COURSING. NOTES BY SENTINEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 56

COURSING. NOTES BY SENTINEL.

Judging by the excellent attendance which have been patronising the Dunedii Coursing Club's meetings this year, ih<:r< is excellent grounds for stating that Ifo sport is growing in popularity here. A last week's gathering the stakes were no very valuable, nor were any dogs with bi| reputations placed in the slips, so that th attendances and the interest takeai a.re aJ the more creditable, particularly as th. weather -was such as might be safely cal culated to keen away all these who wer. not very deeply interested. Since the D.C.C. Abandoned the syster of boxing their hares and adopted th shoot-driving principle the quality of th> game liberated at their Plumpton has in creased in a very remarkable manner Under the box system weak and fault; hares were, almost as common as good ones whilst it was not an infrequent sight ti see them run a few yards and squat ti wait for their doom, probably because thei confinement had temporarily destroyed thei galloping powers. This was particular!; the case in cold or vagi weather, but latterl; no matter how badrthe day might prove the hares invariably required a particular!; smart dog to bring them down. In fact, a last week's meeting only 15 hares wen killed in about 60 courses, and of thes< one with three legs was liberated acci dentally, and two of the others were not o a good class. The majority of the other required a lot- of catching, and there is n< doubt that had it not been for , the fact tha parts of the Plumpton were under water, th< percentage of kills 1 would hnve been mucl smaller. In Plumpton coursing hares hav< none too much the best of the game, an( with the boxing system their chance o escape is further reduced, whilst anyon< who has noted ho,v strong and freely the; -gallop when liberated from a ehoot cai have no hesitation in pronouncing ai opinion in favour of the latter method o liberation, as against the inhuman© boxinj up process. Mr John Fuller, jun., who has latterl; become an enthusiastic member of tlh< D.0.C., left this week on a short visit t< Australia. It is understood that a protest will b< lodged against the. owner of Solo rctaininj the stake and trophy attached to th< Ladies' Bracelet stake, decided last week on the grounds that he is not registered. It is rumoured that a dog which rai prominently last weefe wa-s ineligible for thi stake in which it started owing to havinj acted as runner-up in a stake decided ir Australia. The handling of the judge's flags was b] no means satisfactory at last week's gather ing, and was adversely commented upon bj the critics on the ground. Nominations fall due on July 4 for th< Cameron Cup, which ie to be decided ai Oamarii on July 27 and 28. The winn&i of the stake is to receive £60, and th< runner-up £20. The club guarantees £40 t< the stake, and £20 in cash or trophy is t< bo donated to the winner by Mr J. Cameron the president of the club. The 6Uke i; open to dogs which have not won more thai £5 in any one stake, and on the sann date an open stake for an unlimited nuin be-r of dogs at £3 each will also be decided Entries for the open event close on Julj 25. NEW SOUTH WALES WATERLOO CUP A Sydney Cable states that in the decidini course for the Waterloo Cup Mr Lamb's Lane line beat Mr Haynes's Fondling, and won th stake.