Baron's Grange
April 7th, 2002

Hounds met at Baron's Grange by kind permission of the Ramus family. They were laid on into the Ram's Field where Bill, whip for the day, while making sure the hounds started directly on line, managed to fall off in the first hundred yards when his horse stopped in the middle of the field!

Hounds jumped out the top of the field into the orchard, where they missed a turn and cast round in the trees before picking up the line into the rape field, which was in full flower. Here the hounds hunted the tram lines and then, crossing Readers Lane, they hunted more slowly on the corn field down to the river which the quarry had swum in grand style, to be followed by the whole pack in full cry - filmed by the BBC crew which had come back to top up their film having been rained off at Folkington.

Crossing the river bank on to the corn fields, where the corn was about nine inches high, the hounds hunted really well, running parallel to the field galloping along the river bank. They then came to two large fields that were being power harrowed and totally lost the line. It was really dry and with the cold north wind it was really surprising there was any scent at all. The huntsman dismounted and cast the hounds on foot across the dusty desert, but they could not pick the line up until they reached the dykes where the quarry had left the field. They then fairly raced along the side of the river bank to catch their quarry at Black Wall Ridge.

Unfortunately at this point Carson Holmes retired hurt after a fall earlier in the season was still causing him problems with his shoulder, much to his disappointment.

For the second hunt the hounds were laid on on the south side of the River Rother. Once on the line the hounds hunted along the top of the river bank, but unfortunately Bodger, a young hound, missed the break and held the field while they tried to get him to follow. In the end he had to be picked up in the hound van. Meanwhile the pack were really flying as they crossed over the river bank and out into the corn field, with the huntsman on his own treated to some spectacular hunting. They crossed back into Barons Grange, swimming a really large dyke through the Black Ditch where the quarry had got stuck in the mud earlier. They then crossed into Pear Orchard before hunting round the tram lines of the rape field, circling Moat Farm to take their quarry, who were up a tree in the middle of the pond behind the farm buildings. A really good fast hunt with some brilliant hound work.

The third hunt saw hounds laid on behind the farm buildings and they hunted through the orchards, crossing the lane twice behind the Pack House, over Readers Lane before entering more orchards to catch their quarry in the Rams Fields just below the Calendar Hedge, where unfortunately our host's wife, Joy, took a nasty tumble - fortunately both horse and rider were okay. Another notable casualty was a visitor, Sue Sibbering, whose horse stopped at a hurdle and she slipped out the side, falling on the hurdle and totally demolishing it, much to everyone's amusement. Angela, who was driving the hound van, on leaving the field managed to encounter a gate post, taking half the paint off the side of our smart hound van!

For the fourth and last hunt the hounds were laid on out of the Rams Field through the little wood across The Double and swinging through the orchards and across the Iden Road. They hunted straight through the middle of the ewes and lambs and on into Brabands Wood, crossing the road to catch their quarry early just short of Iden Wood. The quarry were then given an extra ten minutes law before hounds were laid on into the orchards behind The Moat. They hunted through the orchards and across the lane by the Pack House into the pear orchards, which were in full flower and looked and smelt amazing, to take the hedges behind Barons Grange, the hounds tasking their quarry in the stream below the farm.

Hounds had to work hard on the new corn and grass fields and, with the cold northerly wind and sun, it was amazing there was any scent at all. Quarry for the day were Chris and Adrian.