Cheshire Foxhounds
P.O. Box 528,
Unionville, Pennsylvania 19375-0528
Established 1912.
Recognized 1913.

Hounds Return To Rolling Plains

On Dec. 15, huntsman Ivan Dowling and whippers-in Niall Molloy and Paddy Neilson brought hounds to Webb’s Woods on a rather cold morning with a storm in the forecast. This day, from the kennels, a year ago, was an outstanding day; today was an even better one.

Everyone was looking forward to drawing Rolling Plains for the first time in 15 seasons. After a short hunt in Webb’s, hounds came across Mill Road to draw along the south edge of Rolling Plains. A nice fox was found along the Wollaston Road side.

He ran north of the house to cross Mill Road into Webb’s. He quickly came back into the farm with hounds driving him hard in an easterly direction toward the development at Willowdale, but hounds had to be stopped as they were headed out of the country. For some, it brought back wonderful memories of hunting there.

Hounds were next cast into Mrs. Bird’s, and the fox that everyone had been waiting for was there. Charlie ran from the brambles on the east side of the property north through Mr. Brown’s to cross Rt. 842 headed toward Hays’. He swung left into the Sibbett field, where the line was momentarily lost as hounds were too far to the south.

Cuyler Walker saw the fox crossing Bruce Davidson’s dressage arena, running in the direction of the Upland covert. Once hounds found him again, in that wood, they spoke with a unanimous roar.

They raced through that covert to cross Newark Rd. just below Mr. Wylie’s, running parallel with Rt. 842. Just beyond the Stone Barn, they crossed Rt. 842 into Mr. Weymouth’s, then into Mr. Moran’s and north through the London Grove Swamp.

Bearing a little to the west, they crossed Rt. 926 just above Plumsted Farm, where the staff had their second horses waiting. Hounds drove this fox into the Stroud’s big wood. He continued south, coming to the Stroud Water Research buildings before turning slightly to the west to cross E. London Grove Rd.

In full cry, hounds raced across the hay fields of Mr. Grafton’s into his meadow and once again crossed E. London Grove Rd., now into Mr. Martin’s paddocks and through Mr. Dixon Stroud’s woods into the field in back of Mr. Sheppard’s racetrack.

This fox ran in a clockwise direction around the track, through the farmyard into Mr. and Mrs. LaMotte’s paddock, and crossed Lamborntown Rd., where he then quickly turned north to cross Rt. 926. The hounds poured down the corn stubble in full cry, driving the fox into Percy Pearce’s, toward Pointer’s Hill and right onto Mr. and Mrs. Ledyard’s lawn, heading for Mr. Weymouth’s.

This forced the field to jump one of the bigger fences on the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup course on very tired horses. The fox continued onto the Hunt Cup field, where hounds were stopped and this gallant fox was given best. He was later seen crossing Newark Rd., making his way back to the find.

This was more than a 4-mile point and more than 11 miles as hounds ran, in 1 hour and 55 minutes with one short check early on. Dowling’s second horse was the well-known steeplechase horse With Anticipation, who carried him on the fastest part of the day.
   
Mr. Romford, as told to Lucy Glitters