Back to Second of two 9th Lancers albums of photos and sketches `Records of the Gujerat Cup for Pig-Sticking' c1885-1932
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| Accession number | 912L : 2090/24 |
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THE GUZERAT CUP . 1909 Record of a Godd Meet . ( FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT . ) DHOLKA , April 17 . The meet was again at Dholka for the fourth time running , and April 8th found all competitors at the spacious bungalow which serves so well as messhouse , plus a large common room , Secretary's office and dormitories . This convenience with that of the Railway line and easy accessibility , makes Dholka a good centre for the but cup . we all doubted if it should remain so each and The country from a hunting point of every year . view is most varied . Unlike the Kadir country , with its uniform grass and tamarisk covered ground , the Deccan with its nullas and open rocky wolds , or the level black soil fields of the Nag ro Hunt , Dholka's scenes of sport differ in character every time out . We started this year with two heats on an open cultivated galloping stretch and went on successively to cactus hedged fields with perfect fencing , babhul woods inter spersed over blind scrub land , full of holes , river banks cut up with ravines , fine open grass birs or combination of all these . So much does this sort of variety add to the luck of the game that the opinion has been heard that it adds a little too much . But a certain objection to always hunting the same country is that it makes the shikaris lazy - they follow the traditional pro gramme year after year and trust to chance that the same coverts will hold pig , instead of harbouring good boar , and perfecting their organisation of " chakus . " Anyhow , here we are , and excellent arrangements we found for man and horse . We drew in the afternoon , before emerging on our expeditions after the white buck and three white does Dhunna Shikari had the usual news of . The draws were as follows : GUZERAT CUP , FIRST CHANCES . 1 . Lory , Medlicott , Symons , Forbes . 2. Campbell , Hotson , Naharsinhji , Reynolds . 3 . Blair , Vernon , Ranjitsinhji . 4. Brown , Hutchison , Widdrington . SALMON CUP . Hotson , Widdrington , Medlicott . Lory , Blair , Forbes . 1 . 2 . 3. Vernon , Brown . 4. Hutchison , Campbell . GUZERAT CUP 2ND CHANCES . 1. Vernon , Symons . 2. Medlicott , Brown . 3. Ranjitsinhji , Widdrington . 4. Forbes , Lory . The succeeding rounds were as follows : GUZERAT CUP ( Second round ) , FIRST CHANCES . 1. Blair , Widdrington . 2. Medlicott , Naharsinhji . GUZERAT CUP , 1ST CHANCES ( final ) . Medlicott ( winner ) , Blair . GUZERAT CUP , ( 2ND ROUND , ) 2ND CHANCES . 1. Medlicott , Vernon . 2. Ranjitsinhji , Forbes : GUZERAT CUP 2ND CHANCES ( final ) . Forbes , Medlicott ( winner ) . SALMON CUP , 2ND ROUND , 1. Medlicott , Vernon . 2. Forbes , Campbell . SALMON CUP FINAL . Forbes ( winner ) , Vernon . First Day . April , 9. - The first day we met at Sindhrej , and at once ran off the two first heats of the Guzerat Cup in open fields . Medlicott won No. 1 after both he and Forbes had had chances of spearing , and Naharsinhji and Campbell close by decided heat No. 2 out of the same sounder , Naharsinhji getting his pig in two or three hundred yards . After lunch on the shady bund of the village . tank we moved off to Sakodra , where a good soun der had been marked down . The fourth heat of the Guzerat Cup was to run , but the jungle was thick and their pig was swallowed up in it almost at once . Meanwhile a pig out of the same being ridden by was Forbes , lot Blair and Lory ( the first heat of the Salmon Cup ) Forbes was on to him first , but a jink left handed through a hedge gave Blair a chance , but he missed and Forbes had him to himself and killed . We now returned towards Sindhrej , and in the late evening sent the fourth heat of the Guzerat Cup after a good boar . Widdrington , Brown and Hutchison rode it through babhuls , and after a jink or two it ran through an open field and Widdrington speared . Brown's horse cut an artery at the coronet during this run , pro bably against a stub in the babhul wood . The boar gave a good hunting run before it was killed , knocking a boy down and ripping him badly in the back . Half the party did not get back to camp till after nine o'clock . Second Day . April 10th - To - day we hunted at Ambareli and ran off three heats before lunch . None was eventful , Forbes won his first round of the Guzerat Cup , second chances , against Lory ; Medlicott his against Widdrington , in a ding - dong chase after a small pig in a series of hedged fields , and Medli cott again won his second round , first nominations , Guzerat Cup , alone with a pig in a babhul wood . Naharsinhji's horse objecting to a controlled progress through thorns , the