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A YEAR IN THE LIFE: SCOTTISH ATHLETICS IN SUMMER 1985

 SAAA 1500m Championship, 1985:  37 A Currie, 1  A Callan, 17 J Robson

The high point of the 1980’s happened in 1986 and what was almost the low point was in the same year.   The high point was the arrival on the scene of the ‘Scotland’s Runner’ magazine which ran from mid-86 to late 1993 and covered ALL of Scottish athletics in some depth.   The Commonwealth Games of the same year  was but a shadow of the 1970 Games.   The financial shambles, the African boycott and the poor representation of Scottish athletes all contributed – a large part was played by the British government (particularly Malcolm Rifkind) but the result of the selectors deliberations also led to a disappointing event.   With athletes like McKean, Lynch, Murray, Hanlon, Tennant, Callan, Currie, Robson, Williamson and Hutton at their disposal the team should have been bigger and stronger than it was.

1985 on the other hand was a very good year with athletes hopeful of selection performing often at the top of their game.   The shape of the season had been evolving over the decades and the expectations of athletes in 1985 were higher than those of any preceding decade of athletics in Scotland.   Physiotherapy, sports doctors, nutritionists and facilities were all more readily available.    Performances should have been higher than before too.   Assuming 1985 to be more typical of the decade than 1986, we can start our look at the year at the end of April.

The year started with a bang – the Rotterdam and London marathons took place on 21st April and Scots performed nobly in both.  In London Allister Hutton finished third in what was only his second marathon in 2:09:16.  Lindsay Robertson was 13th in 2:14:59, Jim Dingwall 18th in 2:15:24, Andy Girling was next in 2:15:38 and  Andy Daly was 21st in 2:15:47.   And Lynda Bain recorded a new Scottish record of 2:33:38.   In Rotterdam, John Graham was second in 2:09:58.   Two Scots inside 2:10 on the same day.   There were three marathons the following week – Lochaber where Colin Martin of Dumbarton won in 2:26.58 (a course record), in Dundee where Murray McNaught won in 2:20:25 and in Galloway where P Haworth of Keswick defeated Mike Batley (VP) by four minutes in a course record of 2:27:10.   In the first women’s league match at Meadowbank, Ann Clarkson won the 1500m in 4:32:33.

May is traditionally the start of the summer track and field athletics season and in 1985 there were three track meetings, a half marathon, the Edinburgh to North Berwick 22 miler and Scots running fast times in an invitation meet in Gateshead.   The two biggest meetings were the SWAAA East and West District championships.   In the East District Championships on Saturday, Shona Urquhart won both discus and javelin – the latter with 50.28m, just two metres short of her national record. Yvonne Murray won the 1500m in 4:22.8  and Karen Macleod won the 3000m in 9:52.8.   At the other end of the M8 in Glasgow Sandra Whittaker was the best performer when she won 100 and 200 metres championhips in 12.1 and 242.   Carol Sharp won the 800m in 2:10.4, Elspeth Turner won the 1500 in 4:32 and Audrey Sym the 3000m in 10:23.4.   The Men’s Track League was now run with all eight teams competing against each other in all four matches and at the first meeting Chris Black, who by now was concentrating on the shot putt, won three events – the the shot (16.27m), discus (45.82) and the hammer with 63.08m.   19 year old Alistair Currie ran 4:04.4 at Gateshead and brother Alan ran 4:09 after doing the pace making.  Alan Puckrin ran  14:13.8 when winning the 5000m at the same meeting.   Tommy Murray beat 1400 runners in the Cunninghame Centre Half Marathon in 68:28.   Robin Morris won his second Edinburgh to North Berwick 22.6 miles road race in 1:57.24.   These were all on the Saturday but Yvonne Murray travelled to Glasgow on Sunday for the Gaymers Old English Cyder 3000m through the streets of the city centre.   20 year old Yvonne won in 8:50.88 from Angela Tooby (8:56.7).   Lynda Bain was 16th in 9:26, Violet Blair 21st in 9:33 and Christine Price 22nd in 9:36.   In the men’s 10000m race Nat Muir was unplaced but ran 28:53, Allister Hutton, recovering from the London Marathon, was 15th in 28:57 and George Braidwood was 19th in 29:05.

