SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



The Crinoline Picture Stakes was run at the 

 Southport meeting in December i860, and won 

 by Mr. Peacock's Penrith, and the Challenge 

 Cup at the Southport meeting in December 

 1 861, when Mr. Spink's Sea Pink won. What 

 the end of these prizes has been we can- 

 not say : unfortunately all the documents and 

 books belonging to the club went astray or 

 were destroyed when the secretaryship of the 

 club passed from Mr. Bake to Mr. Percival. 

 From 1863 onwards we find such owners and 

 their dogs as Campbell and Coodaveena, Blan- 

 shard and Boanerges, Johnston and Fieldfare, 

 Brundrit and Barlochaw, Legh and Lobelia, 

 Brocklebank and Brigade, Jones Snd Jolly Greer, 

 Lord Binning and Bendimere, Briggs and 

 Blarney, Carruthers and Contango, Anderton 

 and Amity, Jardine and Mentor, Brisco and 

 Ben-y-lair, Stone and Skittles, Pilkington and 

 Penelope II., Russel and Restorer, Jones and 

 Jolly Colleen, Col. North and Troughend, 

 Fletcher and Fine Sport at the finish of good 

 stakes ; and during the last fifteen years the 

 Messrs. Fawcett have made their ■ mark at 

 Lytham even more strongly than at Altcar. So 

 much of the later coursing must be fresh in 

 the minds of all that we need scarcely continue 

 to show in detail how the Ridgway Club has 

 for years run — so to speak — alongside of the 

 Altcar, and does so to-day. 



The only inclosed coursing this county has 

 indulged in was at Haydock Park. This took 

 place over the ground on which the Ridgway 

 Club held their meeting in 1832. Just fifty years 

 later we find Alec Halliday, the property of Mr. 

 G. J. Alexander, a member of both Altcar and 

 Ridgway Clubs, winning the Haydock Park 

 Cup, and repeating the process in the following 

 year ; and we meet with great greyhounds such 

 as Greentick, Gay City and Delvin, Herschel 

 and Huic Halloa, Simonian and Young Fuller- 

 ton at the end of the principal stakes run for 

 during the time such coursing lasted. Though 

 of the best of its kind genuine coursers never 

 really took to the sport afforded, and doubtless 

 most owners preferred coursing in the open as 

 giving any kind of dog some chance. Anyhow, 

 inclosed coursing has entirely gone out at Hay- 

 dock Park, as, with one or two exceptions, at 

 other places of the same kind. Few sportsmen 

 will be found to regret its disappearance. In- 

 closure coursing may be very well for trials, 

 a meeting for puppies early in the season or a 

 meeting for fast bad dogs at the end of the 

 season ; but as a help towards the maintenance 

 or improvement of the breed of greyhounds and 

 the sport of coursing it is of little use. Per- 

 haps the only excuse for its trial may have been 

 the idea that it might take the place of meetings 

 abandoned or given up in consequence of the 

 Ground Game Act. 



In the year 1840 there seems to have been a 



South Lancashire club holding five meetings, in- 

 cluding one at Chatsworth which was abandoned 

 on account of snow. This club in 1842 again had 

 five meetings : at Chatsworth, Southport, Fleet- 

 wood on Wyre, Southport, and Broughton near 

 Skipton. This appears to indicate that the club had 

 invitations to course in counties other than its own. • 

 Coursing was very general in the Southport and 

 Lytham districts, and meetings such as the Game- 

 keepers' Day with the Publicans' Puppy Cup are 

 found taking place at Southport in December, 

 1842, and after many meetings at Lytham in the 

 1844—5 season the last one in March is called 

 the Lytham Finisher. As far back as 1838 great 

 stakes were run for at Southport, and it is written 

 of a dog called Sultan, a winner of the All Eng- 

 land Stakes of 178 dogs at Southport in that year, 

 after running for the Gold Snuff Box for 8 runners 

 at Tarleton in December 1842 — 



Sultan won his course but was found dead. By 

 running so extremely well in his old age that fine gal- 

 lant old dog was thought sure to win the Gold 

 SnufF Box ; but in his second course for it, which he 

 ran in superior style, he was so exhausted by the 

 length and severity of it, that he was found dead by 

 his owner and a friend who first got to him ; yet in 

 his last gasp of breath, when he could not kill the hare 

 by his grips he secured her by laying his fore foot or 

 feet upon her and in that state was found dead — nobly 

 doing his duty to the last moment. 



Reference to coursing at Southport reminds us 

 of the Scarisbrick Cups of 128 dogs, run in 

 former times under the auspices of Mr. Stocker, 

 and later of Mr. Pont, who was lessee of the 

 shooting. Of course, such a programme was 

 all against getting the running on the best 

 ground, and many a long tramp was necessary 

 to complete it. Nevertheless, among the com- 

 petitors were to be found many of the best 

 greyhounds of the day, the best of all over the 

 ground being, perhaps, the famous Bab-at-the- 

 Bowster. 



Probably the South Lancashire coursing meet- 

 ings of to-day, held at Southport, are second to 

 none. Excellent ground, good management 

 and the best of hares are provided, and if the 

 dogs are good enough, sport is assured. In 

 the season 1847-8 we find a large but curious 

 programme at the Lytham Spring Champion meet- 

 ing, viz., three cups for 48 dogs each, a Veteran 

 Stakes for 16, a cup for 16 and two Sapling 

 Stakes, one for 4 and the other for 3. The 

 Liverpool Union Club comes on the scene in the 

 1848-9 season, holding some half dozen meetings 

 a year, the majority at Ince Blundell. Since the 

 days of this club there have been very pleasant 

 meetings at Ince Blundell with a suitable pro- 

 gramme, as there have also been over Lord Derby's 

 Bickerstaffe estate. Many other meetings might 

 be named, and we need only add that their success 

 has been due to the support derived from Liver- 

 pool and Manchester gentlemen, who seem to 



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