dave ran first and clear but Helen fell foul of the 'more haste less speed trap' and Henry missed the down of the dog-walk. This extracted a groan from the crowd who were loudly supporting a JRT even though, judging by the number of times he mentioned it, the commentator was fascinated by the fact the Henry actually has a tail. Their joint time of 61.65 seconds was nonetheless a very fast one and with just the five faults, enough to place them second overall.

Last on the line were Susie Josty and the legendary Jack (Ag.Ch. Spratt Attack) accompanied by David Sweeny and the very beautiful blue merle sheltie Pearl (Peartbrook Silver Dream.) Susie walked out confidently onto the course and executed a very fast recall start but had already collected a 5 before climbing the dog walk and a further five by the end of it. David started out at a pace that looked deceptively steady, no doubt trying to secure a neat clear to compensate, but an early turn towards the tube tunnel caused a shoulder turn off the see-saw and Pearl obligingly went with him, launching daintily off the see-saw without so much as a tip. A tight turn which reduced momentum caused a bit of a scrabble up the A-frame but Dave went on to complete the rest of the course in a time of 59.71 seconds.

Congratulations to all the competitors on some truly excellent runs and sportsmanship of the highest level.

Afternoon: The Kennel Club Small Dog Agility Stakes Final
Time and pressure built up for this final, as the showjumping beforehand was running late and live television coverage of the Puissance was due to start directly after the agility. The time slot for agility was slipping away quite literally by the minute and nerves started to jangle. Dave Ray and his team stood backstage in a group presenting the curious picture of gentlemen and ladies in their dinner suits and finery, clutching hurdle poles and looking more like the home guard on parade. As the last horse exited the ring from the previous presentation, the mini tractors and trailers bearing the agility gear fired up and shot from behind the scenes amidst a cloud of diesel. Dave and his team launched after them and somehow amidst a melee of squaddies, officials, agility equipment and people running everywhere like ants, an agility course appeared.

The course was walked as it was being constructed and the moment the wireless timing was ready, the first competitor was on the startline, ready. The final ran without hitch, the equipment vapourised as quickly as it had appeared, the presentation was completed in a brief flash of photography and the agility was whisked out of the ring. On a wing and a prayer, the Puissance started on time and the TV crews sprang into action. The accomplishment of this logistical nightmare and miraculous piece of timing could only have been done by a team with razor sharp efficiency and years of experience. I genuinely have to take my hat off to Dave for orchestrating that; at the outset the omens looked bad and I confess I had wondered if the miracle could be achieved.

Andy hit the jackpot again with this course, combining once again large areas of speed with some tight turns in to or out of, tunnels. As in previous classes, these turns were to prove the downfall of some faster competitors with wide turns, and the key to the faster runs.

First to run was Angela with Zeta, her ten and a half year old crossbreed. Angela was fiercely determined to get a recall start as third obstacle up was the dog walk! Nailing Zeta's little black rear to the floor with dire threats Angela did indeed get her recall start very successfully, and put in a highly charged round to go clear in 36.80 seconds. The crowd loved it, and Angela looked very pleased.

Second up was Helen Davey-Smith with Henry. Helen also opted for a recall start but this time only as far as obstacle two. The prospect of the dog walk contact at the far end of number three was certainly causing some people to try to get ahead of their dogs! Sadly, Henry did not appreciate being left on the start line and took the first pole out in a bid to catch up with mum when finally released. Helen put in a fast round with some classic and fluid running reverse turns, to finish in 36.49 seconds.

Third was David Sweeny and Pearl, looking more relaxed than the morning, on their first ever trip to Olympia. Motoring well around the course, Pearl enthusiastically overshot jump 15 to gain a refusal and then back jumped to be eliminated. Undeterred, David carried on to cross the line in a time of 38.28 seconds.

Next was Sharon Brewster with the first of the Upanova gang, Ruby. Ruby was competing here today against her litter brother Ozzy and her Grandma, Portia. Sharon set off with a very fast running start much tot he delight of the crowd who had got a real taste for the competition by now.

Back by her incredible speed, Ruby put in a wide turn in front of the A-frame which seemed to unsettle the partnership briefly and caused a missed down on the A-frame itself. The rest of the round was true speed-merchant stuff and they finished in 35.53 seconds to go straight into second.

By now the crowd had really got behind the competition and the noise was starting to ramp up. They cheered louder than ever when Miranda Frankham took to the ring, storming round at full tilt with her sheltie Chico. Sadly a victim of the A-frame down contact, a further fault and finally a wide turn into the collapsible which collected another five. Miranda completed the course with a total of 15 fault in 39.45 seconds.

The next Upanova was Ozzy-Noodle run by Lynda Hutchinson. Once again a scorching start but once again victim of a fast A-frame and a missed down contact. The crowd yelled even louder as Ozzy crossed the line in a time of 36.45 seconds.

Up to the line stepped Suzie Josty and Jack. This was Susie's seventh Olympia with Jack and she was desperately hoping for her first clear! Susie recalled to the second obstacle but Jacks speed cost him a wide turn and a run past onto the A-frame, which like the previous three dogs, cost them the down contact as well. Determined to deprive his mum of that elusive Olympia clear in grand style Jack then went on to miss a weave which Susie did not return to correct and an elimination was the result. They crossed the line in a time that would have read 36.64 seconds.

