MATCHING GREEN, 1 887 1 45 



Lee, Follett, and Longbourne voted the 30 minutes from Curtis Mill Green 

 to ground in the Navestock Coverts, on Monday, February 7th, about the 

 best thirty minutes they had had that season. Evidently they were of the 

 very lucky few who got away well with hounds. After killing a Gaynes 

 Park fox near Coopersale House (Miss Archer Houblon's), on Saturday, 

 February igth, and running a Lower Forest fox towards Parndon and 

 back to Weald Coppice, Mr. George Hart found us a fox in the open in one 

 of his fields, which gave us a capital forty-five minutes before being run 

 into near Beachetts, one hound securing him, Mr. Harry Sworder eventually 

 taking the fox from the hounds. 



If Matching Green of '87 did not afford us much excitement in the way 

 of sport, neither will it stamp itself on our memories by any regrettable 

 incidents. The county was well represented by its youth, beauty, and 

 fashion ; Prince Francis of Teck, who was staying with the Ibbetsons, 

 being amongst the number. Would there had been more of our best fv lends, 

 the fanneys, to swell the numbers. Most of those present had their photo- 

 graphs taken, some of them several times. None looked smarter than 

 Mr. Arkwright on his grey, and may his pink coat be our beacon in many 

 a good run this and seasons to come. 



A good steady trot brought us to Norwood, and a good steady rain 

 found us ringing its changes with a faint-hearted cub — forgive the word — 

 that gave the field little fun, but the field master a good deal of work, and 

 Mr. Porter Matthews' wheat something more than a rolling, before the cub 

 got to ground. If it had not been out of consideration for the wheat that 

 cub would be witnessing in the shape of his head and tail to the prowess 

 and hard riding of some fair equestrian and bold centaur, but Mr. Green 

 wisely decided that the field should move on to Brick Kilns. 



From it a fox considerately took us to Man Wood in lengthening line 

 and by handy road ; and so to Matching Green. Leaving it on the right, 

 hounds ran well over the grass towards High Laver, Mr. Sworder, on his 

 young un', well to the front, and Mr. Bevan and Mr. Crosse making light 

 of timber strong and bull-finch blind. Passing close by the Leather Bottle, 

 hounds were brought to their noses, soon reaching Brick Kilns, where 

 ended quite a nice little run. Man Wood held a brace of Home Rulers, 

 who occupied hounds and huntsman for the rest of the day — a very wet 

 one. 



A Bye Day. — Lucky were the few, considerably under 50, who got 

 wind of the news that Monday's fixture would hold good for Tuesday, 

 Nov. 22, weather permitting. Weather did permit. What we did in the 

 early morning matters not. Scent was bad, but had slightly improved 

 when at ten minutes to two a great slashing dog fox left Latton Park in 

 the direction of Parndon, swinging along in that leisurely catch-me-if-you- 

 can sort of fashion, as much as to say, " No scent to-day." 



But hounds were at his brush, and feathered out his first twist through 

 a narrow belt of young trees two fields from the covert ; across a wheat 

 field they carried the cold line to another plantation, and reaching the grass 

 they raced over Rye Hill Common. A wide ditch off the common had to 

 be negotiated by one and all, through Mr. Clark's farm, another cold bit 

 of plough, and Parndon woods were reached ; straight through the first 

 to the accompaniment of lovely music we entered the second. No band of 

 Indians on the war trail were ever more eager to reach their foes than that 

 thin narrow line of scarlet and black were to thread Parndon woods. 



As we regained the open hounds were already skimming across the 

 clover field which separated us from the last of the three woods. Taking 

 the line right to the far side, they were soon over the road on to Mr. Ralph 

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