LOWER VALLEY COURSING ATCH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1706, 9 June 1884, Page 2

LOWER VALLEY COURSING ATCH.

By Our Special.

We.left Masterton by;the early train on Monday raomiiig _ arid' got'; ont -at Greytown, where a coach was waiting for :uij,;.'■ Getting on -board.we started foKWailiehga, the greyhounds running after .the,coach to' warm, themselves. We-reached-the Martinborongh hotel before upon, where the rest of the party from. Featherston joined us. After a capital dinner, which did credit to Host Orr we proceeded on our journey ,dowu,the.Valley, the pro- . cession consisting of Macara's .coach, a . trap.'dog cart, and buggy. By the time we reached Ihe Turaugaiiui Paver near the Wangamoana station it was getting dark, and as none .of the party knew the ; road between' the river and the ferry we were rather in il fix, Fortunately a gentleman on' horseback overtook us andpiloted us safely to the Lower Ferry. Hotel;'through numberless slip rails aud; gates.": This hotel is an unpretending structure' containing some; half dozen rooms, and for four days it was bur head quarters, I might almost say our close quarters, for from four to five of ns were; billeted in,a single bedroom, beneath the shingles... HobtCroot .was, a capital providore,' itridiiirnished his table well. Judging from his charges he understands his business; they ;were about 100 per cohtliigfeUhah 'the customary scale in Masterton, After a good night's rest we' roused up at daybreak oii. Tuesday • morning, fed dogs and horses,"-had-our own breakfast and started'.-out ■ : for our day's 'sport. About a quarter of a mile from tlio hotel "Stiff" and "Phantom" were' put in the slips; and we tried a big turnip-field near the lake without success,... Passing. on to. the next paddock we fou nd our first hare! Mr John Macara : slipped' the -.dogs;' "Phantom" falling into a gully, and the other .dog losing the hare- in some rushes. The dogs were again coupled, and a couple of hundred yards further " Floss," Mr John Macara's .spaniel, who acted throughout the coursing as " heater," put up another hare put of a drain; The slip was a short one, "Phantom" hi a moment was on the hare and turned it. " Stiff" then took possession and made several points among the' rushes. The course was an unsatisfactory one and was decided in favor of «Stiff.' l " "Darkey" and " Piiiby" were next put into the slips, but :hve travelled a long way up the river before meeting with a hare. At last.in a paddock a hare was boat up out of the rushes, Brunskill's "Ruby" did all the work, turning the hare several times, and eventually losing it m the rushes, in the same .paddock, Chamberlain's "Bluelighl" and Campbell's "Nero" met. This was a very nice course, " Nero" turning the hare repeatedly, and eventually kiliinglt, After this course we could get no more haves, and returned to the hotel, a distance of about four miles, reaching it about six o'clock. After a good wash all round, we sat down to dinner, and did ample justice to the good things provided. The rest of the evening/was. spent harmoniously. ;' 'On Wednesday morning we.left the hotel at'B.-30, drove to Pirinoa, and commenced beating in one of Mr McDougal ! s paddocks, a large party of Lower Valley residents, including many ladies, joining us in the course of the day, Elkins' "Count" and Hill's .'.'.Oliquot" were put in the slips, and before long a hare broke away and ran to the top of a hill, but.was turned back by some horsemen. Mr Jas. Macara, who held the slips, ran across the field, and managed to secure a long slip- The hare ran straight through a wire fence, at which '' Cliquot" fouled. " Count" cleared the obstacle, led up to the hare,, aud scored enough to secure him the course. Mason's "Smoke" then ran a bye with Jno.. Macara's " Victor,," no'work being done, Then John Macara's "Bob" and Jas. Macara,s-"Lion" were slipped at a splendid;hare:' "Bob" took the hare, and worked it beautifully, not allowing the other; dog to score for a good while. After about two miles had been run, the hare beat the dogs and got away,' The next course,.in which Chamberlain's "Steam" beat Hill's " Sautorrie," was a very short one.. "Steam"- was -then - .-coupled-- with Brunskill's "Stiff." This was also a short course, and in favor of " Steam." CampbollV " Nei'o was then slipped 'with Brunskill's." Ruby," the former dog having-the hare all to himself. The last:- course on Wednesday was between Mason's "Smoke""and Elkins'- " Duchess." Neither of the dogs scored,: but " Smoke" got the verdict of the Judge -in his favorr ■ '" On Thursday we gave Mr Hume's paddock,; at Tauanai, a turn, '" Bob" and "Count";beihg first in the slips Befc-re longali'are wag. put up, and the dogs were slipped,' '.'Bob" getting first; to. the hare ri and doing, all the scoring/ Then.camei''Sfceam;' , 'and ''Nero,"' wliogo't' a Tiarb lit the same' paddock, This was''..ji.'.'gqocl' course. " Steam" proving too much for-"Nero." We then 'made tracks again for Pirinoa, where we were not long-in again finding a pussy, for "Bob" and "Smoke." "Bob "took the. hare clean away, and killed the biggest hare seen throughout the course.-: It was then arranged between ■' Messrs' Oliambcrlain • and Macara that.;;" Steam ' !'"arid "Bob" should ruiijthc cup off,on the following morning. .

