THE “BLOOD AND GORSE” HASH
Run Number: 385
Date: Sunday 14 Jan 07
Time: 80 minutes
Distance: About 8 km
Run Location: Alderholt
The Pub: The Churchill Arms
Pub Links: To follow
Weather: Sunny and mild
HARE(S):- Bronwen (Ronlet) Jones
- Brian (BrEW) Errington-Weddle
HOUNDS
Rear Row:- Brian (BrEW) Errington-Weddle
- Emma (needs hash handle) Sadd
- Ed (Birdseye) Sadd
- Mark (Jibber) Humphries
- Jason (Kinky Bugger) Wareham
- Sylvie (Ça Va) Lechanoine
- J-F (Entente) Lechanoine
- Bronwen (Ronlet) Jones
Front Row:- Tim (Silent Running) Bryning and Monty (Alamein)
Social Hounds/Hash Puppies:Real Hounds:
THE WORDS
It was a good thing that Ronlet was directing traffic in Cranborne as the road signs there said that the road to Alderholt was closed when, in fact, the cunning hares knew better. Thanks to her directions the intrepid pack met at the car park of the Churchill Arms at Alderholt on time and in surprisingly nice weather. No one could remember the hash running from there before. BrEW was the penultimate arrival having just laid the final touches to the trail. Ronlet arrived last from her traffic directing duties and scared those wearing shorts by donning her “bramble basher” leggings. We were briefed that there was something for everyone: hills and flat, wet and dry, up and down. After the now traditional camera change for a dodgy battery and a quick photo in front of the pub, we were off, leaving Tour Guide to her dog walk.
The pack confidently stormed off East, led by Entente, and after a few hundred metres had to be called back 200m to a narrow path South – not the best start. We then chased through a housing estate and down a road, before passing under a pylon line and over the old railway line. Our trail twisted and turned with a mass of checks. We were already noting the high quality of mud we were encountering, no watery stuff, but all good firm stodge. We had a check on a road and the helpful hare noted how some hurtled past the dabs without noticing them. Despite plenty of tracks we found the way along the road before veering left off the road into an area of gorse. How we screamed as we charged along narrow paths where the low overhanging gorse was impossible to avoid. At the next check we compared shredded shins – Ça Va won the most bloodied prize easily! Alamein stood by stoically having had to brush through the low gorse using his face. Silent Running was having a lot of trouble “getting off the back” of the pack and was whimpering not to have to run the next checks after having lots of catching up to do.
A couple of checks later saw us on top of King Barrow with a really good sunny view of all the local woods stretching before us. We especially enjoyed Birdseye running the downhill false trail with the inevitable uphill return. Soon after at a check a breathless Silent Running confused Kinky Bugger by asking which way Jason had gone! Must have been exhaustion or old age (or both). After profuse apologies the pack galloped on along some good tracks where Silent Running was very briefly seen in the lead, but almost instantly selected the wrong trail to revert to being 200m adrift of the leaders. Good thing BrEW was there to console him (again).
At a leisurely check with a tree trunk to sit on BrEW mentioned that we could almost see the pub – the pack visibly brightened, we found the least likely and narrow option to be the way and then emerged into a very wet field which most found difficult going (although it did clean the mud off the trainers). Returning to the road, after a bit of confusion we then turned North, away from the pub. We vanished into yet another wood and collected a new load of mud. At the pylon line Birdseye ran a falsie left while Entente did the same right as Silent Running finally had a decent go in the lead. This was a shame as he only heard the scream of Jibber doing “a Dawn French” and going deeper into a stream than he had expected having selected not to use the obvious stepping-stones. After negotiating the last few tricky checks we found the BH3 and galloped back to the pub to give the 2 hares a well earned round of applause for a good trail on a perfect day for running.
We then adjourned to the Churchill Arms for a good pint and a really nice meal in very pleasant surroundings – highly recommended!
MUG & T-SHIRT RATINGS
(??*) - Denotes attendance by those not Mug Rated (social hounds).
GOLD T-SHIRT AWARD (50 AND OVER)
Andy (Warthog) Goodman (190); Bronwen (Ronlet) Jones (147); Brian (BrEW) Errington-Weddle (116 + 1*); Terry (Buggalugs) Canham (108 + 1*); Ed (Birdseye) Sadd (105); Terry (Walt) Disney (96); Mark (Jibber) Humphries (82); Tim (Silent Running) Bryning (80); Tim (Classic) King (69); Duncan (Day Glo) Ray (62 + 2*); J-F (Entente) Lechanoine (63); Jason (Kinky Bugger) Wareham (51); Martin (Madness) Lawson (50)
MUG AWARD AND CAN WEAR BLUE T-SHIRT (25 - 49)
John (Semaphore) Carr (42); Sylvie (Ça Va) Lechanoine (41 + 1*); Tom (Jock) Moncur (38); Frances (Stop Watch) Canham (35*); Ruth (Typhoon) Canham (35*); Jim (Forget Me Not) Forrest (25 + 6*); Helen (Elle) Goodman (27*)
NEED MORE HASHES OR POSTING ORDER (10 - 24)
Steve (Bob the Builder) Pritchard (20); Nick (Tri Harder) Bateson (20); Gordon (F Med) Rafferty (18); John (Strider) Bryning (17); Tom (Two Shoes) Gillard (15); Lesley (Tinkerbell) Bryning (13*); Rowland (Pet Rescue) Stibbards (12); Mark (Shady) Vincent (12); Edward (The Wanderer) Vincent (11); Gail (Tour Guide) Sadd (8 + 11*)
NEED MORE HASHES (5 - 9)
J-C (Moose Milk) Boisvert (7 + 1*); Emma Sadd (8 + 1*); Sarah Bryning (1 + 7*); Ben (The Slobby Uno ♂) Sadd (7); James (i-Plod) Vincent (6); John (Nokia) Noraika (5); Clare (The Slobby Uno ♀) Sadd (4+1*)
KEEP HASHING (1 - 4)
Peter Fuller (4); Ombeline Lechanoine (4*); Wendy Stibbards (3*); Heather Terrington (2 + 1*); Jenny Fuller (2); Steve (Cloth Ears) Lomas (2); Rod (Dyno) Thomas (2); James Carr (1); Julie Carr (1); William Carr (1); Patrick Ginn (1); Gabbi Lomas (1); Colin McGrory (1); David Orriss (1); Fiona Ray (1); Robert Carr (1*); Sandie Disney (1*); Kate Forrest (1*); Alf Sadd (1*); Fiona Vincent (1*); Janice Vincent (1*)
Price: Ronlet & Brew # 385 |
