Back to One of two 9th Lancers albums of photos and sketches `Records of the Gujerat Cup for Pig-Sticking' c1885-1932
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Item 0010
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| Accession number | 912L : 2090/23 |
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THE GUZERATO 1888 WON E J.L.SYMONS ON ALBATROS 15 16 GUZERAT CUP . 1889 . Messrs . next morning at our destination , and some on camels , some on horseback at started for the camp at Saroda . On arrival we received a warm welcome from the Ahmedabad Contingent , which had preceded us , and sat down to breakfast about twelve o'clock : nothing to be done this afternoon , but sleep and then out exercising horses , pour passer le temps ; dinner at 7-30 ; and then the draw ing of the heats , which resulted as follows : Harvey were soon riding neck - and - neck for the spear . Templar tried first but failed , breaking his spear in the attempt , and after a fine race Buck land secured first honours ; piggy was not much damaged , and regained the shelter of the sugar cane . After tiffin we beat Amliára jungle , and Hurrah ! off to Ahmedabad by the mail train two pony heats were posted alongside of it . to compete for the Guzerat Cup , ten Bombay No. 2 , consisting of Captain Phayre , ducks all told ; all going strong ; we arrived early Graham , Warden , and Birdwood , were soon on the move after an ugly black boar , which came out , accompanied by six or seven sows . Birdwood was first away , but was passed by Graham , who ran the boar into a lane ; out of which he jinked through a small hole , leaving his pursuer to hunt for a gap in what seemed an unending barrier . Phayre and Birdwood were luckier , and , slipping through a gap before entering the lane , had a race for the spear , which was cleverly secured by the former , who , after breaking his spear in half , managed to reach the boar with the short piece that remained . 1st Heat . Mr. Holland , Mr. Trevor . Mr. Littleton . Mr. Hancock . 1st Chances - Guzerat Cup . 2nd Heat . Captain Phayre . Captain Richardson . Mr. Hill . Mr. Graham . 3rd Heat . Mr. Buckland . Mr. Templar . Mr. Younghusband . Captain Harvey , R.A. 2nd 1st Heat . Captain Richardson . Mr. Trevor . Mr. Holland . Mr. Graham . 3rd Heat . Colonel Hancock . Mr. Hill . Mr. Fitzmaurice . Mr. Buckland . 1st Heat , Mr. Holland . Mr. Clifton . Mr. Behrens . Mr. Burder . 4th Heat . 3rd Heat . Mr. Younghusband . Mr. Cameron , Mr. Hancock , Mr. Burder . Mr. Birdwood . Mr. Adams . Chances - Guzerat Cup . 2nd Heat . Captain Harvey , R.A. Mr. Adams . Mr. Littleton . Mr , Templar . 4th Heat . Mr. Birdwood . Mr. Younghusband . Mr. Burder . Salmon Pony Cup . 2nd Heat . Mr. Graham . Captain Phayre . Mr. Warden . Mr. Birdwood . 4th Heat . Captain Harvey , R.A , Mr. Littleton . Mr. Hill . On re - beating the jungle , No. 1 heat of the ponies -Messrs . Burder , Holland , Clifton , and Behrens was despatched after a leggy little boar that , after leading them very fast for two or three miles over open country , made good his escape , and the umpire , considering the pig ought to have been speared , disqualified the heat . No. 2 heat of the first chances for the Guzerat Cup was now decided , the pig running into a small grass jungle where Hill and Graham over rode him . On his doubling back he was pursued by Richardson and Phayre as he made for the river , and as they both speared together in the river , the umpire gave a dead heat . and secured the spear . Out of some sugarcane a little later a nice boar was started , and No. 3 heat , consisting of Messrs . Templar , Buckland , Younghusband , and Captain While we were clearing the dust from our throats after this in the orthodox fashion , khubber came in of an outlying pig , and the 4th heat of the second chances was sent to kill him . This consisted of Messrs . Burder , Younghusband , and Birdwood , and although the first named was on the slowiest horse , he managed to secure the first spear , after a long run over some big fences . Mr. Littleton had meantime disposed of his com petitors , Messrs . Adams Templar , and Captain Harvey , in his second chauce , after a little boar , which absolutely refused to leave the shelter of friendly cactus hedges , but simply dodged from one to the other . It having been decided to hunt Sahej , ten miles off , the next day , horses were ordered on early in the morning , and seven o'clock saw us on the move ; strange to say , it was a thick cloudy day , and some rain fell , very unusual for this time of year in Guzerat . On arrival at Sahej , the first three heats of the first