THE Hurworth Hunt country spreads over North Yorkshire and Cleveland, running between Thirsk, Yarm, Stokesley and Northallerton.

It had begun as part of the Raby country hunted by Lord Darlington, but in about 1775 the three Wilkinson brothers of Neasham Abbey started a pack of their own, and so founded the Hurworth Hunt we know today.

It is a well-foxed country, and the hunt maintains a good relationship with its farmers and keepers in doing its job of keeping the fox population to a level acceptable within their area, hunting twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The country is varied with plenty of grassland and some arable with numerous natural fences as well as strategically placed hunt jumps. As with most hunts throughout the North, the going can get very heavy in the winter so a horse that can handle those conditions is recommended.

The Masters are Peter Dennis and Keith Balbach, with the Huntsman Joe Townsend and the whipper-in David Foster. They have to their credit 31 couple of Old English hounds which are kept at the hunt kennels in West Rounton, near Northallerton. They welcome visitors both out in the hunting field and at the kennels, eager to show people some of their fine country and great hospitality.

Though the autumn hunting scent has been difficult and on some days almost non-existent, the hounds have persisted and, with a good show of foxes in most areas, managed to catch their fair share.

Equally as important as catching foxes, they have dispersed litters, which has two benefits: firstly, it means one farmer does not have a whole group of foxes camping out on his land; and secondly, it helps prevent inbreeding within the fox population (something that is extremely important in any species).

Everyone who hunts knows that we all hope conditions will be perfect and the day's hunting will turn into one of those special days that you will always remember, every time we don our boots and jackets. Every once in a while it happens and October 16 proved to be one of those days.

The Hurworth Hunt invited the Pennine Hunt to join forces for a joint meet in Hurworth country. The evening of the 15th, we held the hunt supporters' harvest supper at Appleton Wiske, and the Pennine Hunt brought along something other than their hounds and supporters - their group of hunt singers! They were in fine voice and "spoke" well, entertaining more than 100 of us.

The next morning, with some of us having heads that resembled the early morning mist, we hung up our riding boots, replacing them with the "country man's" training shoe, locked our horses away for the day and prepared to head out on foot, meeting at East Sockburn Farm, courtesy of William Duffus. This was not a meet for the unfit.

Despite the fact we have Old English hounds and the Pennine Hunt has Fell cross, which is a much racier model, the two packs worked and ran together very well. The day was going to be a mammoth test for the Hurworth followers because the Pennine are a foot pack based at Holmfirth in West Yorkshire, so Hurworth legs used to riding to hounds were going to have to run - their lack of fitness would surely be found out.

The Masters of the Pennine are Andrew Rogers and Mark Davies with Huntsman John Webber.

A large field of followers arrived at the meet including some visitors, Gary (MH) and his Texan wife, Audrey Corbett, of the Northern Counties Mink Hounds, and John Haigh, the Countryside Alliance's stalwart for North Yorkshire.

The first draw was the covert at East Sockburn, where a brace of foxes were quickly brought to the move. One left straight away, but the hounds stayed with the second, running the length of the wood over the Girsby road, which the fox almost immediately re-crossed and headed for the wooded banks of the River Tees. Turning left-handed, they ran to Soursyke Gill, where with a grand cry proving that scent was good, they went straight through into Beverley Wood, running the full length of it before turning back all the way to Soursyke Gill.

Here, once more, he turned again and with the pack pushing him hard they ran the full length of Beverley, this time leaving the end of this very long wood to head up the gully towards East Field Plantation, where he went to ground in a rabbit hole. The terrier men stepped in, much to the local keeper's pleasure.

The interesting fact was that throughout the duration of this hunt, both packs had remained together, one not being able to out-pace the other, and the hounds' music echoing off the banks above the river was tremendous.

Moving on to Eastfield Plantation, the coverts down the side of the Eryholme road to Break House Farm proved blank, but we soon had a fox on the move as we drew down towards the River Tees. Hounds were viewing him as he went across a corn field to the river bank, where he turned left towards Rein wood. With the pack pushing him hard he made good use of the undergrowth to double back through them and set sail in the opposite direction.

The hounds weren't fooled and were quickly in close contact with him again. Once more the fox tried the same ploy and was heading back towards Rein Wood; again they turned with him.

Charlie decided more desperate measures were needed to save his brush - he jumped into the Tees and set sail for the far bank with the first hound on the scene, Ramble, a Hurworth bitch in her fifth season, swimming in hot pursuit. She swam threequarters of the way across, caught her fox and not only dispatched it with the clinical efficiency that only a foxhound can, but turned and brought it all the way back to the rest of the hounds on our bank.

It was a truly remarkable deed for which she will no doubt go down in Hurworth history.

The day's hunting then finished with a good run on a fox found on the river bank below Eastfield. Following the river round, he went to Rein Wood where he came out to Break House Farm, going through the roadside coverts before turning down the Docking Slack Plantation where he came out at the bottom to cross back to the river where he was originally found.

Here he lay down in a stell and let hounds go past him before jumping up and heading back up through the Docking Slack. Coming out halfway up, he crossed to the roadside coverts, but hounds were now finding it difficult to take the line. However a "holla" on the road had them back in contact and this now tiring fox crossed down over Break House Farm to the river.

Turning left, he once more went to Rein Wood. With scent failing fast, the pack was stopped to leave a good fox to run another day and to finish what had been an excellent day's hunting.

Three foxes hunted, two of them caught, a keeper well pleased and a job well done. Long may we be allowed to continue, if common sense prevails in Parliament.

Published: 29/10/2004