umpire Hutchison doing a competitor's share of the work in cutting out a rideable pig from the sounder in almost impenetrable jungle . In the afternoon a tedious beat along the Ambareli nullah gave one run only , viz . , Blair and Widdrington , second round of the Guzerat Cup first chances . Widdrington had the legs of Blair , but failed to spear , and Blair came up , drew blood and won the round . Several pigs were run but escaped in the thick babhuls and scrub . Vernon and Brown , after vainly wandering all day backwards and forwards to get off their Salmon Cup heat , had a great run after a quick boar their umpire's skilled nose had detected in the covert for them , but the pig escaped and the heat remain ed still to be run . Third Day . April 11th . The third day as'usual was one of hard work at the Virdi covert , 12 miles off . From 91 to 12 o'clock we were beating the tamarisk in the bed of the Sabarmati river aided by a roaring jungle fire on one bank , but we beat with no success . Blair and Medlicott started after a fast pig through elephant grass and thick babhul only to exhaust themselves and their horses , suffer many scratches and lose their pig . Our only diversion was when a horse and rider with a determined love of liquid rolled in the Sabarmati as the cavalcade crossed over . So lunch found us no further with our heats but hopeful of luck in the evening . The afternoon's hunting got four heats off . Vernon and Brown decided their Salmon Cup heat over trappy scrub country full of holes and after a small fast pig that gave a chance to neither till Vernon speared , Fireplant completely outpacing his competitor . Then Campbell and Hutchison ran their Salmon Cup heat , Hutchison's pony beginning with a heavy fall over the first babhul thorn hedge . This most imperturbable pony gave some amusement by immediately jumping up again and giving stern chase to the umpire , who adroitly led him on back to his master . The run was after a quick pig that went over a mile before he was reached , Hutchison made the running , but he was pounded by a hedge , and Campbell getting on terms with the pig in a field beyond won the spear . At the same time Medlicott and Blair decided the final in the first chances of the Guzerat Cup . Their umpire hustled a pig in splendid form through a babhul wood for them and let them go in good open country , where Medlicott , on Result , had the legs easily of Blair's horse and speared at his leisure . We then beat home through good grass land sprink led with trees and copse and reared a fine boar for Widdrington and Ranjitsinhji in their second chances , Gujarat Cup . Widdrington led , but his big Waler failed to respond with the necessary rapidity to the pig's turns and Ranjitsinhji com ing up after one of these , gave a deadly spear in the back right through the body . In the scuffle that followed the pig seized Widdrington's boot with his teeth and shook it like a terrier , but did no injury . We still beat on through the same bir and Vernon and Symons started after another good boar but lost him . Fourth Day . April 12 , -Sahej , six miles along the Kaira road , was the meet to - day . Campbell had to scratch in his Salmon Cup heat , his pony being hopelessly lame . This left Forbes in for the final with Vernon , who won his heat against Medlicott after a good tustle . Vernon was on his waler pony Fireplant , winner of the Kadir 1909 , and Medlicott on his English pony , Result , winner of the Gujarat Cup 1907. They got off fairly level after a small and very fast boar on open country beyond the Sabarmati . Medlicott led and had the pig in front of him for half a mile or more reaching at him with his spear at one point . Vernon got up and was jinked after an unsuccess ful dig . Médlicott was coming up again , his pony jumping with a crash over and through a cactus hedge under a tree , but Vernon was on again first and speared right through the body . We con tinued beating the thick tamarisk in the river bed , but could not get the pig to break . We then moved on to Wowtha , a riverside village , and lunched in the village rest house . We moved off at three and beat till half past six through a grass bir riddled with holes like a rabbit warren . The heats that ran in it pronounced it " Hairy . " -the least mild epithet applied . A tola of 20 pig that got up , it was declared , turned three somersaults every pig of them . Medlicott and Brown decided their first round , second chances , Gujarat Cup , in a run with no distinctive features , except the blind holes and the ease with which Medlicott's pony Miladi swept past Brown's and won the heat . Ranjitsinghji and Forbes at the same time were running off their second round of the second chances , uzerat Cup . The ground claimed its own with them and Ranjitsinghji's pony rolled over in a big hole screened with brushwood . No