With all these speeding rounds and powerful handling, the crowd were entering the frenzy zone. Into the maelstrom of the ring stepped the enigmatic Dave Alderson with tiny white poodle Libby. The crowd erupted and several thousand people fell in love with one small dog simultaneously. Small dog, big heart. Libby tore round the ring under the guidance of Dave and despite a big wobble in front of the tyre, which almost caused massed heart failure not to mention a dangerous dalliance with faults, she went clear in a truly superb time of 33.70 seconds. With two dogs left to run the 34 second barrier had finally been broken and the gauntlet well and truly thrown down for the final pair. The crowd erupted as only an Olympia crowd can.

Penultimate dog to run was the Grandma of all Upanova poodles, Portia. Resplendent in the most sumptuous bling collar I have ever seen Portia took to the stage with Alan in a running start. The crowd were screaming and it was hard to tell if they were willing Portia on, or willing her back so she wouldn't beat their darling, Libby. A skilfully run course by Alan never looked in danger of collecting faults and they crossed the line in a breathtaking 34.00 seconds, just fractionally slower than Dave and Libby. By now I was deaf, and had almost forgotten to breathe for the last two rounds. Agility can seriously damage your health.

Last of all came Dawn and miniature poodle Chelsea, the joint winners of the mornings session. Could she complete the double as Fiona and Nell had done yesterday? Dawn thought so. With a confident recall start to obstacle two and some alternative 'wrong-arm' handling (not so alternative that it didn't work beautifully however!) Dawn and Chelsea sped round the ring. They ran but they didn't rush and the round was deceptively smooth and cool. Chelsea glided over the finish pole to tremendous applause and cheering and a glance at the clock revealed an astonishing time of 32.99 seconds. A sub 33-round and most definitely the winners.

What a fantastic final. Truly top quality competitors in a top quality competition with excellent sportsmanship and wonderful handling skills. Wow, I've enjoyed watching the small dogs today! Well done to everybody, competitors and ring part alike.

Saturday - Senior Day

Morning: The Kennel Club Large Dog Agility Stakes Semi Final
Better get in quick and call these 'Seniors' before we lose the title for ever in just over two weeks, I guess!

A long day ahead today, as there are three agility events – the Semis in the morning, the Speed-Knock-out for the non-qualifiers in the afternoon and the Agility Stakes Final itself in the evening.

So, arriving bright eyed and bushy tailed at Olympia to report (Okay, you know me too well... that early in the morning, just arriving in any shape at all was an accomplishment.) I slipped in through the tradesmen's entrance and made my way through the cleaners, the attendants and the seating stewards still putting their jackets on. The Semi finals were the first event of the morning and the army recruits were already setting out the agility course in the main arena. I watched as they manoeuvred the weave poles with their glittery, gold tinsel pom-poms on, into position. A far more leisurely approach than last night where the politest key word had been 'rushed!'

Another fast, flowing Andy Hudson course but, I venture, the wiliest yet. An offset start with the A-frame at three tempted many into a recall start with varying degrees of success. Sheer speed off the A-frame after such a fast recall caused early faults for Sharon Eldridge's Canen Chip, David Alderson's Waggerland Spice, Lee Gibson's Taddymoor Jack  and Pat Brown's Bailstails First Edition.

From the A-frame a push right over the wall, from which Natasha Wise and Eastern Lyric (Maddie) chewed a brick; a tight turn left over a hurdle and a push-out between the long-jump and the weaves to the see-saw. Surprisingly, this driving push through an extended box failed to tempt any dogs and they all slipped through then net and onto the see-saw without any trouble. The see-saw was very well handled, with handlers guiding the dogs down to the contact and resisting the temptation to cut too soon to pull back for the weaves. Hege Hurdwell's spectacular long-jumping Whippet cross Snazzy Tazzy decided to be different and surprised everybody by stopping early on the see-saw 'down' and then slipping politely off the side to net a five.

The weave poles at eight produced some surprising handling variation. Most if the handlers stayed on the left, effectively on the inside of the curve, as the next obstacle (back through that bloomin' angled box) was the long jump to the left. Odd though it seemed at first sight however, the handlers with the fastest times sent the dogs into the weaves and cut behind them to handle on the far side of the weaves, allowing them to push the dogs back left over the long jump and do a neat cut to jump 11 across the arena. Smart thinking. Alan Bray was halfway through this crafty move when he pushed just a little too hard and Tiggy drifted wide past the long-jump and was awarded an expensive 'bunch of fives' from Andy for her efforts.

The vast expanse between collapsible ten and tube tunnel 12, proved too much for some of the less experienced dogs. You wouldn't think that a simple tunnel-jump-tunnel combo would cause so much trouble, but the speed and pacing certainly did. The dogs had to put in a huge, powerful, arcing stride to clear jump 11. The stats show that this jump smashed the Olympia dreams of many of the handlers: Jayne Bray and Raeven, Janet Thrift and Lucy, Blair Willis and Key amongst others.

