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Saturday 5th March –

Moota.

Pups.

1 Silver Dusk 2 Margaret Rose 3 Telstar 4 Step Up 5 Hunter’s Sparkle 6 Overwater Hally. 31 Ran Time 8.55.

Seniors.

1 Tan Ted 2 Issabella 3 Prudence 4 Cartier 5 Sambuca 6 Sunset Ridge. 26 Ran Time 7.36.

All-in.

1 Olivia 2 Trooper Thorn 3 Keystone. 23 Ran Time 8.00.

Sire- Dam pups.

1 Prancer- Silver Dollar 2 Westgate Kyza- Rose 3 Prancer- Silver Dollar 4 Prancer- Silver Dollar 5 Westgate Kyza -Quiet Swallow. 6 Huntsman’s Hope – Nellie Kim.

low Place,

Pups.1 Miterdale Copper 2 Miterdale Rusty 3 Canny Mover 4 Kinniside Nell 5 General James. 6 Kinniside Bess. 10 ran Time 13.33.

Seniors 1 Daisy Dream 2 Serenity 3 Capetown 4 Miterdale Prim 5 Miterdale Proper 6 Glory. 21 Ran Time 12.47.

Sire – Dam pups. 1 Endeavour- Jenny’s Pride 2 Try Again- Beyoncé 3 Endeavour- Jenny’s Pride 4 Musgrove Quietly- This is it ( Ireland) 5 Try Again – Beyoncé) 6 Musgrove Quietly- This is it.

 

Championship fixtures for 2016.

MARCH ;

Sat 26th Bower House  H.P OM AI  4.20 . 5.30.6.00.

Sun 27th Kirkbride        H P AI        11.00

Mon 28th Bower House H P ONW OR  4.20. 5.35. 6.05 .6.35.

Thurs 31st Kirkbride     H P AI  5.0

APRIL:

Sat 2nd Bower House H.P .OM OR . 4.20 5.35.6.05 . 6.35.

Sun 3rd Kirkbride         H  P OM AI   11.00.

Wed 6th Kirkbride        H P AI    5.30.

Thurs 7th Grange- In – Borrowdale H P OM AI 5.00

Sat 9th Bower House  H P OM OR. 1.20 2.35 .3.05. 3 35.

Sun 10th Oulton         H P OM ONW  2.00

Thurs 14th Oulton       H P OM          6.00

Sat 16th   Low Place  H M P OR V .   1.30

Sun 17th Helton.

Tues 19th Lazonby.

 

Wed 20th Low Place   H P OM            6.00

Thurs 21st  Oulton       H P OM           6.00

Sat 23rd Kendal.

Sun 24th Helton.

Tues 26th Oulton         H P OM            6.00

Wed 27th Low Place    H P OR            6.00

Thurs 28th Oulton        H P OM           6.00

Sat    30th   Cold Fell   H P OM OR       1.00

Fixtures 2016

MARCH

 

Sat 19th Kirkbride    2,00. NB change of Date.

Kirkland      1.30

Sun 20th.

Plumpton   2.00

Coniston      2.30.

Mon 21st  Moota  5 30.

Kirkland 5.00

Wed 23rd Kirkbride  5.00

Coming Up

Carlisle @ Penrith Area Presentation Evening.

Saturday 12th March 2016

Penrith Cricket Club 7.30.

Buffet and Sweet. Tickets £8 from 01228 712025.

Maddison Entertainment.

A Tale from the Eighties.

A Doggerel penned in the eighties about a hound and his owner  written anonymously.

Well the hound in question was called Black Gold, the owner was our former chair Kenneth Roy Laidler (full title) and the author —— ME!

This is a story of a hound named Kip

Who used to have trouble getting the trip

In Running ,his name was Black Gold

And so a stormy tale doth unfold.

 

Early in the season they’re off and running

All bar one – the son of a gun-

Maybe it’s because he likes being a loner-

But look ! -it’s just been  passed by it’s owner.

 

He had to be taught to cross some becks

So he was held by a string tied to his neck

Terry, looked, and said with a frown.

‘With a bit of luck, perhaps he might drown’

 

But ,at last he got going and thought he ‘d licked it.

Slipped in ‘t pups , finished last int’  restricted.

