Whether at local, regional or national level, sport is, after war, probably the principal means of collective identification in modern life. It provides one of the few occasions when large, complex 1PERSON and functionally bonded units can unite as a whole. The kind of sport which for centuries, a small but influential part of 2BRITISH has been staking their hopes on, is fox- hunting. Like all forms of hunting, fox hunting is a blood sport, i.e. the killing of wild animals as a form of sport. As such it is controversial. Many animal 3WELL activists claim fox hunting to be an 4ELITE and barbaric sport that should be banned, while pro-hunters argue that it is an effective and 5HUMAN method of controlling the fox population. Yet after all hunting is a part of British history and tradition – an intrinsic part of living in the countryside. A 6RESOLVE between fox supporters and fox hunters seems to be obstructed by 7BRIDGE divisions between social classes as well as town and country lifestyles. While hunters are portrayed as members of the wealthy, privileged and/or landowning upper class, fox supporters are depicted as lower-class 8TOWN with no understanding of country life.