The second weekend saw the Scottish Universities championships on the new track at Wishaw, the Pearl Assurance races for men and women in Edinburgh, the Gaymer’s Olde English races in Cardiff, two cup matches – the GRE Cup for men and the Jubilee Cup for women – , men’s GB league matches at Birmingham and Cwmbran, and the Gourock Highland Games.   In the University championships, Martin Johnson (Aberdeen) won the 400min a new meeting record of 48.7, and Richard Archer (3:51 – new record) out-kicked Robert Quinn (3:52.4) to win the 1500m after Quinn had led most of the way.   Elspeth Turner (Strathclyde) won the 800m in 2:13.6 and ran the next day in the Pearl Assurance Half Marathon in Edinburgh where she won the women’s race in 77:07, two minutes clear of Lorna Irvine (Borders AC).   In the men’s race Richard Charleston of Wolverhampton won in 65:54, Lawrie Spence was second in 66:00 and George Braidwood third in 66:09.   In Cardiff, Yvonne Murray won the 3000m in 8:54, two seconds clear of Christine Boxer.   In the men’s race Nat Muir was top Scot in 27:55 in sixth position.  Shettleston won the first round GRE Cup match at Crownpoint in which Brian Scally won the 1500 after Alistair Douglas did a lot of the early work before Alan Puckrin took the role of leader with Scally winning the charge up the finishing straight in 3:53.6 and Puckrin and Douglas both being timed at 3:53.7.   In the UK women’s league at Grangemouth Sandra Whittaker had a sprint double winning 100 metres and 200 metres in 12.3 and 24.6 seconds.   Adrian Callan won the 3000m at Gourock Highland Games – he was leading with one lap to go when the officials thought the race was over and stopped the race!   John Duffy of Greenock Wellpark won the 14 mile road race from Lachie Stewart (15 years after his triumph at Meadowbank) in 71:57 with Lachie winning the first veterans award.

Lachie Stewart: Hero of the 1970 Games in the Stirling Half Marathon: 1985

The SWAAA East v West competition took place on 18th May at Meadowbank and the East beat the West.   That was not the talking point however: Lynsey MacDonald had come back from illness and injury to win both the 100 metres and the 400 metres.   The 100 was run into a 2.14 metres per second headwind and she clocked 12.39 before turning her attentions to the 400m where she ran 54.14.   Trailing Fiona Hargreaves with 100 to go, she came through into the wind to win by one tenth.   Yvonne Murray won the 1500m on her own in 4:16.61.   There was agreement however that the finest performance of the afternoon was the long jumping of Lorraine Campbell whose 6.31 metres was the best by a Scots woman since the Games of 1970 and the fourth best of all time.   The ‘marathon boom’ was in full swing at this time and there was a marathon in Motherwell which was won by Charlie McDougall of East Kilbride AC in 2:26:52 with Ian Moncur from Elgin second in 2:27:26.   Glenrothes had a half-marathon which was won by Sam Graves in 69:10 from Jim Ash (Beith).   The Goatfell Race was won by Andy Styan of Holmfirsth in 20:12 from Mike Fanning (Keswick)with Paul Dugdale, attending Dundee University, third.   In the Scottish Vets 10,000m Albert Smith beat Tony McCall of Dumbarton to win the Glasgow 800 trophy.

The HFC GB Championships were held in Antrim and there were rumours of Irish terrorist plots but they were ignored by most Scots and the results were rewarding.   Five winners: Yvonne Murray won the 3000m in 9:00.2 with Liz Lynch third in 9:08.34, just behind Angela Tooby.   For her efforts, Yvonne collected £500 which brought her earnings over three weeks to £2200.   She also finished third in the 1500 behind Bridget Smyth ( a member of Steve Ovett’s club Brighton Phoenix) to pick up £100.   The Scots staged a clean sweep in the women’s 800m with Liz McArthur (Pitreavie) winning in 2:05.5, Karen Steer (Exeter) second in 2:06.3 and SWAAA Champion Carol Sharp third in 2:08.10.   In the men’s 800 metres, Tom McKean (described in the Glasgow Herald as ‘a Glasgow labourer’) went through 400m in 54.2 and kicked twice in the last 300m to defeat Steve Cram and win in 1:49.12 – only one second ahead of David Sharp from Jarrow.    Geoff Parsons won the high jump with 2.06 and Paul Mardle won the discus.  Former professional athlete  Gus McCuaig from Helensburgh took two bronze medals in the sprints and Lorraine Campbell from Dumbarton was third in the long jump with three jumps over 6 metres, the best being 6.21m.

