SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



the old Goodwood territory. The master carries 

 the horn. 



The Wooddale. Established in 1900, have 

 quickly developed into one of the smartest packs 

 in England, and have established a great reputa- 

 tion. They consist of 16 couples of 15 in. Stud 

 Book Beagles, are kennelled at Wooddale, Billings- 

 hurst, and hunt an excellent country, part of it 

 occupied formerly by the Storrington Beagles. 

 In 1902 they took over the country between 

 Arundel and Worthing, previously hunted by the 

 South Coast Harriers. The master, Mr. Ewen 

 C. R. GofF, of Wooddale, is his own huntsman and 

 kills a large number of hares during the season. 

 He receives a subscription and is well supported. 



OTTER HUNTING 



Otter hunting, under modern conditions, is of 

 quite recent growth in Sussex. The only pack 

 at present existing in the county is Crowhurst, 



established in 1903, with kennels at Edenbridge. 

 The pack, which consists of 15 couples, is 

 supported by subscription, but the hounds are 

 the property of Mrs. Walter Cheeseman, who 

 lends them to the hunt. The first master 

 was Mr. H. K. Mantell. For two seasons 

 Mrs. Cheeseman officiated in that capacity, with 

 Mr. S. W. Varndell (now master) as acting 

 master and huntsman, Fred Theobald being 

 kennel huntsman. The Crowhurst hunt two 

 days a week, usually on Wednesday and Saturday. 

 The rivers hunted lie in Kent as well as Sussex, 

 and include the Rother in east and west Sussex, 

 the Cuckmere, Ouse, Adur, Arun, Medway, 

 Eden, Darenth, Stour, Rover, Rudwell, and 

 various tributaries. Although these rivers are 

 hardly to be compared for hunting purposes with 

 the clearer streams of the west of England, 

 Wales, and the North Country, the sport shown 

 has, on the whole, been very good. Otters are 

 plentiful and the pack is extremely popular with 

 the inhabitants of the districts hunted. 



COURSING 



A great portion of the county is well adapted 

 for coursing, although much of the land is agri- 

 cultural, and the going somewhat heavy. Many 

 greyhounds are now kept in the county, more 

 particularly in the neighbourhoods of Brighton, 

 Worthing, Bognor, Lewes, &c., and the most 

 flourishing of the clubs is the Sussex County, 

 organized in March, 1899, and affiliated to the 

 National Coursing Club. Some years before 

 this, and previous to the passing of the Ground 

 Game Act in 1880, meetings were held in the 

 neighbourhood of Ford, Arundel, and Little- 

 hampton, being supported principally by local 

 coursers. When the club was originally estab- 

 lished membership was open only to residents in 

 the county ; but in 1905 the privilege was 

 extended to' coursers residing in the adjoining 

 counties of Surrey, Kent, and Hants. The 

 first president was Mr. H. J. Infield, J.P. of 

 Brighton, who held office until 1906. At the 

 present time Mr. W. H. Smith, of Walton-on- 

 Thames, is president, and Captain A. B. S. 

 Fraser is deputy president. The head quarters 

 of the club is at the William IV Hotel, Church 

 Street, Brighton, and the honorary secretary, to 

 whom the writer is indebted for the above infor- 

 mation, is Mr. W. M. Tebbs. There are now 

 about 200 members, and the meetings average 

 about twelve in the season, aggregating about 

 sixteen days. 



The coursing takes place either at Ford and 

 Climping, or at Barnham, all being within a 

 short distance of Littlehampton and Arundel. 

 The ground is all flat and open ; hares are 

 always found in abundance, thanks to the owners 



and occupiers of the soil, who do all in their 

 power to preserve them, and forward the interest 

 of the sport. The hares are famed for their 

 stoutness. 



Owing to the absence of any covert or wood 

 which would enable the coursed hares to escape, 

 some of the trials were very severe ; the exe- 

 cutive have therefore made several 'escapes' 

 where the hares may find safety from the grey- 

 hounds after a course sufficiently long for a legiti- 

 mate trial. The coursing at Ford and Climping 

 is by permission of Messrs. C. H. Boniface, 

 J. Loveys, A. Collyer, I. and R. Coote, and 

 John and Walter Langmead ; at Ford the owners 

 or occupiers over whose land sport is enjoyed are 

 Messrs. Joseph Harrison, A. E. Woodbridge, 

 C. F. Lanaway, R. Sadler, and W. Harrison. 



In 1877, about three years before the passing 

 of the Ground Game Act which brought about 

 the abandonment of so many meetings owing to 

 the scarcity of hares, Mr. T. K. Case organized 

 the Plumpton meeting on the inclosed system, 1 



1 For an ' inclosed ' meeting in the early morning 

 the hares which have been kept on the 150 or 200 

 acres of the inclosure and taught to find safety through 

 the escape are driven into a small covert at the lower 

 end of the ground. When the coursing begins they 

 are driven out one at a time through a trap door : 

 the hare faces a screen which conceals the slipper, and 

 having been given plenty of law, the greyhounds are 

 slipped : as often as not the hare eludes her pursuers 

 at the top of the ground, the escape being so con- 

 structed that she can run underneath the fence which 

 is too high for the greyhounds to jump. This must 

 not be confused with trapped hare coursing, which is 



453 



