When I first started working in Cumbria I was introduced to a sport that is strongly unique to the north west of England – hound trailing. I was only a couple of weeks into that first job and I was not expecting quite how fast the hounds would be unleashed. Luckily I managed to get this shot which was used in the paper but, as the second photo shows, they can’t half shift. This was from a time of 35mm film and a motor drive that gave you around two frames a second not like now when you can blitz your subject at a million frames per second…

Years later I visited a hound trail event on a wind-swept moor to do a photo essay and this was the report submitted by the organisers who were really helpful on the day. I remember when I was proofreading the pages I did quite find the names of the hounds quite entertaining and imaginative.

HOUND TRAILING: Lynn Garritty

THE first major trails of the season were held at Helton Fell on Monday when conditions were dry and mostly sunny with a stiff breeze.

There was a decent turnout of hounds, with 10 lining up to take their chances in the senior trail.

The previous weekend’s winner, Lynch and McMaster’s Endure, was installed as the favourite, with Marli next best in the market and these two were closely matched all the way round.

On the finish, the Martins’ Marli had taken up the running and the four-year-old ran on well to give herself a 20-yard advantage going up the final stretch.

Emily Irving’s Overwater Arnie made a decisive late move, coming through from fifth place on the whistles to claim second and reduce the winning margin to a few yards. Endure took third place.

In the senior maidens, both Mike Watson’s Persian Sky and the Browns’ Another Bay attracted plenty of support in the betting ring and at the business end of affairs both were prominent.

Four hounds had pulled clear and it was Another Bay that led, but Reg Smith’s two-year-old Accolade showed a good turn of foot in the closing stages to sweep through and earn first prize by 10 yards, with Another Bay second and Fearon and Rowlandson’s Blueboy a similar distance behind in third.

The puppy trail resulted in a third win in seven days for Jonty and Evie Moore and Jack Thompson’s Crazy.

The Cleator Moor-based bitch recorded her sixth success overall when moving up from third place on the finish to score in impressive style ahead of Abram and Taylor’s Rio and Bland, Barrow and Little’s Huntsman’s Major.

This victory put Crazy two points clear at the top of the junior championship table.

Joe and Nessa Simpson and Darren Clark’s Artemis was well fancied in the puppy maiden trail and duly obliged.

There were plenty in with winning chances but the Kendal youngster finished strongly to triumph by 10 yards and deny Evie a double on the day as her other charge, Escape, finished second. Bland and Little’s Jenny’s Breeze was third.

The winner’s time was only seven seconds slower than the winning time in the open puppy trail.

The final race of the afternoon was the open restricted in which Deacon and Fletcher’s Little Messi well and truly strung out the field.

The Cockermouth four-year-old ran out the easiest winner of the day and Satterthwaite and Burrow’s Thorn Fire was well clear for second.

The winner’s kennelmate, Cotto, put in a good performance to take third in a high class field of 36 runners.

The second of the Corney Fell meetings took place last Thursday and the successful run of Moore and Thompson’s kennels continued.

In the senior trail, Try Time led for much of the way. The three-year-old had a nice lead over his kennelmate Try Again as they came through the fell, with the Laidlers’ Jazz Band and Overwater Arnie following closely behind.

However, after they began the climb up the other side, the two “Trys” began to pull clear and, heading for the finish, they were again closely matched.

In a carbon copy of Tuesday’s finish, Try Time led for a way up the final stretch before Try Again asserted himself and the five-year-old scored his third win by a few yards.

On paper, in the absence of Huntsman’s Major, who was routed to Oulton, the puppy trail looked to be between Crazy and Simpson and Laidler’s Nikita, and so it transpired.

The duo were always to the fore and had a good battle all the way.

Coming into sight on the final stretch, Crazy had a 20-yard advantage and Nikita finished strongly, but was still a length adrift at the line.

Escape ran well to take third place and round off a good week for the family.

Tony and Marlene Irving’s Fireman Sam had a lead of 100 yards or more coming through the fell in the open maiden trail and had strung out the field.

The favourite, McClean, Lyon and Metcalfe’s Kerrymore, and Artemis were in hot pursuit and on to the finish, second year veteran Kerrymore, who is running as well as ever, was just in front and finished well to score cosily ahead of Summer Dancer who came with a good late rattle to pip Artemis for second place.

Kerrymore was then routed to Cold Fell Gate on Saturday and won her second open maiden trail when coming from third place on the whistles to beat Reay and Graham’s Hunters Dale and Glaister and Mackereth’s Westgate Autumn by a couple of lengths.

Earlier in the afternoon, McClellan and Birkett’s two-year-old General James recorded his first senior success when just doing enough to hold off the challenge from Blueboy and McClean, Lyon and Metcalfe’s Explore.

Nicola, Robyn, Ellie and Grace Napier’s Foxparke Golden Balls also opened his account for the season in the puppy trail.

The Coulderton youngster finished well to come through and pip Whitfield, McClellan and Birkett’s Black Legend just before the tape.

Les and Pat Black’s Canny Mover was the comfortable winner of the open restricted ahead of the Crones’ Cartier.

From The Cumberland & Westmorland Herald on Saturday, May 6, 2017.