chances took up their positions round the jungle , and from where number two heat , consisting of Messrs . Richardson , Graham , Hill , and Phayre , was posted , the pig could be seen moving about in the thick jungle on the river bank ; at last five or six broke between the posted heats , but only one faced the open , the others all turning back into the jungle . No. 2 heat was despatched by their umpire , Colonel Hancock , after this boar , but after a short run , in which Graham and Phayre had both a doubtful chance at him , he escaped back to the depths of the jungle . Although some of the on - lookers said he ought to have been speared , the umpire refused to disqualify the heat . Tiffin having been despatched in a duststorm , we beat the jungle back the opposite way to that we had beaten it in the morning ; but although the word to ride was twice given , each time piggy had the best of it , and escaped , in one case leaving two of his pursuers in a mud hole , from which they and their horses were with difficulty extricated . Altogether the day was a failure ; and we jogged back to camp rather disgusted , and vowing we would never hunt Sahej again . Messrs . Phayre and Richardson also ran off their dead heat , which resulted in favour of the former . Before tiffiu two more heats were decided , Mr. Hill winning from Mr. Buckland , Colonel Hancock , and Mr. Fitzmaurice . This was the best boar killed at the meeting , and after being speared fought gamely . Younghusband took honours in the third heat of the ponies , from Messrs . Cameron and Hancock . After tiffin we crossed the river , and after beating a short time the final of the second chances , Messrs . Littleton , Trevor , Burder , and Hill being the competitors , was started after on the Kaira side of the Sabarmati and about six a melancholy brute , which ran fifty yards and miles from Saroda , where , after some delay , a large then squatted in sounder broke in front of No. 4 heat , consisting of Messrs . Birdwood , Burder , and Adams , the former , on a Wal romped away from the others on Arabs Next day saw us starting at Chitrásar , a village a bush , where it was speared by both Trevor and Littleton , the ver dict being given in favour of the former . Littleton , however , made up for his defeat by winning his heat in the Salmon Cup a little later . The next event was the final for the first chances between Messra . Buckland , Birdwood , Littleton , and Phayre . On beating some outlying bushes , a splendid This ended our second day's sport , and there seemed no chance of finishing off the cup heats , before the competitors had to withdraw . Next day our hunting ground was only two miles from camp , and after the usual preliminaries , the beating began up the Saroda side of the Sabarmati , and after a long wait a smallish one broke past the first heat of the second chances , consisting of Messrs . Trevor , Graham , Holland and Richardson ; Holland , unfortunately , had a cropper before the word " ride " was given , but managed to pick his horse up , and remount in time . After twisting and turning a few times Trevor speared him neatly . On re - beating the cover , the first heat of the first chances , consisting of Messrs . Littleton , Trevor , Holland , and Hancock , was at length run off . The pig crossed the eep sand running to the river , and Littleton on Albatross galloped away from the others , and scored easily . JACK " Tymons . 2 ● boar broke away over some very high fences , and a for country - bred pnies at the Poona Races was magnificent race ensued between Messrs . Buckland , abandoned , and the nature of the arrangement Birdwood , and Littleton , the latter unfortunately which has been decided on in its place are best de coming to grief , jumping into a cross lane . On scribed in the following extract from a printed getting into more open country Birdwood's circular , dated the 29th January 1889 , and signed Waler proved too much for Buckland's Arab , and by his old friend , Colonel Hancock : secured the spear . The boar proved to be one of the real fighting sort , and died very hard . " Rs . 