Pig Racing
| On Saturday 26th July a
collection of Wodehousiana mixed freely with the other
fauna at Bockett's Farm in the rolling pastures of Surrey.
We the members were about the same number and
international cross-section as at a Savage Club evening,
but not the same people. This appealed to the outdoor
element. There is much less chance of heavy rain falling
in the Savage Club. Here clouds brooded and we had
umbrellas, always ready and often up. But it was a
memorable day. The sideshows with goats to milk, peacocks to look at, toy tractors to drive, and llamas to stroke appealed to the younger element (5 to 10, say). Why did Ukridge not try running one of these farms? That would have given us "Love Among the Llamas" no doubt, if Jeremy Garnet had found a lass from nearby Leatherhead to love. And we were in the natural habitat of golf courses. But we had come mainly for the pig racing. None of the contestants were black or Berkshires or even plump; indeed they had recently been weaned. To the inexpert eye they looked like piglets. The authorities had renamed them for our benefit, and for the first race at 12.45 the result was 1. Lord Blicester, in
green and the rest in uncertain order: Buckinghamshire Big Boy in blue, Queen of Matchingham in orange, Lord Yaxley in purple, and Pride of Matchingham in red were all milling round the Donaldson's Dog-Joy at the end. There were no bets but disputes about the finishing order suggested that the steward was called Steggles. Between the races and the showers, when not eating and chatting under the Tea-Room awnings, we went to a school-room for the Pighoooey competition. Our Remembrancer Lt Col. Murphy gave the background to the research done by him and his American colleagues to track down the Patzel story. A member from Germany gave an admirable 'Komm Schweine, Komm Schweine' call. Then a dozen intrepid members matched their calls precisely to the description of the correct hog call as in the American press and Wodehouse. There were many magnificent calls, and Rhona Topaz and Alexandra Wipf won prizes. Finally we had a "Pighoooey all together", which must have disturbed the humans outside not to mention the pigs. At 3.45 the second pig race was won by The Pride of Matchingham, with Empress of Blandings again second. This time the pigs were hog-called all round the course, but even so, stopped where they had found their Pig-Joy after the first race. Cruel Steggles had left it two feet further ahead. Whether it was this skulduggery, or the gathering storm, I cannot say, but soon after that many, including your servant and scribe, left, excellently Gruntled. |