Veg Of Darkness: A Smashing Time At The Grove & Rufford

It was the final meet of the season for seasoned foxhunters the Grove & Rufford last Saturday. Sabs were on them all day and frustration boiled over – they were clearly determined to go out with a bang.

The venue was Hodsock Cottage Farm, a meet notorious for violence thanks, in part, to its proximity to the Sandbeck shooting estate. It is also home to hunt master JH Taylor, and the base for his frozen food enterprise “Garden Gold”. Despite the massive onsite refrigeration, temperatures rose once sabs were on the land getting a bird’s eye view of hapless huntsman Haddock blatantly casting his hounds into a covert.

Fridge magnate Taylor immediately assaulted one sab with his whip, then gloated on camera about it. Lurking thugs threw rocks and made threats against sab foot teams who determinedly followed hounds.

Hounds and huntsman ranged far and wide during the day, often speaking and occasionally going into cry. There was zero evidence of any trail being laid. Sheff sabs were able to stay on the scent though despite constant hunt intimidation, the windscreen of one vehicle being smashed in a drive-by bricking by masked up hunt supporters on a quad bike.

Joined by the mighty Lincoln and Nottingham groups later in the afternoon, sabs began to assert the upper hand. Perhaps determined to make the most of his last day in the job, Huntsman Haddock tried to give sabs the fishfinger by hunting until sunset. It was to no avail, however – sabs were all over the plaice.

Eventually, he turned tail for home and led riders and hounds in a brisk trot along a bridleway crossing the A60 near Langold. As the hunt blocked traffic in both directions, a trap was sprung as masked up hunt thugs attacked Lincoln and Notts vehicles with bricks and a fire extinguisher before making their escape at high speed through a residential area. Undeterred, sabs walked into the meet to check the hounds were boxed up and headed for home.

Throughout the day the hunt tried to find foxes on land owned by Hodsock Priory. This business rents out as a backdrop for happy couples tying the knot. How many of those heading up the aisle know about their sordid complicity in animal cruelty? In another sideline they cultivate willow for bats, sold by JS Wright & Sons. Forty hounds against one fox – surely that’s just not cricket? As the Taylors also rent much of their land from the priory – they are clearly very happy to receive blood money from illegal fox hunting!