2,090 have now been promised towards The next day rather a diminished number of sum will be required to meet the cost of the Dr. Tully's Memorial Fund . About half of this spectators turned out to see the finals , but those tablets to be erected to his memory in Rajkote and who did were rewarded by seeing at least one Ireland , and the interest on the remainder will not good sporting run , ending in a kill . The final of suffice to give a Pony Cup , worth running for , in the Gujerat Cap , between Birdwood on his Waler Poona , as originally intended . It is now proposed mare Kate Coventry and Trevor on Columbine therefore to apply the sum was soon settled after a sharp gallop through the to allow the interest on it to be given annu more locally , and grass jungle , Birdwood taking the lead , and easily ally as a perpetual subscription towards the securing the spear , thus winning the Gujerat Cup Guzera : Pigsticking Cup , thus forming the nucleus for 1889. After this we adjourned to tiffin , where of an Endowment Fund , which may be added the winner was warmly congratulated on his to by other sportsmen afterwards , and thus perpe victory . tuate Dr. Tully's memory in a way which would In the afternoon the final of the Salmon Cup undoubtedly have been most pleasing to himself . " was decided , between Littleton on his Waler pony Woodlark , Phayre on his countrybred Aladdin , cock is now being supplemented from other sources ; The sum of Rs . 1,000 referred to by Colonel Han and Younghusband on his countybred Wadhwan . from small unexpanded balances of other funds of The boar leaving the shelter of the grass jungle similar nature , notably of the Salmon Memorial went away very fast through some big cactus hedges , Fund , which it will be remembered was raised for into the open county , but finding himself pursued the purchase of the Salmon Challenge Cup for made a semi - circle , and finally took a lane straight ponies , and by donations from one or two individual back to the jungle he had left . Phayre reached sportsmen , whose example it is hoped will be the entrance to this lane first , and by hard riding followed by others . The Endowment Fand is now managed to spear before piggy got back into in the hands of Messrs . King , King & Co. , shelter . The spectators now took up the chase , Bombay , to whom any donations may be paid . hunting the boar through the jungle , and across the river , and he was finally caught and killed just as he was entering the big jungle on the other side . Thus ended the best run of the meeting , and with it the competition , and during the rest of the afternoon we indulged in some promiscuous stick ing without much result . Next morning we separated , after again con gratulating the winners , and passing a cordial vote of thanks to the honorary secretary for all his trouble and able management throughout . The special thanks of the meeting are also due to the other members of the committee , repre sented on this occasion by Colonel Hancock and Mr. Adams , and , not least , to Mr. Bhowanidas , the chief huntsman to the Rao of Cutch , who made all the arrangements for beaters , & c . , and showed that he well understood what he was about . The gentlemen who kindly officiated as umpires also deserve our thanks , for although one started his heat after a monkey , they acquitted themselves well . We must not omit a word of thanks to the B. B. & C. I. Railway authorities for the excel lence of their arrangements and the courtesy and civility everywhere met with . It is perhaps not generally known , and certainly came as a surprise to some of our party , to find that competitors for the Guzerat Cup , travelling from any station on this line , whether in parties or singly , are allowed return tickets for themselves and their horses at single rates . Your sporting readers will be sorry to learn that your last year's comments on the backwardness of the G. I. P. Railway in this respect have so far been barren of result . Until the traffic department of this line adopts a larger - minded and more generous attitude towards the sporting public , it is useless to hope that entries from Poona and other Deccan stations will be anything but few and far between . Your correspondent has been asked to take this opportunity of giving a little information about the newly - started " Tully Endowinent Fund . " No- , body who has followed the history of the " Gu zerat Cup " since its institution in 1885 can be otherwise than familiar with theme of Dr. Tully , while of those who took part the earlier competitions there must be few indeho do not mourn the loss of one who was no less truest of friends than the cheeriest of companions ad the keenest of sportsmen . When the news was re ceived last year of his death in Burmah , a sub scription was set on foot among his many friends in the Presidency to raise funds for perpetuating his . memory , first by monuments to be erected in the Rajkote Church and in his parish church in Ireland , and secondly , if possible , in some way connected with sport . The circumstances under which the original proposal to endow an annual or biennial Cup |
