SOME ENGLISH COURSING CLUBS 189 



' I take this opportunity of expressing the hope that all the 

 members will co-operate as far as possible towards success in the 

 Challenge Stakes by promoting the entry of the best greyhounds 

 that the^ club possesses. This can only be done by comparing 

 notes as to the results of trials and by trials between the kennels 

 of those members who are neighbours. If this view is adopted, I 

 hope I may receive by-and-by from the members reports of the 

 opinion they entertain of the form of their kennels, and of the 

 trials on which the opinion is founded. If information can thus 

 be brought together, it will not, 1 think, be difficult (without inter- 

 fering with the rights of any gentleman who holds a nomination) 

 to make arrangements, by common consent, which will ensure (at 

 any rate pretty nearly) the representation of the club in the three 

 Challenge Stakes by the greyhounds most likely to do it credit. 

 ' Yours faithfully, 



'T. D. Hornby, Hon. Sec. 

 'July 25, 1864. 



Of course between this time and the date of the meeting many 

 details had to be adjusted, both as to competitors, quarters, &c. ; 

 but at last all was arranged, and the meeting began on October 17, 

 the draw for the three Challenge Stakes having- taken place on the 

 Saturday after dinner, at which Mr. Hornby, Mr. B. H. Jones, Mr. 

 Randell, and Mr. Brocklebank repi-esented the interests of the club. 



At the close of the first day it was found that the club were 

 winners of eleven courses out of sixteen in the Bitch Puppy Stake, 

 nine in the Dog Puppy Stake, and eleven in the All-Aged. This 

 was a great triumph for the club, and it is satisfactory to note from 

 the comments on the day in the ' Calendar ' that ' the members 

 mustered in great force on the downs and bore their honours with 

 a proper amount of modesty.' After the dinner in the evening the 

 Open Stakes were drawn, and it was found that in the five stakes 

 208 different dogs had been engaged, probably a larger number 

 than had ever been brought together at a meeting before. 



At the dinner on the evening of the second day's running a 

 discussion took place as to guarding, and I give the comments upon 

 the subject as given in the ' Calendar' : — 'Some httle discussion 

 took place among the subscribers as to the method to be adopted in 

 drawing up the pairs in the Challenge Stakes, for which both sides 

 were guarded ; but fortunately Mr. Randell had seen the necessity 

 of providing against the chance of any dispute like that which 

 occurred at Ashdown some years ago, and had set down his ideas 



