SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



picturesque Selham water-mill. Good roach, 

 carp, and pike frequent the water, and in the 

 straight stretch by the old lock gudgeon give 

 sport, being utilized as live bait. Fittleworth is 

 a favourite angling station. Trout and coarse fish 

 are taken in this reach. 



The streams in West Sussex are numerous, 

 are all strictly preserved and well stocked, notably 

 the canal on the Stanstead estate, from which 

 trout up to 4 Ib. are taken. A pool above Stan- 

 stead in a few hours' trouting produced 1 1^ brace 

 of from fib. to 3 Ib., taken by the writer principally 

 with Black Palmer, and on netting the pool later 

 on ninety brace were taken out and transferred 

 to other water. The streams from Stanstead 

 run through Emsworth to Chichester Harbour. 

 Pike of over 20 Ib. have been taken from a 

 small lake on the estate. 



During the close season Chichester Harbour is 

 a favourite resort of anglers, and can be fished in 

 many places from the bank, but in some parts a 

 boat is necessary. Heavy fish are taken with 

 rod and line, on hand lines, and bass up to 14 Ib. 

 are killed. Bass come all up the water ; soft crab 

 or rag worm are favourite baits. The ' school 

 bass,' as they are termed, can be taken the season 

 round, but the heavier fish come up later in the 

 year. Mullet are taken at Pilsea piles, cod and 

 pollock at harbour's mouth or Pilsea piles, plaice 

 and dabs at harbour's mouth and Stocker sands. 



For conger eels the upper Pilsea piles are a 

 favourite spot. Smelt visit the harbour in 

 myriads, and in a warm April or May give ex- 

 cellent sport to anglers using ragworm as bait, 

 as many as 15 dozen having been taken per 

 rod per tide. Herrings are caught at Appledram 

 sluice in February and March. For flounders 

 and eels the best water is the Chichester branch 

 of the canal from Bird-ham to Dell Quay. In 

 the summer months the harbour's mouth is noted 

 for mackerel. Sea trout and salmon ascend the 

 water, but are usually netted. Salmon computed 

 at 2O Ib. have been seen leaping between Dell 

 Quay and Appledram sluice. Whiting and pout 

 are taken at the mouth of the harbour and at Pil- 

 sea, and turbot, soles, and skate by long lining 

 in Bracklesham Bay. For fresh- and salt-water 

 fishing in close proximity Chichester canal and 

 harbour are considered the best waters in the 

 county. 



On the coast a bass of over 16 Ib. was caught 

 at Beachy Head in September, 1906, and one 

 of 13 Ib. 8 oz. at Newhaven ; another of 

 13 Ib. 7 oz. at the Royal Crescent Groyne, 

 Brighton, and one of 10 Ib. from Brighton 

 beach. A cod of I 7 Ib. was taken off Brighton 

 with a long line, a conger eel weighing 37 Ib. 

 was killed off Eastbourne, also a skate of 66 Ib. 

 A turbot ot 8 Ib. I oz. off Hastings may be 

 added to the list of fair takes by sea anglers. 



CRICKET 



The earliest allusion to an important cricket 

 match in the county appears to be in 1730, when 

 a game at Lewes between sides organized by the 

 second Duke of Richmond and Sir William Gage 

 was abandoned owing to the illness of Way- 

 mark. The earliest recorded meetings between 

 Kent and Sussex, in 1734 and 1735, were due to 

 the efforts of Sir William Gage. In the former 

 match Kent was victorious ; next year Sussex, 

 having won at Lewes, lost at Sevenoaks. 

 Richard Newland was the chief bat, and the 

 earliest of the really celebrated cricketers of 

 Sussex. 1 He and his two brothers played for 

 England v. Kent on the Artillery Ground in July, 

 1745. On the same field then the head 

 quarters of cricket in 1847, the Maids of 

 Charlton and Singleton twice met the Maids of 

 Westdean and Chilgrove, one of the earliest in- 

 stances of a ladies' cricket match. 



In 1752 Surrey beat Sussex at Longdown by 

 80 runs. Sixteen years later, the third Duke of 

 Richmond captained Sussex against the historic 

 Hambledon Club, losing by seven wickets. John 

 Small had ' above four score notches in this match 



and was not out when the game was finished.' 

 The return match was a victory for the shire, 

 and the duke won ' near a thousand pounds 

 beside.' The residence of the Prince of Wales 

 at Brighton proved a boon to Sussex cricket. 

 He was a great patron of the game, and it is 

 stated that ' He was esteemed a very excellent 

 player, with great condescension and affability.' 

 The prince snowed his interest in the game by 

 presenting the town, in 1791, with the cricket 

 ground subsequently known as Ireland's Garden. 

 One of the earliest matches there played was 

 between Middlesex and Brighton. W. Fennex 

 made 90 for the visitors, who won by 21 runs, 

 J. Hammond with 50 being chief scorer for the 

 home side. Next year Brighton beat Maryle- 

 bone by three wickets, and won the supple- 

 mentary match 3 by an innings and 44 runs, 

 whilst the town defeated Middlesex by five 

 wickets. One match between Middlesex and 

 Brighton, begun in September 1792, was 

 finished in May 1793. In July of the same 

 year a combined eleven of Surrey and Sussex 

 defeated England by an innings and 277 runs, 



1 He subsequently became a surgeon in Chichester, * Sir John Shelley, Hon. H. Fitzroy, and Lord 



and died at Bath in 1791. Winchilsea were among the players. 



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