A welcome return to the thrill of point-to-point racing

YOU’D be hard pressed to find a better cross-section of ‘country people’ than at a point-to-point meeting – the tender grassroots of National Hunt racing and one of the backbones of rural life here in the West Country.

Under the current coronavirus restrictions it’s an even more select sample, with only ‘officials and participants’ – i.e. those who are working on the day – able to attend. Hopefully in the coming weeks owners and, finally, the paying public, will be allowed to go pointing once again.

Luckily for me, as a member of the press, I’m on the ‘guest list’ and it was an absolute joy to be back at Cherrybrook on Easter Saturday for the Spooners and West Dartmoor Hunt’s annual fixture, held behind closed doors for this year only (hopefully) in glorious spring sunshine.

A short drive from the usually bustling town of Tavistock, with Dartmoor as the backdrop, the scene at Cherrybrook was set for the long-awaited restart of the 2020-21 season in the Devon and Cornwall area, after an unwelcome absence of some 17 weeks due to the third national lockdown in January.

While there may have been less of us this time around, that unmistakable buzz of a point-topoint could still be felt in the air. A heady mix of anticipation, excitement and jubilation as we finally got our treasured sport, one that means so much to so many people, back on track. With the eight-race card being fully live-streamed, hopefully the would-be spectators at home were feeling it too.

And although it’s not quite what we’re used to, having to keep our social distance and wear face masks, the chance to socialise, rekindling friendships and making new ones, is one of the benefits of pointing that I won’t be taking for granted on the other side of this pandemic.

> The Spooners & West Dartmoor point-to-point meeting, pictured here in 2019, is always a joy