Back to One of two 9th Lancers albums of photos and sketches `Records of the Gujerat Cup for Pig-Sticking' c1885-1932
Photographs
Item 0018
Purchase a copy
Image details
| Accession number | 912L : 2090/23 |
|---|---|
| Transcription |
THE GUZERAT CUP , 1893 . ( FROM A COFRESPONDENT . ) The Camp was again pitched at Amliala upon the same ground as last year , but upon the ties being drawn after dinner on Friday , the 17th of March , a terrible falling off in the starters had taken place , and there were only nine com petitors for the Oup and six for the Salmon Cup . We missed , for more reasons than one , the well known faces of such old habitues as Colonel Hancock , Mr. Younghusband , Mr. Waddington , and Mr. White , and , indeed , throughout the meet the want of a " head " was sadly felt . It is almost impossible for these pleasant meets to be a success unless some member of the Ahmedabad Hunt can sacrifice himself on the altar of other people's plea sure , and " run the show . " Without him , the Shika ree Lala is careless , the police almost useless , and the beaters listless . Had it not been for the Morvi camels and sowars who were there , it is very doubt ful whether we should ever have got a pig out at all . The crops this year are unusually high and abun dant , and no doubt that had a good deal to do with the difficulty to find pig . The weather through out was charming , and the nights positively cold . We had two lady visitors in camp , one of whom rode throughout from morning to night , and had it not been for the rules , would have run in the Point - to - Point , which had to be abandoned for want of a quorum of five starters . In the first chances for the Guzerat Cup the heats were : -- Rana of Dholpur ... 1 Mr. Gould ... " Ashby ... ) Mr. Stack ... Sims ... 2 Ur . Bull ...... Capt , Preston ... Indebir Singh .. Mr. Burder ... ) Rana of Dholpur ..... Capt . Preston ........ indebir Singh The second chances were abandoned owing to the difficulty to find pig . In the Salmun Cup the heats were : Mr. Alexander 11 3 Burder Stack ........... On the first day Saroda was beaten in the morn ing without success , and Amliala in the afternoon , but no heat was got off . On the second day Sajh was the meet , and several pigs were secu . No. 2 beat got off after a small pig , which after a smart bit of work was speared by Dr. Bull on Maid of Honor . ****** No. 3 got off after a nice young boar , and Burder , by jumping a hedge a bit quicker than the others , got on it , and speared on Billey . On the third day Chitrasar was tried , and No. 2 pony heat was got off after a small pig who attempted to cross the river . Stack was quickly on him 10 the water and speared well , falling head over heels in the river at the same Alexander also came to grief in the moment . same way , and was last seen pursuing his hat down stream , Captain Ashby not having turned up , No. 1 heat of the Gazerat Cup , consisting of the Rana of Dholpur and Mr. Gould , were again out all day . but could not get their heat of though two or was three good boars were seen . Mr. Gould obliged to leave the following day , so scratched in the evening , giving the Raua a walk over . On the fourth day new ground was tried at Jeykri about 12 miles off and some five milea beyond Dubkar . No. 1 Pony heat was started after a small pig , which was first ridden by Indebir Singh , then by Preston , and then again by Indebir Singh , who nursed it for some time , and twice at least we thought had speared , but eventually Dholpur got in and took the spear . A very long afternoon was spent in an utterly useless heat across country to Dubkar without a sign of anything nearer a pig than a head of buck and some chinka and camp reached about 9 p.m. On the 5th day Sajh was again tried , and the final of the Salmon Uup between the Rana and Stack got off . They started after a good boar , who took them across the river into the jow , where 2 Stack's pony , when close on the pig , unfortunately fell , and let in the Rana who speared , breaking his spear in his hand . The Rana thus became the winner of the Cup , which now consists of a beauti ful silver model of a boar on an ebony stand . The committee are to be congratulated on obtain ing such a perfect model , and are well repaid for the trouble they have taken to do so . On the 6th day the final of the Guzerat Cup was run off at Amliala , the Rana of Dholpur riding most of the day on a waler , but finishing up in the final run on his Arab Sarang , Dr. Bull on Corinthian , and Mr. Burder