Crown Point opened officially on 9th June, 1985 with a big star studded athletics meeting – there was also a large carnival element in the proceedings.   Doug Gillon describes the day:

Quality athletics came to Glasgow yesterday with the gala opening of the new £2.3 million pound sports complex at Crown Point Road.   The scissors arrived by parachute, bang on target for the Lord Provost’s ceremonial tape cutting.   A comedy car and battling Cumberland wrestling giants helped make it a carnival day, and thousands of spectators clearly relished the proceedings.   But the athletes were a bit bemused.   Not surprisingly perhaps.   When the pantomime car back-fired, the women’s 800m runners took off up the track for some 80 metres before they realised their error.   Chariots of Fire, indeed!   And the giant Cumberland wrestlers had the microphone plug pulled on their act as World and European medallists were forced to delay the start of the Mile.  

Even when the Mile did start, the international field seemed to show little appetite to compete.   The first lap took a pedestrian 65 seconds, yet the race’s first casualty was ready to drop out.  Before halfway had been reached (in 2:06.5), John Robson, the former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, had gone with a recurrence of a leg injury; Paul Forbes the former UK 800m champion, found a sore throat too much to bear, and Italian visitor Primo Luca, all the way from Turin, simply disappeared.   But then with Alistair Currie from Dumbarton taking up the running in admittedly gusty conditions, a real race developed.   the third lap took just inside 60 seconds and the final one even faster.   But the field had played into the hands of Rob Harrison, European indoor champion at 800 metres earlier this year.   Harrison’s pace, with a 58 seconds final 400m, won the day.   He clocked 4:04 to lift a £400 prize for his trust fund, Gareth Brown (4:04.7 and £300) and the dogged Currie third (4:06.2 and £200).   The 3000m was no less fraught.  

Nat Muir’s intended assault on his own native record of 7:56.2 died still-born with the freshening wind.   And he was not helped by the fact that Geoff Turnbull (Gateshead) the former Scottish 1500m champion, who could have been counted on to push him hard, never even made it to the starting line and spent his time on the physiotherapist’s couch with a leg injury.   Muir at least ensured a respectable race.   He took the early pace then settled into the pack as Bingley’s Steve Binns pushed the pace along.   With two laps to go, Gary Nagel, trained at Gateshead by Brendan Foster’s former mentor Stan Long, looked set to spoil Muir’s script.   The Geordie had a three metre lead on Muir with 200 to go.   But the Shettleston Harrier, in classic fashion, came off Nagel’s shoulder entering the home straight, and with the change of pace that marks true class strode home to win comfortably in 8:02.7.   Nagel finished second in 8:02.3 and George Braidwood (Bellahouston) produced a spirited kick to outkick Binns and win in a personal best 8:04.7.   Down the field junior Robert Quinn (Kilbarchan) also clocked a lifetime best of 8:10.  

The Sharps, husband and wife Cameron and Carol, had to settle for second best.  Cameron, European 200 metres silver medallist, was held off by Ghanaian Olympic sprinter Ernie Obeng who won the 100m in 10.3.   Sharp (Shettleston) just out-dipped Buster Watson, a Los Angeles Olympian last year, both being timed at 10.4 in an assisting wind of 1.2 metres per second.   Gus McCuaig (EAC) was fourth in 10.5.    In the women’s 200m, the Olympic class of Joan Baptiste (RAF) saw her home comfortably ahead of Jayne Andrews (23.2 to 23.6) with Edinburgh Southern’s Kay Jeffrey third in 23.8.   Carol Sharp (McLaren GAC) reigning Scottish champion over 800m, saw a familiar sight among Britain’s top athletes this year – the back of Yvonne Murray.   The Edinburgh AC girl, who will bring her winnings this year to more than £5000 when she collects a cheque for £750 today, was a winner again.

