A large number of people turned up in the traditional fancy dress for the meet before Xmas which was, unbelievably, our first official meet of the season.

After an overnight frost it was a sunny day with a cold wind and the going was good, but care had to be taken in the woods. Hounds were laid on just below the farm and hunted really well down to the River Rother where they turned left back up to the pair orchard. Jumping past Moat Farm they entered Iden Wood. Having done a large circuit of the wood, hounds left close to where they entered and caught their quarry in the pond at Moat Farm. All hounds were on, but a few puppies took a while to negotiate the woods.

The second hunt went through the orchards crossing Rectory Lane into Brabands Wood and straight up the other side, leaving the field toiling in their wake. They crossed the road into the orchards catching the quarry near Readers Lane. The last hunt of the day was back through the apple orchards, crossing the road behind the Pack House. Here our quarry Chris Wheeler, the son in law of our host James Ramus, got lost in the orchards but eventually found his way across the lane. Hounds caught him in the pond behind Baron's Grange.

Great jumping day for the horses and the hounds worked really well.