SOME ENGLISH COURSING CLUBS 223 



delightfully sound and springy, and after running on such stuff 

 dogs naturally recover much more quickly than on really hard 

 ground. 



SLEAFORD CLUB 



The club which has been recently formed in connection 

 with the Sleaford Open Coursing Meetings is hardly more 

 than- a year old, and has, as yet, done little to establish its 

 claims to be reckoned as of first-class importance amongst 

 coursing institutions. The sport, however, with which it is 

 associated is so good that I imagine there should be a great 

 future before the meetings, and in the face of the support 

 accorded them during the last few seasons, I feel tempted to 

 put on record (for the benefit of those who do not know) what 

 manner of coursing Sleaford provides. 



At present, all the stakes are offered to members of the club 

 first, and after they (the members) have taken what nominations 

 they require, the balance is submitted to the public. Whether 

 in the future the club or the outsiders will play the chief 

 part it is impossible to say just now, but about the quality of 

 the sport there is 'no possible probable shadow of doubt 

 whatever ' ; and, given good management and a strong com- 

 mittee, I see no cause why Sleaford should not take high 

 rank amongst the hybrid associations which seem to suit 

 the coursing public of to-day better than really enclosed clubs 

 where no one but members can run greyhounds. 



Public coursing at Sleaford is only about half-a-dozen years 

 old, but Lincolnshire has always been a great greyhound 

 county, and when several old fixtures, such as Brigg, dis- 

 appeared [by the way, Brigg has been resuscitated again as an 

 open meeting], it was only natural that new ground should be 

 sought for. This was forthcoming on the Marquis of Bristol's 

 estate at Sleaford, and as the shooting was, and is, mostly in 

 the hands of the tenants, that sporting body are mainly 

 responsible for the new departure. Mr. Fred Ward of Quar- 

 rington has in particular bestirred himself in the matter, and I 