 

Now he took up the challenge at Cunswick Fell

and for half the race he ran very well,

But by nine o’clock he still hadn’t shown

And had gone off the Nab all alone.

 

Walkie talkie in hand, his owner took flight

Away down the finish and out of sight.

Snap,crackle,and pop,the peace was shattered,

‘ He’s behind a yat I think he’s knackered’

 

Then he was invited to channel 4

And was lined up with a half dozen more,

But he dug in his heels, He wouldn’t go,

Would you run for nowt in a T.V show.

 

Next stop was Whicham, for Batty’s trail,

Clipped him out from head to tail.

Led onto the finish!  A chance of fame!

Ran off! and went round again.

 

Then went to Sawrey for a  puppy maiden

It was so wet the hounds were wading

All over the field a cheer was heard,

The big black dog had finished third

On the owners face was a look of glee

He’d had a pound at fives without three.

 

.

His last chance for the winter’s beer

Was a non-winners trail at Grasmere

But we all knew he was not that fast

Because he finished next to last.

 

Now we come to the end of our tale

And this hound is not for sale

His owner persevered to the end,

For the sake of man’s best friend

Really, I think he deserves a medal;

‘Cos he did get three tickets at  – Longsleddale..

.

 

Ambassadors of hound trailing 1968.

The Ambassadors of hound trailing was the name given to the members who went to the first ever Irish International trail meeting at Cloyne, a round trip of a 1000 miles , Carlisle to Stranraer, Larne, and Cork.

English hounds take the honours at Cloyne was the headline in the ‘news’.

English hounds take the honours at Ireland’s first -ever International drag hunt Which was held at Cloyne in County Cork.

In the main event, the Guinness senior hound trail four of the six places , went to the hound trailing association.

The winner was Mr M Porter’s bitch Shamrock, who returned the remarkably fast time of 26 minutes 44 seconds for the tough ten mile course. She had several seconds lead over Meg, the entry of Mr J Lenihan, Kerry Pike. Another Cork hound Pincers, Mr J Mahoney’s , Northern Hunt finished fifth.

The winners time was one of the fastest recorded at a draghunt in Ireland and is all the more commendable in view of the toughness of the course, English hounds ,as a rule, are not accustomed to Irish ditches and hedges and the course carefully chosen by the Cloyne and Carrigshane Harrier Club included a plentiful supply of ditches. On that score alone it was thought that the advantage would lie with the Irish hounds, but the English hounds surprised everyone, except their owners , with their amazing turn of speed.

In the second event , the Harp Lager Maidens, English hounds again dominated winning the event and taking third ,fourth, fifth, and sixth places.

The staging of the event was mainly due to the efforts of Mr Albie Murphy, secretary of Cork City and County Harriers association.

Yesterday’s event attracted a large crowd.  Mr Frank Quinlan was judge and was assisted by Mr Jim Casson.

Seniors 1 Shamrock 2 Meg 3 Jackpot 4 Snowdrop 5 Pincers 6 Ballerina. 36 ran Time 26 44

Maidens 1 Tyneside 2 Sporter 3 Happy Collector 4 Signal Queen 5 Castella  6 Cool Comely.60 ran Time 27. 14

Observation from a neutral: The hedges had holes cut in them to assist the hounds, on reflection , as one supporter remarked after the English success , ‘ We wont be cutting holes next time .

And as for the winner , ably assisted by Jimmy Glaister, Bill Porter, Bill Jackson and ‘Boy’ Jackson, went to Ireland under their own steam a couple of days earlier.

In their own words , ‘ to get accustomed to the surroundings’ which in plain English meant, we’ve had a ‘gallop’ up the finish.