Perry's" Guess"-and Elkins'" Lucy" were then, "slipped for the Puppy Stakes,—''.Guess" winning a short coursei - Then Elkins' "Prince" and 'Campbell's'"'Flirt" were coupled, and after "Prince",had,taken a couple of wrenches out'of "a ■hare the latter disappeared in the scrub.^.: ■ ' On Friday morning we started to settle "the. Clip "on the Wahgambana : hills,. ; We commenced.beating a grove near the pah, arid a hare broke some way off, but'fauiri the direction of the slipper. The slip,was a rather long brie, '.' Bob." getting- away first. In crossing a gully '(Steam "• ran up, but :'• Bob" „still forged aheacl. "Bob" was first at |lie'l}are,.ahd;niade f). dash to pick her upland jn doing so fell head over heels ; aga|hst fr-iW'ii'e-.fenc'e. The hare; turned and ran alongside the, fence, '■ Steam." taking up the running; arid wrerichirig ; iertw6 or tbli'ee titties.

" Bob" was knocked stupid by his fall, and when lie got tip'ran wild. The hare got through tho fence and back into the grove from which she was put up, The Jiulgo awarded the cup'to "Steam,"' Cheers were then given for the winner \of the cup—Mr Chamberlain—and. for Mr Jno. Macara, the runner up.'

The next dogs to go in the slips were Jno, Macaw's" Victor" and O'Connor's "Nell" for the Puppy Stakes. "Victor" after being slipped, made the running, and turned the hare repeatedly. At last puss eluded him in some ti-trie.. The bitch sighted the hare in the-tijtrie and turned her, it was said, two or three times. The Judge gave the course in favor of'; Nell," opinions being very much divided as to which dog. was entitled to the award, Then Blue Light and "Smoke"' were slipped to "one of the best courses-of the match. Chamberlain's dog had it all his own way, killing the hare,. "Blue Light" and ; " JSTell" tW met.- This was a short course," Blue Light" doing all the work and "Nell"killing. The Judge, gave the course to "Blue Light.!' Terry's "Guess" and Elkins' "Prince" .'■ followed, and were slipped at • a long range. The Judge decided jthis to be no course. A good hare was got in "another gully-and a fair slipjobtained. "Guess"led up to tlie hare,-and good work was done'by both dogs,:" Prince" apparently being'the faster.' : The verdict was ; given in tavor of j" Guess," The deciding- course between " Guess" and " Blue Light" could not be ran, for after travelling from two o'olock to five a hare could not be obtained; so Perry and Chamberlain agreed to divide the first and second prizes,

This terminated the coursing, T. E. Chamberlain winning the Cup value £1.5, with Steam, John Macara taking £lO asrunner up, with Bob, and the Puppy Stakes £6 and £i : being divided by Messrs Chamberlain and Perry. ■ I omitted to state that on the first day Elkins'■(' Duches?" beat Campbell's '.' Flirt" over a long course. • On Friday evening we packed up our belongings, oiled our.trap's, and made all ready for an early start. On Saturday at 8 a.m. we left; the Lake. Perry homeward'bound,'" During our stay at the Ferry wo witnessed the opening of the lake, Nearly twenty men were engaged in digging a trench, assisted by horses and scoops. After three or four days labor a small fl'dw or water- several chains' wide and three or four inches deep was obtained which was considered suffcient to accomplish the end in view.