She hit the front of the women’s 800m field after 120 metres and ran from the front unchallenged.   But Mrs Sharp had to come on strong in the home straight to overhaul Liz Lynch.   Miss Murray clocked 2:06.5, her second fastest time ever, Mrs Sharp 2:08.7 and Miss Lynch 2:09.1.   This brought another £100 to Miss Murray whose trust fund will get a further £750 today as Musselburgh’s Young Personality of the Year.  

Alan Wilson (Victoria Park) won the Glasgow Open 1500m in 3:58.9; Bob Davidson (Coatbridge Health & Strength) the weight over the bar with 13′ 6″ and Walter Weir (Central Region) the caber.   In the Heavyweight Tug of War, McAlpine’s defeated Ben Ledi.”

Of course not everyone was at Crown Point and not everyone wanted to be.   Under the headline “Proving class runs in the family” Doug covered the Scottish Junior, Youth and Senior Boys Championships at Meadowbank where the headline derived from the double victory by Glen Stewart in the 800 and 1500m events in the Boys age group, and the winning of the 100 metres in the same age group by George McNeill, son of the world renowned former professional sprinter.    There were other names on the results sheet which became familiar as the years rolled on – in the Youths age group Gerry McCann won the 800m (1:55.68), Sam Wallace the 1500 (4:05.98) and Alaister Russell the 3000m (8:52.29); in the Junior group, Elliot Bunney won the 100 and 200 metres (10.48 and 22.13), Brian Scally the 1500 (4:04.5), Tom Hanlon the steeplechase (5:54.54 – record) and Mel Fowler the long and triple jump double (7.01m and 14.20m).   At Milngavie Highland Games, Andy Daly broke his own course record for the road race with David McMeekin in second.   The Scottish Men’s League match was won by Edinburgh AC from Edinburgh Southern – both clubs dominated the league scene through most of the 80’s with Edinburgh AC having two teams in the five division league.

Many of the same names were visible in the Scottish Schools Championships at Crown Point.    Take a look at the results for the17-19 years age group.

Quite impressive, I think.   The Girls championships were also being held on that Saturday at Pitreavie.   Mary Anderson was far and away the top athlete here – two throws victories and a third in the 400m could have been three throws gold medals but for the fact that the rules only allowed her to compete in two throwing events.   She added a metre to the shot record with 13.65m and more than three metres to the javelin record with 46 metres exactly.   Her time for third place was 59.1seconds.  Apart from her performances, the Herald report commented that the standard was ‘worryingly low’ at these championships.

Under the heading ‘Sharp Is Fastest In Britain’, there was a report on both men’s and women’s GB Cup competitions at Grangemouth on Sunday.   Cameron Sharp won the 100m in 10.5 and the 200m in 21.0 which was the fastest in Britain up to that point in 1985.   Meanwhile, Carol Sharp won the women’s 1500m in 4:30.1.   Mary Anderson won the shot (14.41 pb), discus (39.80) and javelin (46.62m pb).   Jim Brown was almost as active as Mary Anderson in that he competed on both Saturday and Sunday, and won both events – Hamilton Sports 6 mile road race in 29:23 and the Bo’ness 9 mile road race in 44:16 which was a minute better than Terry Mitchell’s record for the course.   He was only 4 seconds ahead of Douglas Bain (Falkirk VH) who was also inside the old record.

In the Scottish championships at Meadowbank on 22nd June, Lynsey McDonald, who had really set the heather on fire with her performances at Moscow in 1980 only to succumb to illness and injury thereafter, showed that she was back in form when she ran won the 400m in 53.33 seconds from lane eight.   Inside the qualifying standard for the world student games in Japan it was a heartening sight for the spectators and selectors.   Others from 1970 to compete were Chris Haskett Price who won as an intermediate in 1969 won the inaugural women’s national 10,000, and Moira Walls who finished fifth in the high jump behind Jayne Barnetson’s 1.83m championship record.   The men’s 400m was a race to watch – won by Brian Whittle in a record 46.6 with Mark McMahon on 47.4, one tenth ahead of Martin Johnston.   Elliott Bunney won the 100m in 10.63 into a headwind of 1.19m a second, and became the first man to win Scottish schools, Scottish Junior and Scottish senior in three successive weeks.   Paul Forbes trailed newcomer Tom McKean through the first 400m of the 800 in 59.18, waited for his chance and was out kicked at the end.   The 1500 was almost a reply with the 1984 champion John Robson being out kicked by Alistair Currie, the 1984 top GB junior at 1500m and 3000m in a 55.4 second last lap.   Ann Purvis beat Carol Sharp in the 800m in 2:05.75 and in the men’s 5000m,  George Braidwood (14:01.17) defeated Robert Quinn (14:03.70 and Alex Gilmour (14:06.53) while in the marathon, Evan Cameron won in 2:22:40   from Colin Youngson (2:23:) and Graham Getty (2:24:13).   It was Youngson’s 10th championship marathon medal.