on Billey . The heat was started in the morning after a very good boar , but unfor tunately he had not been given quite enough time to get well away from cover , and though Burder got very nearly on terms with him he managed to gain the long grass where to follow is useless . In the afternoon the river was crossed towards Sarora and pig soon on foot , and a great deal of useless galloping to every holloa " indulged in , to the disguet of the two heavy weights . Soon after 4 a fine boar was seen stealing back towards Amliala , and the heat was well started by Captain Preston . Dr. Bull reached the river first , but only got half across , when he turned turtle , horse and all . Burder got over first well in front of Dholpur and looked like catching the boar , but on the edge masy X 4 27 24 of the jungle he jioked him and gained the long grass . Dr. Bull had hardly shaken the water out of his boots when another boar was seen coming over towards the Amliala side where we all were . The order to mount was given , Burder and Bull 88. before on Billey and Corinthian , and Dholpur on his Arab . Captain Preston started the heat , and Burder quickly got on the boar and rode him towards cover , where he jinked to the right and across Dholpur . Burder then again got on him , and on reaching the sandy bank into the jungle turned him completely over under his horse , he jobbed at him with his spear , but whether he touched him could not be seen , the boar then charged him on his near side , and he received him on his spear and pulled up . Dholpur followed the wounded boar into cover and speared him thirty yards further on . He then claimed the spear on the ground that Burder had speared on the near side contrary to Rule VIII . The umpire , Captain Preston , whilst deciding that Burder had speared first , referred the matter to the committee on the grounds that ( 1 ) at the time Mr. Burder . speared on the near side the competitors were not racing for the spear ; ( 2 ) the spear was delivered in the jungle at a charging boar ; ( 3 ) the uncer tainty as to whether Mr. Burder had not speared on the off side when the pig was under him before he speared on the near side when it charged him ; ( 4 ) that the rule is to prevent danger when two men are racing for the spear , and that no such danger existed on the occasion as Mr. Burder alone was on the boar . The decision of the committee has not yet been given . Thus ended the Guzerat Cup of 1893 , and we trust that mo.e sportsmen will be found another year to compete for this valuable prize , and will for a time at least tear themselves away from the delights of golf , lawn - tennis and badminton . We for ourselves should like to see an old grey boar with the marks of a spear in his side roasting over a huge bonfire made up of the tennis and badmin ton bats of every man under forty - five in India , After that age they may please themselves ; but up to that , polo , cricket , and pigsticking for ever . 25 H.C. Burdes . GUZERAT CUP FINAL . AHMEDABAD , MARCH 25 . The Rana of Dholpur , Dr. Bull , and Mr. Burder started yesterday ( Friday ) morning for the final , A fine boar was seen about 11-30 coming out of the Amliala jungle , but the heat was started a little too soon , and he managed to get back . About 4 p.m. the heat was taken across the river towards Saroda , and a big boar was started and made straight across the river for Amliala . The heat were let go by Captain Preston , and had a clear run over the river . Dr. Bull turned a complete somersault in the river , and Border , getting over first , looked like catching the boar before he got into the long pass , but just failed . Dr. Bull had hardly been " wrung out " when another boar was seen coming across , and the heat , Dholpur on a fresh horse and Dr. Bull riding two stone extra weight , was started after it . Burder at once took the lead and got on to it and rode it close to the jungle , where it jinked him and also Dholpur , who was following . Burder again got on terms and turned it completely over with his horse and jobbed at it . It then charged him on the near side , and he received it on his spear . It then made for the jungle , and was again speared thirty yards further on by Dholpur who claimed the spear on the ground that Burder had speared on the near side . The Umpire , Captain Preston , stated that , though Burder had undoubtedly speared first , he should refer the matter to the committee . The point - to - point race fell through owing to an insufficient number of entries . 26 |
