Also over Christmas hounds met with Mr and Mrs Rupert Sweeting (OR) at Chetwode Manor and the Boxing Day meet was held at Sands Farm, Shellingford with a field of over 25. After Christmas hounds continued to hunt well with a notably good day from Pidnell Farm, Thrupp (Dr Richard Bolter OR) where hounds found at 14.00 and did not stop hunting (through the flooded Thames river meadows) until it became too dark to see at 16.50. Over Lent Leave Away hounds were taken to Leicestershire by kind permission of the Oakley Foot Beagles to stay and hunt with Mr and Mrs Chatfeild-Roberts (Tom and Harry Chatfeild-Roberts, A) for the first day and at Belvoir Castle for the second. Since the 1st February hounds have been meeting three days a week and on 15th March we had a joint meet with the Oakley Foot Beagles at the Devil’s Punchbowl, Letcombe Basset,
which was very successful with the joint pack hunting well in tricky scenting conditions. The closing meet is on 19th March and will be followed by a dinner in Hall to celebrate the RCB’s 75th Season; as I write over 100 former masters and whips are due to attend. Over the summer, the puppy show will be held on 5th June and hounds will hopefully show at the South of England Hound Show, Wales and Border Counties Hound Show, and at Peterborough Festival of Hunting.
that Simon achieves. I would also like to thank all the boys who have been helping at kennels and out hunting this season; particularly my Joint Master, Harry Ross, and the first and second whips William Pockney (‘H) and Freddie Thackray (‘A’) who have worked incredibly well this season. My congratulations to Freddie Thackray on his appointment as Joint Master for next season: I look forward to working with him. A Clifton-Brown, a
Finally, I would like to thank our Kennel Huntsman Simon Timbrell for all the hard work he puts in in kennels making sure that a top class pack of hounds can be produced to hunt three days a week (over 50 days this season) and finding enough meets in our increasingly urbanised country – this is a challenge that few could complete to the high standards
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
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