Crufts 2020 flyball: Who was victorious this year?
Which team came out on top in the Crufts 2020 flyball competition?
Which team came out on top in the Crufts 2020 flyball competition?
Held during the Crufts 2020 festival of events, which also included the British Open Agility and Agility Championships, along with the all-important dog show and the fan-favorite rescue dog agility, the action was fast and furious at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, England.
Due to the invitational nature of the Crufts 2020 flyball tournament, 16 teams representing both the British Flyball Association and the UK Flyball League took part.
Calling the action were soccer announcers Jim Rosenthal and Graham Partridge; new tweaks this year included a lowering of the hurdles from 10 inches to nine inches and a widening of the lane at the turn to three mats wide to provide better traction.
[Want to learn more about how the dog sport of flyball works? Check out our explanatory guide here.]
Thursday Quarterfinals
The Crufts 2020 flyball tournament began with Thursday’s quarterfinals, which saw Northlincs take on Phoenix in the first matchup. Though Phoenix won the first heat, Northlincs advanced after taking the second and third heats in the best-of-three contest.
Next up were the Northants Hurricanes against the Watsons, with the force of the Hurricanes too much to handle as they advanced in straight heats.
The third quarterfinal race of the day saw the Killie Flyers’ Ultimutz team take on the Perthshire Streamlinerz. After the Ultimutz won the first heat, the Streamlinerz knotted it up in the second, with the Ultimutz advancing after winning the third heat.
The final quarterfinal race was the messiest of all on a day filled with mistakes and faults, as Carry On’s Reborn took on the reigning champions in Aces High.
Aces High won the first heat, with Carry On’s Reborn taking the second. The third featured two reruns after several jumps disintegrated in mid-flight, though when everything finally held up the Aces flew onward.
The remaining races of the day were for seeding purposes in the semifinals, as Northlincs won in straight heats over the Northants Hurricanes, the Killie Flyers’ Ultimutz rallied to defeat Aces High in three, Aces High then won in straight heats over the Hurricanes thanks to early-entrance faults, and then the Ultimutz were Thursday’s champs after winning against Northlincs in two heats.
Friday Quarterfinals
In the Friday quarterfinals of the Crufts 2020 flyball tournament, the action began with the Fenland Firestorm taking on the Karmandos (pronounced “commandos” in a British accent). The Karmandos topped the Firestorm in two straight.
Next saw the Brigg Muttley Crew face off against the Nuneaton Titans, the most storied team in Crufts flyball history as the only club to win three straight titles. The Muttley Crew took the race in back-to-back heats.
Next saw Focus, co-holders of the fastest time ever run at Crufts (15..2 seconds) go against Cambridgeshire, one of the more successful clubs in the UK. Focus won in two heats.
The final quarterfinal matchup saw the underdog family-run Four Paws Racing against the mighty Warrington Wizzards, the Crufts 2018 flyball champions. Rather than the bowling-style polo shirts other teams wore, the members of Four Paws simply wore matching T-shirts, which was cool to see. However, the Wizzards rocketed away to victory in two straight heats.
In general, Friday’s racing was much cleaner than Thursdays.
In the seeding races that followed, the Karmandos defeated the Brigg Muttley Crew in three after dropping the first heat, the Warrington Wizzards took advantage of Focus’ dropped balls to win in two heats, the Muttley Crew then shut out Focus and the Karmandos were the Friday champions after toppling the Karmandos.
Saturday Semifinals
On Saturday the tension was ratcheted up considerably in the semifinals, as the Karmandos defeated the Northants Hurricanes in two heats to kick off the action.
The Brigg Muttley Crew then easily dispatched Northlincs in only two heats.
In the only semifinal race to go the distance, between the two most recent champions, Aces High took the first heat, matched by the Warrington Wizzards in the second, with the third going to the Aces.
The final semifinal race saw Focus escape the previous day’s retrieval issues to defeat the Killie Flyers’ Ultimutz in straight heats.
In the seeding races that followed, the Karmandos won in two over the Brigg Muttley Crew, Aces High won a three-heat battle with Focus after the initial third heat had so many faults on both sides that the judge just gave up and had the teams re-run it, and then the Aces became Saturday’s champions after winning in three against the Karmandos.
The top two teams from the Young Kennel Club flyball tournament were also honored on Saturday, the runners-up being the Brigg Mini Muttleys and the Scottish Junior Dog Club Bravehearts winning that title.
Sunday Finals
Sunday’s finals saw the tension accelerated even more, as the Karmandos defeated Aces High in three heats after dropping the first, Focus overcoming their ball-control issues to drop the Brigg Muttley Crew in straight heats, and then in the championship final Focus won in three over the Karmandos.
Congratulations to Crufts 2020 flyball champions Focus, who consist of the humans Mark Allerman, Craig and team captain Lee Ann Burroughs, Kim Gillespie, Jenny Lee, Gary and Rachel Meinecke and Amy Rutherford, and the dogs Kenny, Mouse, Onyx, Panic, Rebel and Roscoe, about half of whom seem to be Whippets.
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