A tight tunnel combo followed, using Andy's now much-favoured boomerang technique to turn tight corners. The tunnel bobbed wildly about with some of the more powerful dogs, Amanda Pigg's Jagged Edge lifted it clean off the floor, causing a slight wobble and a dropped back leg as he hit the dog walk. Jag's sheer power and momentum kept him on course and he survived the dog-walk without missing a beat. The jump after the tunnel combo caused problems for Ian Jackson and Taliswood Temptation (Katy), who had put in a stunningly fast run up to that point. Gemma Hanekom who had also completed a stunningly fast round thus far with Boo (Forest Trail) uncharacteristically released too soon off the dog-walk and saw Andy's hand signal five faults as they left.

Four jumps to go, to home. Safe? Hardly! Three jumps in an angled straight line (is there such a thing?! Check out the course plan for 17, 18 ad 19!) and a tight turn back onto the finish. What was that we said about the fat lady singing? These last jumps claimed Jo Rhodes and the diminutive Llangwm Moravia Kaesie, despite an immaculately handled round elsewhere, also Karen Laker's Flint (Bekkis Thaumaturge) and Hege's Tazzy.

Well those were the bits where the course bit back but it wasn't all doom and gloom! There were some truly stunning rounds worthy of great admiration, if not mention! Ian Smith once again drew the short straw and ran first and ran clear in 35.35 seconds – blown along no doubt by a vocal throng of his supporters in the stands, complete with huge plastic banner. Proving (as if she needed to) why she's at the top of the field at the moment, Toni Dawkins put in a smooth, hassle-free round with Kite and took a n early lead in a time of 32.77 seconds. Simon Peachy and Diesel went straight into second place with a lovely round in 33.06 seconds and Marc Saunders, back at Olympia after winning the Novice Final last year went into third in 34.90 seconds. Third place changed hands a number of times after that and was occupied briefly in turn by Greg Derrett, David Munnings, Lee Windeatt and  David Ryan!

The most stunning round was put in by Helen Nelson and Wholly Chad who ran fifteenth. A huge, leggy dog with immense power and stride, skilfully handled from a distance (after all, how could you keep up with Chad?) after a running recall from the A-frame. Pure poetry to watch and utterly breathtaking. They completed clear in 32.53 seconds which proved, unsurprisingly, impossible to beat. Watch this space, there's a lot more to come from this partnership! Congratulations Helen. Now, how about that 'double' that our previous winning ladies have served up, eh?

Afternoon: The Kennel Club Speed Knockout

With the finalists for this evenings performance selected from this morning's top ten, handlers 11th through to 20th were invited to take part in the Speed Knockout just after lunch.

Andy set up a seemingly simple course which was designed to do as it says on the tin – achieve a speed blast with a start and finish on a low, tinsel-decked table. With the exception of a few getting briefly caught in a slightly angled and un-staked collapsible tunnel, the dogs encountered no problems with this course and ran it in true knock-out style to the roaring delight of the crowds.

First up in the eliminator round were Ian Smith with Meg and Alyson Martyn with Sunny. Alyson (who swears blind it was only Cola in the bottle...) enjoyed the occasion enormously but was beaten back to the table by Ian. Jane Seller and Skye were then pitched against Marc Saunders and Dash. Marc set about the course in his stylistic uncomplicated fashion and returned home first by a clear margin.

First round proper saw Dave Alderson and Spice drawn against Natasha Wise and Maddie. (Rather her than me!) In an extremely close run, separated only by the clock (let's hear it for electronic timing) Dave pipped Natasha to the post, aided by a slightly stronger home run.

Second pair was Chris Cole with Cap and Lorna Peachey with Ammo. An exciting finish and much cheering from the crowd saw Lorna return home in 14.41 and Chris in 15.11

Third pairing was Greg Derrett against Rita Johnson with Jo Jo - Rita at her first Senior Olympia. Greg motored round in a tidy 14.32 leaving Rita to complete in 22.40

Back into the ring came Ian Smith and Meg, this time against Marc Saunders with Dash. In a very tight run Ian finished in 14.44 and Marc in 14.57, much to the delight of the crowd who were being well stoked by the commentator by this point.

Second round reduced the field to two pairs, David Alderson against Lorna Peachey and Greg Derrett against Ian Smith. David fought a fierce battle and ran his hardest but I suspect that he didn't  see the starter's handkerchief waving, as he set off down the outward straight a good second behind Lorna. Despite David and Spice simply powering round the course, it was always a game of catch-up behind Lorna and Ammo who were in fluent form, Nonetheless the four on the course brought it to a tense finish with Lorna in 13.93 and Dave in 13.98.

With barely pause to catch breath, back into the ring came Greg and Ian. In yet another really close contest the two were almost indivisible on return to the table but the clock said Ian at 14.18 had just squeezed in ahead of Greg at 14.21.

Down to the third round and the final pair. An obviously tiring Ian was given a few seconds grace before setting up again against Lorna. The crowd were in full cry, so loud you couldn't even hear Ian's club shouting for him any more ( - and that's saying something.) Both handlers set off at a blistering pace but the three previous runs had taken their toll on Ian and he and Meg started to lag behind Lorna and Ammo who were off like the wind. A late command by Ian before jump 5 caused Meg to divert briefly which although recovered quickly, opened up the gap behind Lorna still further. Lorna was by now comfortably ahead and added an extremely fast home run to finish in the fastest time of the competition, a stunning 13.86, with Ian following up behind in 14.93.

