Mexborough and Swinton Times January 25, 1929

Greyhound Racing
Polka Leads The Attendants A Dance At Wombwell
Close Finishes.

It seems to be one of the peculiarities of greyhound racing that the exciting things occur all of a heap so to speak. Week after week the races might be run off in the normal way without anything untoward happening and then on some bright evening the whole paraphernalia comes unstitched and neither dogs! nor hare seem to want to behave as good dogs and well disposed hares ought to. Such a hectic night occurred at Wombwell last Friday. It seemed that all the imps of mischief had conspired with one accord to make everything go wrong. Happily, they only partly succeeded for with all the hitches not one was attended by serious consequences. The spectators as it happened were in the mood for seeing the funny side of things and doubtless they were well content to know that they had had more entertainment than they had artually paid for.

The fun began in the first race and in each event right up to the last there was some unaccustomed happening’. The second and last races provided the thrills of the evening

At the conclusion of the second race one of the runners, Mr. Spedding’s black and white dog Polka made an extraordinary demonstration against the judge’s ruling. The verdict had been given to Callon who won by two lengths. Actually Polka came in last but it was clear that there was some incident in connection with the race that did not meet with his approval. Instead of yielding to capture by the attendants, which is the usual procedure after the “hare” has found cover, Polka decided to have a gallop on his own. Once, twice, three times he completed the circuit and the spectators naturally began to wonder whether there was any limit to this extraordinary animal’s powers of endurance.

On more than one occasion Polka lost his bearings and went careering into the wire fence; but that didn’t damp his spirit. Frantic attempts were made to stop him but, having literally got his coat off to it, Polka was determined to have his fling before going back to his kennel. One after another the attendants measured their length in the mud, to the unfeigned delight of the spectators. Then somebody evidently remembered what their schoolbooks told them about the method of catching a rogue elephant. A kennel companion, Pass the Mint, was slipped and Polka was steered into the compound yapping and yelping disapprovingly. A distance .of five hundred yards is supposed to represent the limit of a greyhound’s staying powers; Polka had run a mile at least and all at the gallop!

Saturday night’s programme provided some of the finest racing seen at Wombwell for some time. In the last three races of the evening the issue was decided by less than half a length. In the fifth race the judge’s task was a particularly difficult one but his bracketing of Tars and Simplo in a dead heat decision seemed to meet with the approval of the general body of spectators.

There was however, an element who thought that Rattlesnake ought to have had the honours, which perhaps was not to be wondered at seeing that Rattlesnake was the most fancied dog. I have not hesitated to question the judge’s rulings when there has been any justification for criticism but in this Instance I must say I consider the ruling was a very sound one. It was obvious all the way that there was going to be some “squeezing” at the white line and the judge’s task was not lightened when Simplo challenged Tars and Rattlesnake for the honours. Ten yards from home Siinplo had a good yard to make up. This he accomplished, crossing over abreast of Tars with Rattlesnake just a fraction behind.