Waterloo Cup Memories

[wirral countryman 2,110]

Well chaps, I thought I'd put a few old cards I come across in the shed and an original poster I had framed with the card inserted in the back, just wondered what memories you lads have, I went from as early as I could and my memories are of great days watching course after course in the freezing cold, my flask and camera at my side, over the years I seen it run in all sorts of weather,sometimes waiting for the fog to lift to get the first pair in the slips, it was always a cold place and there seemed no escape from the wind on some days but what days we had, I used to like talking to the owners in their enclosure and found some to be really nice grounded people, I remember one year late 80's I took a car load with me and 1 lad who was a lot older than us and loved a drink, in fact he ended up an "alco" anyway we had no sooner got in and he was on the drink whilst we had a look around the few stalls that used to attend, we met up with lots of old friends and went around to the public bank for a good speck before it got to busy, on sitting down my mate tells us he'd bought a raffle ticket for a gallon bottle of whiskey for a pound at the "Coursing Club" stand,we thought no more about it really, as the day wore on it was really freezing and my mate who was half pissed had fallen asleep but upon waking around dinner time with about 20 slips left he had us worried as he actually looked "blue", I told him to take my keys and get in the van front seat and start the engine,put the heater on and get warmed up,so off he went, when the coursing finished we walked back round to the field to see a few more lads we promised to meet,a half hour later we got back to my van to see a funny sight, my mate was fast asleep in the front seat hugging a gallon bottle of "BELLS" like it was the "Waterloo Cup", it turned out that once he had warmed up he would check the raffle and to his surprise he'd won it, he'd drank the contents of the neck and promptly fell asleep again,LOL's, he looked like an angel, never seen a man look so content,anyway I look forward to your memories and thoughts, WM

 

anyone know why this card and poster is "special"

the coursing lads will get it easily

 

 

 

we used to attend the puppy stakes,Sefton trophy for open age 24 dogs,The scaribrick trophy for 8 dog puppies, The Scarisbrick hotel stake for 8 bitch puppies and the Hillhouse stake for 8 all aged.

 

even wrapped in all this it was freezing,but how I miss it.

 

 

[darbo 4,774]

First went in the 80s through to the last one had some cracking days out.Plenty of laughs on the public bank some extremly cold ones also such a shame it ended.Great times.

 

[darbo 4,774]

http://youtu.be/3IaEzF99jFQ

[nans pat 2,575]

says october on the card..was it run that early in the season.

[wirral countryman 2,110]

my best memories was as a kid waiting behind the end bush with my lurcher and running any hares that came out lol we used to get bollocked for that haha we was only kids though and never really give a toss,we used to get more cheers than the greyhounds,also chucking dead stuff at the anti's and listening to the shouts of them ! funny days,plus all the different lads and girls from all over the place coming for the three days nomatter what the weather and having a good time,the bank was the best, i met some mates there in the 80's i still speak to today just glad to have the memories atb AT

I seen that a few times, I also remember the Netherton lads having their own Waterloo cup on the first day,loads of us watched from the bank whilst the police chased them in landrovers,LOL,s,I,ve got loads of videos I shot of the first day each year,happy days, WM

[krawnden 1,036]

Miss it terribly. Like maxhardcore says, too many memories to list. But here's a few -

 

Clarissa D-W stomping round in her plus twos with a big smile on her face and happy to chat with anyone

 

One year I thought I was all organised 'cos I took a little foldup chair - my mates all pissed themselves laughing when I tried to use it on the bank as the legs just sank right into the mud and the chair got stuck there

 

All the banter and craic on the bank. One year some nutter stripped off and went for a 'swim' in a big muddy puddle on the WIthins just in front of the bank

 

Another time a police landrover slipped off the track and into the ditch at the far end from the shy. (They called them 'ditches' but they went halfway to Australia )

 

One year some American woman brought a tiny little black and white bitch over that was running. She was unbelievably slow on the run up, but just kept on going, and was still racking up the points long after her opponents were just rocking horses. Can't remember the bitch's name without looking back through my old cards. Most of my mates didn't rate her at all as they argued a greyhound was all about speed and cut-and-thrust, but I really liked her. Think she'd have been a great starting point for a lurcher...