90 years young ‘ A Grasmere Lad’

This weekend we celebrate the 90th birthday of the ‘rat catcher’ as he was affectionately called as his job was pest control officer for south Lakeland, Ken Bunting , Grasmere born and bred, lived in the same house all his life. life member of the HTA and permanent fixture for the RAOB ( order of buffaloes) will this weekend reach a milestone – 90 years young and still looking after his allotment , scouting the fell for the Grasmere trails. He might be hard of hearing but with a shock of white hair looks years younger–the secret, who knows?
For years he promoted Grasmere sports and was the official timekeeper with a splendid stopwatch which only he could decipher.
His love of gardening culminates in bag of green beans on my doorstep each autumn.
His other passion is trailing . a life member, an executive member,35 years on the area Committee.
Hounds with the moniker ‘Birk’ ,owned by messrs Bunting and Brownrigg were common in the seventies and he has also had a long association with Pat and Jane Laidler, and Denis Peare.
Uncle Ken as Jane refers has been a postman, and was in the Royal Navy , the question was asked did his job have anything to do with the flags of the navy, why ? ‘Bunting”ouch’!
90 year old and still walking up the path towards the ‘pig snout’ to watch the hounds, mobile phone in pocket. We resorted to using a radio and it was a common sound on the Grasmere trail field to here ‘ come in Ken, are you receiving , no reply , why? he couldn’t hear it and it is no different with the phone . As Ken says this phone is useless , cant hear a ‘bloody thing’ as it rang deep down in his mac pocket.
In his younger days along with his schoolmates, the late Tommy Graves and Ike Dixon; he played football for Grasmere, the pitch being the Grasmere sports field.
His sister Joy keeps a watchful eye on Ken , making sure he doesn’t drink to much Guinness and has a regular meal.
He still gets about in his beloved car but would rather have a lift , the car being a regular on the 591 roadside as he hails a passing ‘taxi’ to either the trails or the meetings.
That is just a small summary of ‘Bunts’ life which will be celebrated at the ‘Buffs’ club Grasmere on Sunday Afternoon.
Happy Birthday Ken from all hound trailers , friends and family and – only ten more to the telegram.

Kendal Trails Points Winners.

Kendal trails points winners 2015.
Seniors Open /Local R/ W Dawson’s Razzle Dazzle.
Juniors Open N/L Brown’s M Watson’s Persian Bay.
Local J/V Simpson’s Venus.
Open Restricted N Wilson’s Highness / R/W Dawson’s Mrs Mcgregor.

1964 and all that.

At last weeks AGM, there was a slight murmur of derision when I suggested that I didn’t think hound trailers would deliberately run their hounds in trails which they were either not entered or qualified.
So , I delved into the past to see what went on in years gone by and this is an extract from the ‘Whitehaven’ from 1964.
” There was a rare old row at Millom last Saturday when Mr Newall’s Brigadier, backed down to favourite, failed to appear at the start. Punters immediately clamoured for a return of their bets, but the bookmakers were reluctant to put their hands into their bags, for they claimed that the hound was under starter’s orders.
The Ulverston area held an inquiry on June 19th.
The recent incident at Millom which resulted in Mr T Newall’s Hensingham hound Brigadier, being suspended by the Ulverston area Committee for failing to line up at the start, has served a useful purpose in pinpointing the failing of rule 65 which lays down that hounds come under starter’s orders 15 minutes before the start of the trail.
At their meeting on last Friday the Ulverston area accepted the explanation from put forward by Mr Newall and his trainer Mr McCarron, to the effect that Brigadier had been taken to a wrong starting point, the trainer being unaware that the slip had been changed from the previous year. Consequently the ban on Brigadier was lifted , but the Committee could take no action with regard to the bets placed on Brigadier which had been backed off the boards.
Sherlock has been reviewing the case but after 52 years the trail has gone cold, not enough oil!

AGM HTA Sunday 31st January.

The AGM of the Hound Trailing Association took part on Sunday 31st January 2016. John Barry Laidler was re-elected as Chair to serve for another three years.
After a minutes silence to remember past members the chair invited 111 members to the meeting and after the minutes and accountants report on the balance sheet, the trophies were presented ,by the new honorary member Norma Reay, to the various winners.
The only rule change that was up for discussion was dismissed when it didn’t adhere to rule 29.2.
In any other business the issue of swearing was addressed and also the lack of advertising and the lack of support for the youth forum on the future of hound trailing.
All these issues will be discussed at the next committee meeting.

A Tale Or Two about Trail layers.

