National Championship
The National Championship was first organized
and run near West Point, Mississippi in 1896. Later, the
competition was conducted on field trial grounds south of Grand
Junction, Tennessee; near Rogers Springs, Tennessee; and
finally, the Ames Plantation, north of Grand Junction and
LaGrange, Tennessee. The National found a permanent home on the
Ames Plantation in 1915 and each running since has been on the
"hallowed" field trial grounds set in place by Hobart Ames, long
time President and Judge of the National Championship. Details
of the history of this prestigious event have been chronicled in
a book by William F. Brown and Nash Buckingham entitled,
National Field Trial Champions (copyrighted, 1955, The Stackpole
Company, Harrisburg, PA), updated by William F. Brown's book,
National Field Trial Champions 1956-66 (copyrighted, 1966, by A.
S. Barnes and Co., Inc., South Brunswick, NJ). Another reference
is Fields of Glory, Volume One 1874-1930, by Everett Skehan
(copyright 2001, by The American Field Publishing Company,
Chicago, IL) Click here for a listing of winners (1966 - 2008).
Running on some 6,000 acres of Ames Plantation is now conducted
each year beginning on the second or third Monday in February
with a usual entry of about 36 English Pointers and /or English
Setters, winners or placers in 70 qualifying trials throughout
the U.S. and Canada, competing. To be ideally executed, this
event requires good populations of bobwhite quail in an all-age
field trial habitat. Several thousand field trial enthusiast
from all over the world attend the event each year. Brace by
brace synopses of this event are available at this web site a
few hours after each individual brace is completed.