 

The craic in Southport in the evenings

 

Mark Prescott chuffing away on his fat cigars

 

The anticipation as you waited for the first slip of the day... you could see the beaters' flags way way off in the distance, and make out loads of hares coming forwards .... then one's onto the field and the slipper starts to move but no - he pulls them back round 'cos he doesn't like the look of it. Here comes another though and it looks like we're off, but no - a second hare's on the field! Another 5 minute wait and at last they're running. That sheer breathtaking spectacle as they fly up the field ... there's nothing like it. And then the anticipation before the final course of the meeting - 3, 4, even 5 hares might come through but the slipper ignores them as he waits for the perfect one...

 

One year the secretary of the NCC died in her car at the meeting - how she would have wanted to go if she could have chosen it. Can't remember her name for certain, but I think it was Lilah Shennan...

 

And listening to the speeches after the presentation at the final meeting. Not ashamed to say that tears were rolling down my cheeks at that moment...

 

All seems like a lifetime ago now. Although I'd do anything in my power to bring it back I just don't see it ever happening. But how wonderful if I should be wrong.....

[wirral countryman 2,110]

http://youtu.be/3IaEzF99jFQ

thanks for a great video, really got me back there for a while, WM

[wirral countryman 2,110]

says october on the card..was it run that early in the season.

No mate, that's from the puppy stakes in October,just a different event but it got you closer to the coursing because you actually stood in the field with the dogs, a much smaller but better event really, the Waterloo cup was always February, WM

[krawnden 1,036]

Thanks for sharing that vid darbo. Some great footage there, though not just of the Waterloo. Though that was a really special meeting there were plenty of other good ones as well. I used to love the South of England and Newmarket Champion Puppy Stakes, and had some great times at Swaffham, Huntingdon, East of England etc...

[neil cooney 10,416]

I remember when the beats would start to come in and the geese would get up and take forever to fly over. You'd be sitting there on the banks and then "PLOP" someones coat would have a big blue goose shit on it.

Then the coursing started and was always brilliant.

Then that night in the pub ,we used to stay in Ormskirk, you'd be in the company of hunting folk, not just greyhoundy folk, but good honest hunting, country folk.

I miss that. Over here after a coursing meeting nowadays everyones in to greyhounds and that's it.

But with the Waterloo Cup you'd be sitting with terriermen, lurchermen, shooters, poachers and hot blondes, LOL.

[wirral countryman 2,110]

I remember when the beats would start to come in and the geese would get up and take forever to fly over. You'd be sitting there on the banks and then "PLOP" someones coat would have a big blue goose shit on it.

Then the coursing started and was always brilliant.

Then that night in the pub ,we used to stay in Ormskirk, you'd be in the company of hunting folk, not just greyhoundy folk, but good honest hunting, country folk.

I miss that. Over here after a coursing meeting nowadays everyones in to greyhounds and that's it.

But with the Waterloo Cup you'd be sitting with terriermen, lurchermen, shooters, poachers and hot blondes, LOL.

I thought you may of mentioned the singing and playing them bones,spoons and anything else you could get your hands on, had some great times in the beer tent after woods, the Irish lads were game for anything, great times and thanks for sharing,WM

[krawnden 1,036]

Yeah, I forgot about the geese Neil - there'd be thousands and thousands of them. And often they'd be moving all through the day.

[wirral countryman 2,110]

Thought somebody would of got why the 1986 Waterloo cup was special apart from it being 150 yrs anniversary, WM

[dytkos 17,783]

Sooooooo many great memories, too many to list.

A few bad ones too, arrested for drink driving on Monday night, arrested for drunk and disorderly the next night (set up by a c**t of a copper) fighting with some pikeys, falling in a freezing wet dyke but the craic, cameraderie and sheer excitement of the coursing was a buzz that we'll never, ever get back

Probably some of the best days of my life missed 93 but went to all from about 84 till the final one. Still got the cards from that one, wished I'd kept them all. Marshalled for about 5 years and was absolutley gutted when the ban came in and the cup was over

 

Cheers, D.

[darbo 4,774]

Thought somebody would of got why the 1986 Waterloo cup was special apart from it being 150 yrs anniversary, WM

Was the event run that year WM?