La’al Billy Teasdale,frae Caldbeck was as great a favourite among hound trailers as he is with regular patrons of Grasmere sports. After winning the fell race at Grasmere on Thursday he ran one end of the senior and maiden trails at Caldbeck on Friday. One admirer said he could run both trails himself. ‘Give him five minutes start and he would beat the hounds themselves ‘.
That was an extract from the ‘news ‘ from 1961.
Billy was a legend , but not infallible. One night, on his beloved Caldbeck fells, he was due to lay the senior trail and as usual made his way to the split which was marked with a stick, it was a real pea souper of a night and much to everyones dismay the trailers got lost.
On being asked ‘what went wrong’ Billy replied , ‘ lost! ‘ we couldn’t even find the bloody stick.’
Another legend was Tommy Graves frae Ambleside ,who , as wanted by the sports and show Committee, had to lay the trail exactly to time , not a minute early or a minute late.
And for years Tommy’s timing was ‘spot on’.
How ! it was asked does he, after walking two hours or more in all types of conditions, manage to get it right every year.
The answer was clear when he was spotted sitting behind the last wall, drawing on his pipe, waiting for the exact moment to jump over the wall and continue down the finish right on time. They even sang a song about him.
That’s a just a couple of tales – there is a tale about a trailer who was that slow the hounds caught up with him. I’ve no idea who it could have been, perhaps it was just a magical story about a cragsman.

Looking ahead.

looking forward to the season ahead as the Area Committees get together in February for their first meetings of the year.
And on the agenda is the venues for the major meetings of the season, the sooner we know where they are the more publicity and hound people and the visiting public can make early arrangements.
To be confirmed are :
May Day Trails Monday May 2nd
Dog produce Cockermouth / Workington Sat 11th June
International Trail Saturday 25th June
Bitch Produce Ulverston Area Saturday July 2nd.
Association Trails Saturday August 6th.

New innovation for the coming season.
Where possible the itinerary of the bookmakers will be published on the website.

It’s a small world.

A change this week due to the fact that on Thursday I met a man and his wife . a Mr and Mrs Murphy, who live in Swarthmoor, formerly from the Ambleside and Hawkeshead area.
It transpired that we were related through our Grandparents, who came from little Langdale. Also Norman had been ,in his younger days, a keen follower of hound trailing and he remembers the days of ‘Perivale’ and Black Diamond, Sunset and ‘Bouncer’ or George’ Brantwood’ Brownlee to be correct. Also the long forgotten days of the ‘White Heather Club’ who met once a year at Hawkeshead Show in the Sun Inn and got ‘well oiled’.
The members included local farmer George Brass, Jimmy Beatty.Jackie Laidler, Laal Gus, Big Jim, Oliver Webb Colin from Manchester, a major from down south uncle Tom Cobbley and all.
Quite a number sat around the table largely because the drink was free.
And it was on record that the winner of the trail one year slept under the table before running, completely oblivious to the proceedings , its name – ‘Double Life’.
Norman told the tale of watching a certain hound being exercised around Hawkeshead , apparently waiting for an opportunity to ‘nip’ down the finish, Allegedly.
Norman now lives in ‘Swattie’ two doors from Wendy Martin’s Mum, Betty.
Mentioning Hawkeshead Show brought back memories one of which was under the heading of ‘ a funny thing happened on the way to the show’.
Travelling at high speed , about 20 mph, along the road between Clappersgate and Outgate , in ‘Sarah’ an ancient Bedford van, dad driving ,Gus navigating, Jim grumbling, Billy Braithwaite, an assortment of young ‘uns bunking off school.
When! there was a bang , followed by a scraping sound, followed by the driver saying ‘look ! there is a wheel rolling down the road, ‘Where the bloody hell as that come from’!
Then a shout from the rear of the ‘bus’ the bloody back wheel has dropped off’ Which was now gathering momentum and heading on it’s own towards Hawkeshead.
Then a sing along ‘Three wheels on my wagon and I’m just rolling along’. Happy Days- ‘Fire Away ‘ finished fourth , well that is 8/4d towards a new back axle- got a lift home with Jim Beattie , who would have given Stirling Moss a run for his money, mind you, this was after an all day session.
And as for Jim and Gus , on being asked on arriving home, ‘What won the trails? answered’ its Tuesday’!
Actually the Senior winner was ‘ Brantwood ‘ I wonder who owned that? (see above)