Hunting horn heralds West Ham

West Ham United football Club, in an effort to recreate and evoke “resplendent” memories of the distant past, drew on the hunting community to raise spirits before a major play-off last night.

Ken Hand, huntsman of the Essex Farmers and Union Hunt was asked by the club manager, Alan Pardew, if he would lead out the footballers onto the pitch at the beginning of their high-profile match against Ipswich last night.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, when bands were all the rage, the Leyton Silver Band played at West Ham matches, and it was always the tradition that the club should come out headed by a horn-blower blowing the post-horn gallop. Ken had been keen to blow the ‘gone-away’ call, but settled eventually for doubling the horn as sounding more appropriate on a fully miked-up hunting horn in a football stadium.

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