A very exciting knock-out that, courtesy of the crowds, took yet another toll on the old ears drums!

Evening: The Kennel Club Agility Stakes Grand Final
What a line-up of big names stood ready to enter the lions den tonight! Chief Lion Andy Hudson had yet again set up an excellent course, exactly tuned in to the atmosphere and sense of occasion.

A recall start over three offset jumps followed by a long run into one of Andy's 'sort-of-box-arrangements'. A tight but very fast turn left down the opposite side of the arena onto the dog walk, a left cut for a jump and then another of Andy's trademark tunnel-jump-repeat tunnel combos just begging for handlers to tie themselves into knots. This set up a boomerang effect back across the top of the ring to the collapsible and push put for the long-jump and send-on to the weaves.

A hair-pin bend off the weaves, doubling back on the course for the see-saw was a manoeuvre that threatened to cause trouble, plus a cut across a box back for the A-frame would keep the handlers moving and handling hard the whole time. The final three jumps off the A-frame required some drastic action, either turn in front of the A-frame and get tangled up with your dog, turn after the A-frame and get hit by your flying dog, or drift behind the final three-jump box-routine and hope your dog knew how to turn tight after a full speed stretch.

Of all the parts of the course, it was this simple pull-through in the box at the end, that really sorted the men from the boys (or, as it transpired, the girls from the boys!) At this level there is no doubt that the handling skills of the handlers are top quality and if push comes to shove they can all get a dog round a course. But the way this box was set up, sitting so innocently at the end of the course, meant that the dog almost had to be handled remotely. So this critical section, just at the point where the handlers might be starting to relax, required the dog to demonstrate it's own level of independent skill, experience and to a degree, intuition. From a judging perspective, pure genius. Test the handlers skills, test the partnership and test the dog's skills independently - but do it subtly. This, I admire.

First to go was David Munnings with Billy. With a recall start to 2 and his usual sleek style of getting everywhere on the course at once, David made it look deceptively easy. His smooth reverse running turns including onto the A-frame, were text-book. The first clear of the evening in 35.32 seconds.

Second was Lee Windeatt with Shy. Lee opted to recall over three and did another smooth, calculated and efficient round, carefully watching the contacts and easing Shy round the course. A brave running-blind-contact beyond the A-frame got him into place for the final box set and they came home clear in 36.63 seconds.

Hmmm. Two fast and beautifully executed clears already. Next up was David Ryan and Buck's Blue. These set off at a tremendous and furious pace that was quite scary to watch with Dave's arms and dog flying in all detections. A couple of wide turns lost him a little time but he navigated round clear and finished in 36.81 seconds. The crowd loved it.

Okay, so now we had three clears out of three. Up to the line stepped Sue Rolfe and Kes, a very experienced Olympia and Crufts pairing. These two have a very neat style in the ring but unusually Kes set off a little earlier than Sue was expecting which let Sue issuing not quite the signals she planned in front of the A-frame and Kes went over for a look. This brief detour subsequently cost them the Big E at obstacle 4 but, in true agility tradition, the rest of the round was lovely and they crossed the line in what would have been 40.59 seconds.

Dizzy (Magical Liquorice Alsorts) was simply not on the same wavelength with handler Rob Davies' last night. We all have rounds like this. We just hope it doesn't happen at times like this! Dave ran powerfully and very fast indeed,  in her rush to keep up with dad, Dizzy missed the down on the Dog walk and the A-frame and then missed the last jump completely. The time would have been 40.78. This was their second Olympia. Let's hope its third time lucky next year.

Sixth to the line was Lynne Ward and Kite. Unbeknown to Lynne, Kite must have had a little chat with Dizzy in the queue. Despite Lynne's best efforts Kite back-jumped 5, ran past the tube tunnel entrance and then forgot the last jump. Oops.

Determined to restore some law and order, up stepped Simon Peachey and Diesel.

What a great run. Diesel allegedly uses the outside wall of the tube tunnel as a wall of death, this caused the tunnel entrance to shoot straight in the air at 8 and have to be quickly clamped back down by the three waiting ladies before he could re-enter it again almost instantly for 10! For a moment or two there was a flurry of dog, handler, tunnel and human anchors but that did nothing to break the stride of the formidable Diesel who powered home clear in 35.24 secs

Third from last was Toni and Kite. Toni walked out onto the course to recall from 3 and Kite in her enthusiasm longed to break her wait but settled for an excited bottom-shuffle instead. There is one word on my notes for this round and it says 'WOW'. This not only adequately describes the run as a whole but indicates just how fascinating the run was; it's all I had the chance to write. It was smooth, clean, quick, immaculate. I'm sure Toni might find room for improvement in some molecule along the way, but from the side of the ring it was simply breathtaking. Clear in 33.95 and very comfortably into the lead.

How to follow that? You put the all-powerful Jag into the ring with Manda Pigg. More power than a small thermo-nuclear device, packaged in one big black furry exocet missile. There was no time to worry about contacts (which he got) or the weave entry (which he got) or leaving the tunnels in the air (which he did). Clear in 35.13 seconds. By this stage the crowd was on their feet, I was deaf (again) and I had forgotten to breathe for the last two rounds.

