Sherwin claims European gold, while Tawney picks up a bronze

Tawney, Sherwin, her husband Alan and their son Jonathan were part of a 30-strong Great Britain team which claimed seven medals from the championships.

Elaine did superbly with her new dog Daphne. a working pointer, coming away with gold in the Masters I category.

She held a comfortable lead after the first day’s 3k course, which skirted a lake and included a very muddy hill.

Conditions became even tougher on day two as heavy overnight rain made the 6k course even muddier than the short course.

However, Elaine finished more than two minutes clear of her nearest rival to claim first place overall.

Tawney was first in the Masters II after the opening day but the puddles and mud proved far too tempting for her brother’s dog Norton on the second day, with the duo slipping back to third, just 0.16 sec off silver and 13 seconds off gold in the tightest finish of all the classes.

Jonathan finished fourth in the school category while Alan was 22nd in the Male Masters II.

Elaine Sherwin was also part of the Great Britain relay team which finished fourth.