one was hurt beyond a shaking and Forbes won the round as he liked . There remained , therefore , Forbes and Vernon to compete for the Salmon Cup , while Forbes , Vernon , Synions and Medlicott were left in for the Guzerat Cup . Fifth Day . After April 13. - Again we went east of Dholka to Sathal about five miles off . The final of the Salmon Cup was first decided . Forbes on his fourteen hand grey Arab Multiform met Vernon on Fireplant , the fourteen one chestnut waler winner of this year's Kadir . The covert was a tangle of elephant grass and babhuls on the white . sandy bank of the Sabarmati . a tense quarter of an hour's waiting while the tomtoms and shouting beaters came nearer and nearer , the heat moved slowly inland and were waved after a perfect boar heading well for the open fields . The umpire Medlicott sent them off riding neck and neck . Forbes led . over the first hedge . Then they raced together over a couple of fields up to a fence , which Vernon and the pig took in a place where the thorns were most impenetrable , and the jump the broadest in the line . Vernon sticking to his pig had him alone in the field the other side ; but Forbes counting on the pig's lefthanded inclination to make the river again swung round the end of the hedge and sure enough the pig broke out to him and once on he never left him . Vernon was quickly in company again but belLind and Forbes after one stretch out but not in spearing distance , watched his chance , ran alongside , got him and won the Salmon Cup for the second time , a feat achieved only by Cecil Gray before . We all congratulate the winnermost heartily - a fine sports man of whom , as such , praise would be imperti nence , and a keen and constant supporter of the Cup . The run could not have been improved upon - a fair field and no favour - two good men competing and a straightforward downright victory . The same covert beat the other way from south to north again gave us a big boar and after him . Symons and Vernon ran their first round of the Gujarat Cup , second chances . The line was a good open one across fields and down . lanes except for one castor - oil field where for a moment he was lost , but Vernon viewed him away down the road to Sathal village , and soon after speared him in the open . This left Vernon , Forbes , and Meddlicott to fight for the Guzerat Cup , a hot trio - giving promise of a resolute contest . Vernon had first to meet Medlicott , and if successful to meet Forbes , then Medlicott again , to win - a hard task somewhat prejudicing his chances . After lunch on the lakeside at Sathal we again beat the riverbed , but found nothing but peafowl which flew out in coveys . Medlicott and Vernon were to run off their second round in the second chances Guzerat Cup , and we hurried off at some pig marked down in a hedge on the homeward track , as the day was going fast . We found and away went the heat , Medicott on Miladi , Vernon on Fireplant , over open field after a small , fast pig . Vernon was on first , but a turn put Med licott in possession , and he after a longish chase .. with the pig on his left , speared as it disappe in a bush . Now Medlicott had to ride against Forbes for the final of the second chances , Medlicott himself having won the first chances . Late in the evening , on the same fields , these two were sent after a quick young thing , one of a sounder , none of which were big . This looked as if it would be a most dramatic heat , with all present as spectators . Forbes on Kala and Medlicott on Result were fairly to gether , but the pig suddenly jinke throwing both out .. Forbes was on again first and looked like spearing in a rough bit of ground , but his spear was a fraction too low , and went between the pig's hind legs and stuck in the ground . Now it seemed Medlicott would have it all his own way , when just as Result was a pace or two off the pig he hurled himself at a great thicket of bor thorn bush , came down in a heap and lay there with Medlicott mixed up with him . We pulled them loose , and finally persuaded Result to rise , but the pig had gone , and the heat was off . So we came home to our parting dinner and lotteries with the final for the morrow , the sixth day of running . The Final Day . April 14. - After beating bushes and thwacking hedges in vain for a supposed pig in the morning we waited in the bungalow for " khabar . " It came at one and Forbes on Kala and Medlicott on Result started out at half past for the Ambareli jungle , two miles off , to decide the final of the Guzerat Cup . After standing for some ten minutes , a large sounder with a fine boar broke close to the party . The boar was singled out and off the two went with an absolutely level start over a fence which they jumped neck and neck . The pig crossed four fields and then turned left handed down a lane with very thick hedges on