Last to run was Helen Nelson and Chad, the morning's winners. Chad again ran well but despite his break-neck speed he ran wider than in the morning and some sweeping turns in Andy's three-jump box at the end cost them some precious time. Not much of course, but when you're running at this level and looking at shaving the paint off every obstacle, a wide paw-print is wide enough. Home clear in 34.83 seconds and once again the crowd went wild.

We had seen last three runs go into the top three places and the atmosphere around the ring was  electric. Some superb competition and a spot-on course. One top handler watching from the side was heard to comment along the lines that on tonights performance alone, Andy must surely be rated as the UK's top judge. I have to wholeheartedly agree.

Sunday - Novice Day

Okay, this morning the lure of the omnipresent 'Petunia' in the shopping hall finally overcame me. I have indulged in a new matching collar and lead for one of my canine girlies (don't think the human ones would thank me much.) Thus far I had managed to resist the bling and the petunia but this morning my resistance crumbled, as least as far as the petunia. Well... you've got to really, haven't you? It's Olympia after all! The canine boys should be grateful this particularly colourful shopping spree only extended as far as the girlies.

Morning: The Kennel Club Novice Agility Stakes Semi Final
A very changed atmosphere in the collecting ring this morning. Lots of competitors and lots of firs-time nerves, which are surprisingly catching, even if you're not running a dog!  The eventual assembly of the course settled a few concerns; once again a fair, flowing combination of offset jumps, turns into weaves, boomerang tunnels and fast contacts. Good, solid Novice stuff. Out of 35 competitors just ten are due through to the final this evening and the reserve ten have a consolation bash at the pairs class in the afternoon. For the fifteen others, it's the long trek home. Concentration is necessary; and it's showing on all the faces.

Tamara Hollands was the first off with Fizz (Touchango Fizz It Tiz.) They collected an unlucky five for a rolled pole at 4 just before a tight turn, but set a very good pace to arrive home in 30.99 seconds. James Cook and Selena Short following on both collected ten each and both were faulted on the dog walk – Selena's dog Speckles (Go Geddum) losing his scrabbling battle with gravity and making an early exit from the top plank.

Sarah Osborne's Phoebe (Bad Behaviour) was on track to do well but had a very good peer at the wall (8) on her way towards the finish line which called for a quick bit of thinking and a sharp command from Sarah to snatch a clear (35.36) from the jaws of disaster. Julie Smith's dog Springdale Haphazard Harry also dished up a fright on his way to a clear in 32.62, by having a good look at tunnel 14 on the way to tunnel 11.

Sixth to run was Laura Derret with Fish (Silvertips Fly Catcher.) A very smooth, beautifully controlled round saw the powerful Fish glide over the finish clear in 30.69. Brad Moyler was not to be outdone and set out at a cracking pace with Saffi (Persian Spice) a beautiful clear had a time of 30.17 and put took him into the lead. Despite getting briefly tangled in the unstaked collapsible tunnel, Liz Mutton and Toots (Tansy to a T) also went clear in 33.12.

Lyn Cusdin and Matomba Tembo picked up an unfortunate five on the end of the dog walk, followed by young Lucy O'Neill and her collie Dude (Doodle Bug) who ran a lovely, controlled clear in 31.25. Sue Choux's Sassy (Lunarline Sassy Lassy) took out jump 16 preparing her stride for the A-frame, followed by Gwyn Robers who sailed Taff (Taffi Thomas) round clear in a steady 34.06. This put Gwyn inside the coveted top ten, although with less than half the dogs yet run and the competition already stiffening up, it was becoming apparent that a clear in a time of under 34 seconds was going to be a prerequisite for attending the final this evening.

Tom Green and Blimey Brocko went clear in a spirited 31.82, followed by Leslie Osborne who worked very hard, but his dog Billy Be Good clipped the pole off at 2 in a super-speedy time of 29.96. Leah Gardener with Chaffords Hyper Connection went clear in an elegant 31.45 but we had three sets of five faults to follow: Jason Smith's Mist (Lynwood Mist) also took pole 2 off (31.95,)  Bill Chuter's handsome Bob (Richta Bobby Dazzler) decided no to go down the tunnel at 11 (31.89,) and Kathrin Tasker's lovely lurcher Elle (Ell For Leather) motored round but sprayed bricks all over the floor when she tackled the wall (29.14.)

Morag Kelly and Drift (Redi Stedi Rapid Rhythm) ran well but never entirely recovered from knocking the first pole off and collected further faults on the downs of the Dog-walk and the A-frame. Sue Marsh running 21^st with Charlie (Charlton Athletic) also had the bad luck to knock the first pole down and completed an otherwise lovely run in 29.87.

Sarah Stokoe walked onto the course, went back to correct a shaky wait from Jinx (Highfield High Jinx) and went on to storm round the course with some of the fastest running contacts I have ever seen. They blasted round with barely a toe out of place, in a time of 29.65 and deservedly went straight into the lead to the cheering delight of her supporters in the stands. Jo Richardson and Pippa (Waggerland Away) put in a good clear round at 31.49 and by now it was apparent that the qualifying rounds for the finals would not only be clear, but well sub-33.

