18811 GREAT RUN FROM SHIRLEY PARK. 55 



The following account appeared in the Field : — 



On Tuesday, January 4th, these hounds met at Shirley Park. A dull sky, 

 with a south to south-westerly wind, gave us every hopes of a scent, and a 

 scent we had, such as does not often happen. By a mistake on the part of his 

 groom, your correspondent's horses were taken to a wrong point, which lost him 

 tliree or four precious minutes, and though in any case — as even the flyers of the 

 Hunt admitted, that the Meynell dog pack were for once too fast for them — he 

 would probably have soon been left behind, yet, as much as he writes is on the 

 authority of others, if any other pen held by one who did see it sends you an 

 account of this fine rim, by all means give it the preference. One of the most 

 extraordinary features of the run was, that those who were left behind in Shirley 

 Park found, on getting out of the covert, that all was blank, all had disappeared ; 

 there was no long-dragging line of rough horses and ponies, but everything had 

 gone, and left no trace behind it. How far is the point from Shirley Park to 

 Foston cross roads, the Ordnance maps will decide. Some laid it at seven and 

 a half miles, and some at ten, but if we say eight we shall not be far from the 

 mark. It was then just 11.30 when Charles Leedham's cheery halloa brought his 

 dog pack on the line of this gallant fox. They raced him from Shirley Park by 

 Rodsley, on for Longford, right through Longford Car, by Alkmonton Bottoms to 

 Bentley, and here a fox, apparently a draggled one, was seen pointing back for 

 Longford, but hoimds and huntsman race on, heedless of a halloa from the 

 Master of the Dove Valley Harriers.* On they go, but not into Bentley Car, by 

 Middleton Park ; from this point they went almost to Boylestone, pointing for 

 Barton, running on within five or six fields of Sapperton. They raced across 

 this fine grass country, and leaving Church Broughton to the left, they threw up 

 their heads at Foston cross roads. I have called it eight miles from point to 

 point, and it was certainly between eleven and twelve as hounds ran. It was 

 done in fifty-three minutes, without the huntsman casting his hounds, or even 

 helping them, from find to finish ; and when I add it was over the cream of the 

 Derbyshire grass country, I have, I think, fairly described a run which is seldom 

 equalled, never surpassed. It is dangerous to say who saw it, so many think 

 they see every run as well or better than their neighbours ; but all admit that 

 Lord Petersham, Messrs. Bird, B. H. Buxton, J. and C. Gumming, T. Kempson, 

 Broadley Smith, Bond,t and the huntsman (who went well throughout), were 

 well in it, and from Longford, Lord Waterpark, Messrs. Meynell, Walter Boden, 

 A. Col vile, and others. Knowing hands were close in attendance, and should 

 I have missed any name, the satisfaction they must have had in being tliere will 

 more than compensate them for the omissions of 



Needwood. 



Diary continued :- 



After the above run drew Sapperton, Potter's, and a small covert at Bentley 

 blank. Found at Cubley ; the fox ran two fields and turned short back and laid 

 down in the covert, where we left him. It was evidently a fox that had been 

 hunted in the morning and got stiff. 



* Mr. F. Cotton. 



t Old Jack Bond, a famous roughrider, well known with the Meynell — the 

 Dick Christian " of the Hunt. 