either side , Medlicott followed him into this alley , and speared after riding a hundred yards or so up the lane . The boar was killed after a long hunt , and died without a sound , a worthy quarry for the cup to be decided on . Medlicott had thus won the Guzerat cup twice on the same gallant pony Result , an achievment unparalleled in our annals , and he has the heartiest congratulations of us all . Result ran throughout , except for two heats won by Miladi . We had no time for our cross country races as the cup was decided at 2 p.m. and the train went at 5 . So ends the Guzerat cup meet of 1909 , enjoyed thoroughly by all and it would have been enjoyed still more if our company had been larger . Our numbers were small , but we had good quality , and no lack of sport . Still of these gatherings it is certainly true that the more the merrier . We have no misgivings about the Cup losing its popu larity , and no croakings about " the dearth now - a days of good sportsmen " : but it looks well to have a long list of competitors , and lessens the expense and adds to the fun . We appeal to Ahmedabad to find the man to keep up its famous old Tent Club , and to Bombay to remember always that it is Ahmedabad's ally in this matter . Jack Symons from Bombay with A. D. Younghusband from Ahmedabad founded the Guzerat Cup in 1885 , and Bombay provides the added money for the Salmon Cup , while Guzerat undertakes to do the same for the Guzerat Cup and those who are not pigstickers but like good company and open air will do well to remember this Meet and come yearly , and enjoy and help it . No country in India can be better worth seeing , as we see it - a rich - soiled tract , alive , with herds of antelope , dotted with reedy , well - shaded lakes , the haunt of cranes and herons and water fowl of all kinds , while the village seems the home of the grey monkey and res plendent peacock almost as much as of the Koli and other - well favoured civil folk of Guzerat . Man and beast live literally together in the closest intimacy in Guzerat , where Jain influence encourages the familiarity . Our luncheon tree was one day in possession of a pair of ' cheels , ' and their nestlings - another day of a party of monkeys and neither family imagined for a moment that we wished them away and mis siles only made them more familiar . Yet an other day , a village pack of friendly red dogs gathered round our table , and so attached them selves to their trencherman that we called them " Vernon setters " and expected to see them at the station waiting to go back with him . Contributors to the Sport . We have many to thank for their different contributions to our comfort and our sport . Be fore all the Honorary Secretary , Captain Hut chison , who is probably the first to have under taken this tedious and difficult duty though not a resident of Ahmedabad - in fact he undertook it " from over seas . " Right well he worked , des pite severe aches and pains and thorns early in flicted in a crumpling fall . Then comes the picturesque group of shikaris - ruffians all - whom we hope some enthusiastic Ahmedabad sportsman will next year be able to take in hand , and make cultivate and show their inherent huntsman quali ties - Dhuna , the head shikari , a tall , handsome Vaghri , crowned with a khaki " safa " and mounted on a camel : young Okla , the slim tracker , a true Mowgli , and dingy Doolya , whose name smacks of the Irishman , and who carries on the suspicion in his wholesome pleasure in the whisky of the country . These three could ring eight boars a day , and pop them out in front of our noses we are all con vinced , but they need the necessary practice and the constant goad . Magan must not be forgotten whom the camera has perpetuated clad in his N. F. tunic hung with innumerable bags and bottles , always appealed to for the time , the way , or any thing else wanted the man from Cook's " whom all followed . We thank too the messman who fed us well , and elaborated the following witty menu to amuse the fancy and tax the ingenuity while pleasing the palate of the hungry sportsman . Motilal Writers ' Menu Muck Turtle Permission Fish . Fleet of Fish . Ancreas . Glentin the Pigen . Beef Saline Roast . Chicken unbaking . Tamotter Fundoo . Pairs hen cream . Dejars . We thank too the Mamlatdar and the Police for their moral as well as active assistance ; the Salutri who doctored the crocks - and the Station officials for the facilities they gave us and our horses travelling . Last come the humble but indis pensable Chakus ( the men up trees with flags , and excited gestures ) and the merry ' cussed beaters . Good - bye to all till next year . ( From " Times of India " 19th April 1909 . Cap Medlicott on " Result : " 4 7 2 hadi 1905 . Sir J. Milbank2 . 5 Major Edwards . 33rd Cav : 3. Forbes . Rajah Bahadur of Oreha . Vernon 3 Widdrinston . 8 6 |