Running 24^th was Dawn Williams, so successful on Friday with her small dog Chelsea. Could she repeat the wins with her collie/beardie cross, Promise? (Cascades Heavenly Promise) Not today – 5 faults at jump 4 and a refusal on the weaves brought them home in a time of 35.07. I've seen this pair run much more fluently this season and I'm sure they'll be back for another shot next year.

Hilary Bowden and the lovely Spider collected 15 faults with two poles down and a missed A-frame in a good time of 32.85, despite Hilary announcing she had the oldest dog in the competition and then declaring that she was looking good for 73. I don't think that excuse will wash, Hilary! Diane Graves put in a good clear with Clay (Clay Your Cards Right) in 34.00 and Denise Wilkinson followed suit with Tinker Tia in 31.46.

Next came Mike Douglas with his Saluki-cross, DD (MNM's Deed Ream Believer). This dog is worth watching. I remember seeing them run last season, and being impressed. It's still a bit seat-of-your-pants-manic-stuff but when they get it right, these two can motor! They tanked round the course in a fine time of 31.19, although this belies the heart-in-mouth technique that DD employs, of adding a tiny little extra step just ahead of each obstacle, a bit like a hiccup, ensuring an almost vertical take-off for each one. It's terrifying to watch but obviously suits the dog fine!

Mark Powell and Trigger (Waggerland Who) put in a very tidy clear in 32.24, followed by Yvonne Croxford with Motley Maddie Meister who left three poles on the floor in a time of 31.73.

Competitors knew the top ten places were filling up and the speed was starting to take it's toll.

Laura Innes from Scotland and her handsome red collie-x-kelpie 'Scoobie Doo' went for a steady clear but collected faults on the dog walk plus a refusal and eventual 5 at jump 10. In fairness it looked a lot faster than their recorded time of 38.49, as this is a large dog that eats up the ground. Mel Doyle with Norvellyne Jade must have suffered from a touch of nerves for being penultimate to run - it's a lot of other dogs to watch go ahead of you - and they collected a 5 on the weave entry, and missed A-frame on both sides. Last but not least was Maxine McGoldrick and Glen's Golden Girl who took out jump 6 and finished in 34.80.

So – the top ten for the finals tonight were set and 32.24 seconds/CR (Mark Powell) had proved to be the cut-off point of this high-standard gathering. The second ten (to 31.12 seconds/5F – Lyn Cusdin) had a bash at the pairs after lunch. I think the Seniors will have their work cut out, up against this lot next season.

Afternoon: The Kennel Club Novice Pairs Relay
They might not have qualified for the final, but this lot were more determined than ever to go home with a bit of crystal.

Sorry if I seem to be banging on about Andy's courses this year, but honestly, they have been excellent. You should have seen them run, to appreciate. Otherwise, just trust me. This one was a flowing course with none of the tight pull-backs, sharp turns or Hudson-style-boxes we have come to know and love. Still lots of drifting, angled straight lines (oh, just look at the course plans, you'll see what I mean) and some decidedly speedy contacts. A great course for pairs where, as we all know, getting one dog round clear is bad enough without asking two to do the same thing and especially under the pressure of the bright Olympia lights.

First up were Lyn Cusdin and Tembo. Oh Tembo, what were you on? Well, not the contacts perhaps – 5s on the dog walk and A-frame followed by a fancy for the spread on the home straight at 3 instead of the weaves - and what self-respecting dog wouldn't, I ask you?! Partner Tamara with Fizz set off and scorched round the course clear, but the E-shaped damage had alas, already been done.

Second to go were Leslie Osborne with Billy and Sue Marsh with Charlie. Both ran exceptionally fast rounds but Billy got stung on the down of the dog walk and Charlie commiserated by following Sue's shoulders and getting a 5R at the tunnel. A very good time of 65.46 would be enough to place them third.

Third off were Kathrin Tasker with Elle and Sarah Osborne - yes, related to the Leslie variety in pair Two - with Phoebe. Both these dogs ran like they were on rails and put in really excellent rounds without a paw out of place. This double clear recorded a stunning time of 54.52 and even my feeble maths can establish that was in the order of eleven seconds ahead of the opposition.

Fourth pair of Diane Graves with Clay and Gwyn Roberts with Taff had the job of going next. They both put in good, steady rounds but Taff hopped off the down of the A-frame and Andy handed him 5 for his efforts. The time was 60.30.

Last to go were Liz Mutton and Toots with Julie Smith and Harry. They threw themselves into the course, but Toots took the speed concept a little too literally and chose to embark the see-saw halfway up. No, Toots, there is a white bit at the start you have to tread on. A run-past on the last jump inherited them an E. Before they had time to correct the run past, Julie and Harry were off like the clappers, but more haste less speed as Harry missed the last weave on the home straight and sailed over the last jump instead. Whilst not hugely accurate, nonetheless a wonderfully charismatic round from both partners, which the crowd appreciated with loud cheers. 

More very nice crystal handed out, and time for more photos. Armed with my trusty pocket-camera I crept into the middle of the arena behind the girls carrying the goodies, but suddenly realised that the bank of photographers with great long lenses that I like to hide behind were missing, and I was on my own in the ring. Worse than that, the competitors were all smiling at me and posing beautifully in anticipation of a photo.

