THE MELBOURNE HALL RUN. 237 



Curiously enough comparisons have been made between the 

 Warwickshire and Melbourne Hall runs, and the latter has 

 been put down as second best. In the interesting History of 

 the IVarivickshire Hunt, we read, ' Major Chambers adds 

 that after the great run with the York and Ainsty of 

 December 23rd, 1893, he rode up to Mr. Lycett Green, 

 congratulating him, and remarking that it was the finest run 

 that he or anyone else out that clay had ever seen, and that 

 he is bound to say that though Mr. Green hunted the hounds 

 himself and killed his fox handsomely in the open, his reply 

 was at once, " The second best ; that run we talked of with 

 the Warwickshire was a greater run." ' 



Mr. Lycett Green has probably modified his opinion on 

 the subject since then, and there can be no doubt, if the 

 two runs are compared, that the York and Ainsty run comes 

 out first. To begin with, the Poolfield Osiers run, which 

 was at top pace and over a fine country, lasted two hours and 

 twenty minutes, so it was a longer run than the Melbourne 

 run by thirty-five minutes ; but there was a check of 

 quite a quarter of an hour in it, it was something of a ring, 

 and the line was intersected once and nearly touched a 

 second time. Then, undoubtedly, the Warwickshire changed 

 foxes once, if not oftener, and therefore it may be looked 

 upon as two runs. With the York and Ainsty there was no 

 change, for an hour hounds ran straight on end, making a 

 ten-mile point ; then they turned, and ran another five-mile 

 point. They only once touched a covert, and though they 

 certainly did check, the checks were only nominal. Then 

 they ran straight into their fox instead of dropping upon him 

 after a long check, as the Warwickshire did ; and taken on 

 the whole it would be safe to say that a better fox never 

 stood before hounds than the ' old customer ' that Will Gray 

 viewed that dull December morning, and that, even in sporting 

 Yorkshire, a better run was never seen. 

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