Secretary Bob Gilling was thrilled with the enthusiasm from Sunday’s AGM of the Greyhound Breeders Forum at Towcester.

He said: “There were several new faces; we welcomed to the committee breeder John Marriott and his assistant Monica Adams, Mark Siddall from Kinsley, Jim Hayton who bred the ‘Lowgate’ litter of the year and Stuart Forsdyke, the ‘Aero’ man.

“David Quinn, son of Pat, chairman Pat has also agreed to take a more hands-on role, particularly on the technology side.

“There was a great discussion and plenty of new ideas. One of the main bones of contention was the failure of tracks to allow breeders to school pups.

“Tracks vary quite considerable. When I was at Reading, Martyn Dore could not have tried harder to be accommodation, but not all tracks are so enthusiastic.

“I would also like to thank Towcester for their hospitality and they laid on a box for us. It is a great location for future meetings. It was my first visit and I was hugely impressed by the facilities.”