'Looks like you're the official photographer this time!' whispered Dave Ray conspiratorially as he walked past me.

'Cheese?' I muttered feebly as my limbs froze in terror. I pushed the button and took a beautiful, blurred picture. Sorry, folks. The things pressure can do to you.

Evening The Kennel Club Novice Agility Stakes Final
My final report of the series, as unfortunately I couldn't be present on Monday for the ABCs.

But the Novice Final -what a way to end an incredible few days! The evening before, immediately after the Senior finals, I had wondered privately if anything could ever go on to top the sheer excitement and adrenaline kick of that event. In reality I'm not sure the seniors were topped, but they were certainly equaled. The caliber of the Novices who had qualified for the evening was second to none. Most of them, of course, having become Seniors themselves at some point this season, so more than up for the challenge. I tell you honestly folks, I can't wait for Olympia 2007; with this year's ex-Novices rising up to meet the this years Seniors in the same event! That should produce such fireworks in the ring that believe me, the wise will be booking their tickets already.

Under cover of the noise and turmoil of spotlights, tractors, diesel fumes, army people and agility folk walking and assembling the finals course, I walked down the entrance tunnel for the last time and took up my perch in the corner of the ring, armed with pens, course plans, lists and camera. The ringside officials have been remarkably tolerant of me writing my notes on the wall, on top of their tape measures and show-jumping course plans and then brutally elbowing squaddies out of the way if they got in my line of sight. Indeed, the officials have gone as far as being seasonally jovial; on this my last night I was treated to a conspiratorial wink from the head-honcho-official-man and found my usual corner of the wall had been cleared of their paperwork and a spot left vacant for me.

Even at this course-walking stage, the atmosphere in the main ring was super-charged. The crowd were stoked and buzzing with excitement, the competitors were pale and clammy under the ice-white floodlights and the dogs (being dogs,) were just wildly excited to see agility equipment and were raring to go. Bring it ON!

 Once again Andy's course hit the nail on the head. It flowed well but there were areas for the slightest slack in handling to cause trouble. The contacts were all approached at speed – remote dead-stop contacts were going to be a critical factor and the ability to change sides with the dog weaving independently, was going to gain a lot of time. Another tunnel boomerang where tight turns both in and out were going to help, and a directional sendaway from the last few fences was going send some cross the finish line faster that others. Clever stuff.

The competitors ran in reverse qualifying order from the morning so the ground-breaking run fell to the partnership of Mark Powell and Trigger (Waggerland Who). What do you do when you run first? There is no bench-mark time, no demonstrated traps to be wary of. Will the rest of the field churn out steady clears and do you belt for it, or do you just go all out to scare everyone that follows into making mistakes? Decision, decisions.

Mark ran smoothly – this handler's body language is worth observing in action as the upper-body is held with great poise and the resulting signals are clear and uncluttered. The only thing that moves like crazy are the legs, which seem to be attached to a different motor! Mark has spent a lot of this season working steady contacts with this youngster but this evening he let Trigger fly, to great effect. It was going wonderfully well when a slight smidgen of a shoulder turn on a wide-running corner pulled Trigger off wall 14, collecting a 5R and bringing them home in a time of 33.74 seconds. A great run with just the one tiny fault.

Tom Green and his handsome red collie Blimey Brocko were next. They fair scorched round the course, this is a very energetic and powerful partnership on both sides. Sadly a missed down on the see-saw cost them a 5 and they went on to finish in the very respectable time of 31.62. With Mark and Tom both running at full tilt it was obviously even from this early on, that only a fast and furious round was going to feature in the winners enclosure this evening.

Jo Richardson with Waggerland Who (Pippa) ran next. This is a deceptively fast partnership that runs with a minimum of fuss and bother and covers the ground faster than you initially think. A beautifully executed round but a pole sadly hit the ground at 9 whilst body language cued early for the tight turn for 10 and the tube tunnel. Home in the fastest time yet of 30.12.

Up next was a worried-looking Denise Wilkinson with Tinker Tia; a young dog on her first Olympia experience. They have had a good season, going Senior early on, but the pressure of the evening caused cracks to appear in the partnership. A pole off at 3 (ahead of the A-frame) plus a missed down on the A-frame and a refusal at the wall 14 collected a total of 15 faults in a time of 33.71. I think we'll see a lot more of this partnership next year as the relationship in the ring matures.

Leah Gardner and the lovely Chafford's Hyper Connection were great crowd pleasers. They stormed round the course with some superb, disciplined contact work. This smooth coated collie has such a huge stride that Leah can afford to break the flow visibly at the bottom of each contact and still be confident that the huge, ground-eating stride of the dog can be relied upon to make up the time on the rest of the course. Clear in 30.65 and straight into the lead. Pure, raw power. Great stuff. Following four partnerships with faults this was the first clear and the crowd love it. (“Come along now boys and girls, give them a cheer, I can't hear you!” Uh? Is the man not in the same building?)

Enter Lucie O'Neill with Dude (Doodle Bug.) The handler's age says sweet sixteen but don't expect this partnership to give you an inch over the course; a very worldly-wise performance with very tight handling. The only hint of an undercurrent of nerves came from the uncharacteristic unforced errors; jump 2 down, 5 on the A-frame down and another pole off at 9. Hmmm. I wish I could  have shown that much composure in my teens. Actually, that much composure now full-stop, wouldn't be a bad thing. I bet we see you back next year, Lucie.

Mike Douglas and the wonderfully effervescent DD (MNMs Deed Ream Believer) stepped up. I was looking forward to this one, I confess I have a huge soft spot for Lurcher/Saluki types and constant, bubbling undercurrent of potential scatty sessions in the ring. You're never convinced you're in complete control of this type of dog, forever hanging onto it's coat tails and handling to avert disaster. They run like roller coasters without the brakes. Magic.

Well Mike and DD did the business and put in a storming round, looking far more confident that the morning session. I was wishing them well and it was looking good until a missed down on the see-saw at 15 earned them five faults. A finishing time of 30.29 seconds proved it was indeed a fast and furious round which, bar those toes on that contact (or not,) would otherwise have been enough to have put them in touch with the leaders.

Third from the end was Laura Derrett with Fish (Silvertips Fly Catcher.) This partnership which had run so flawlessly this morning - another handler with crystal clear body language - produced an uncharacteristically disappointing round collecting fives on the downs of both A-frame and see-saw. With a finish time of 29.20 seconds, we had proof at last that the course could be run comfortably sub-30 and the challenge had been issued for the last two to run.

Sub 30? Brad Moyler could do that. With an explosive sprint start and a look of fierce determination on his face, he and Saffi launched themselves onto the course at top speed, doing 0 – 60 in no seconds at all.  Brad got in all the right places at all the right times, Saffi hit all the contacts 'just so' and they simply flew. The crowd went wild. My ears drums caved in for the fourth night in succession and the tension was unbearable. Brad and Saffi finished in a flat out-sprint that continued right over the last obstacle and almost finished down the exit tunnel, blown along by the roar of the crowd. What a storming round, you won't see better stuff in terms of sheer quality and tension, anywhere else in the world. Clear in 28.67 seconds and the lead stolen from under the nose Leah.

It was an unenviable task to ask of anybody, but if beating Brad was going to be done, Sarah Stokoe was your girl. With the fastest contacts EVER and Jinx a powerful dog to boot, there was mighty fine chance that if they could replicate their mornings performance, they just might. It would all just be a mater of whose nerves held out the longest. Nerves? What nerves? Mine were in tatters and I wasn't even running.

Sarah composed herself, left Jinx in a recall and set off with a beautiful out-run. They stormed the A-frame at 4, got a gorgeously fast contact and then to a gasp from the crowd, took pole 5 off. In one simple action it was all done and dusted. Nothing could beat Brad and Saffi now, whatever the time. It didn't matter that pole 6 fell too, in preparation for the collapsible at 6 – the damage had been done. Sarah and Jinx came home in our third sub-30 time of 29.72 but with ten faults, the game was all over; the crowd belonged to King Brad.

I had not met Brad prior to this competition. I'd heard a lot about him, but never met. Following this event, I'm still not sure I've met him properly, he was in a complete daze! But I got the distinct impression that this year's Novice title has gone to a Really Nice Chap who, on the merits of that run alone, genuinely deserves the victory and will cherish the memory for a life-time.

My sincere congratulations to all the competitors for their successes in a well-fought competition run with true sportsmanship. But most of all, for having dogs, talents and star quality above the norm. It's been a heck of an Olympia.

I've had four very eye-opening days, backstage. Armed with the exclusive silver wrist-band and a press-pass, I've seen sides of Olympia that as a regular visitor I've never encountered. I've watched events upstairs alongside the TV crews and commentators. I've peered (with the longing of a hungry pauper) into the back of the members boxes with their lavish food and bottles of champagne, watched the maintenance men fixing the scenery backstage, the catering folk wheeling clattering hospital-trolleys of food to and from the kitchens, seen the changes of costume for staff between afternoon and evening formal wear, met the TV presenters, drunk wine with the newspaper sports reporters, clambered over miles of TV cables as thick as sleeping pythons, got uncomfortably close to some very large, powerful and galloping horses, heard a lot of foreign swear words, ducked clouds of heavy, lingering cigar smoke, commuted over 400 miles, hailed eight black taxis and staggered round late-night London with an over-weight laptop. Of course it was worth it, why would anybody think otherwise?!

My congrats, as already stated, to the competitors. My admiration to the team who run this for us – Dave Ray and Co (Mary, Ann, Gwyn, Rob, Alan, Liz, John, Jackie, Kate, Dave et al) who run this particular show under significant pressure for five days on the trot. (Fancy five days of your own personal pre-Christmas run-up blown apart? No, I thought not!) My unbounded praise and admiration for the skill, composure and ability of judge Andy Hudson, and his wife Nancy. My appreciation to the sponsors who generously support the finest in UK agility, without them none of this would happen – Pedigree, The Kennel Club and Olympia the hosts.

To return to my original statement; in agility terms there is nothing on earth like Olympia – truly there isn't. Tickets for Olympia 2007 go on sale in August. Queue behind me.

About the author...
Heather Noddle has been involved in agility for 18 years, running a variety of dogs including crossbreeds and collies. She is an Agility Club Approved Judge and Instructor, a KC approved Judge and Championship Judge.

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