Tom McKean was the man who really came to the fore in 1985 as the article by Doug Gillon on the international meeting in Gateshead on 29th Jun indicated.   “The speed with which Tom McKean fulfilled a prophecy was almost as devastating as the burst of pace with which he cut down Steve Cram to win the 800 metres for Britain at Gateshead on Saturday.   UK Director of Coaching Frank Dick last week predicted a long and distinguished career for McKean who won his first full UK vest in the international against France and Czechoslovakia.   But even Dick was surprised – almost as stunned as Cram and his partisan Geordie support – as Lanatkshire labourer McKean dug in after a 54 second opening lap  to overhaul the world 1500m champion and Olympic silver medallist.   The Clyde Valley Scot clocked 1:47.25, a lifetime best, with Cram three yards adrift in 1:47.61.   “Tom is now ready to take on the very best,” said Dick afterwards. 

Cram, albeit tired after a flight from Oslo where he had set the third fastest 1500m time in history, had hit the front with 350 metres to go.   But McKean, the UK and Scottish 800m champion who is unbeaten over two laps in two years, remorselessly pursued the blond Geordie and outlasted him in the straight.   “I didn’t feel too tired and reckon I can go a lot faster given the right sort of race, said McKean, who with Zola Budd were named the athletes of the meeting.   Cram, a full time athlete who can command vast advertising fees and boasts a trust fund which now must be nearing six figures, is a stark contrast to McKean a £60 a week labourer with Motherwell District Council.

The 21 year old McKean could not afford to enter last year’s UK championships at Cwmbran and his first representative trip last month was only because of the UK title which he won in Antrim.   He got a trip to Madrid where he set a personal best of 1:47.6 which he has now lowered again.   Cram – who says he will need an operation later this year to resolve compartment syndrome which causes agonizing muscle pain –  was not the only superstar to be eclipsed.   Steve Ovett was outshone and outsprinted by former Scottish 800m champion Chris McGeorge  over 1500m. “   McGeorge’s time was 3:50.50.   Cameron Sharp, appearing as a guest in the 100m, ran 10.51 behind winner Linford Christie’s 10.42, And in lane one of the 200m he clocked 21.03, his fastest electronic timing since 1983.

Meanwhile in the international against Ireland and Catalonia in Dublin, Alistair Currie was second in the 1500m in 3:44.64, Brian Whittle won the 400m from Martin Johnston in 47.16, Paul Forbes and Stuart Paton were another 1-2 for Scotland (Paton won) in the 800m with 1:50.77 and Geoff Parsons won the high jump with 2.15m.   Edinburgh Southern Harriers finished seventh in the final British League match at Meadowbank wand were relegated to Division Two.   In the Division Two match in Leeds, Edinburgh AC could only finish fourth (nine of their top men were competing for Scotland in Dublin on match day) and failed to gain promotion.   McLaren Glasgow was a close third in their British League Divison Two match at Cosford.

Road racing was still going on apace and the Buckie Round Table  Half Marathon Charlie McIntyre of Banff Coasters won in 77:27 from Don Ritchie who the previous week had set a British best for 100 kilometres and this week ran 79:44 to be first vet as well as runner-up.   In the Lairig Ghru race, John Lamont of Aberdeen beat Dave Francis of Fife AC.

It was a very busy weekend with the trend towards bigger meetings outwith Scotland filling the headlines and domestic racing being down the column a bit.   The trend was noticeable throughout the 80’s but on this week end it was more noticeable than most – only one track meet (the Division One League Match at Meadowbank) in Scotland, a road race and a race through one of Scotland’s most daunting hill passes.

July started with  GB international Birmingham against East Germany and Tom McKean with some help in the form of advice about Wagenknecht the German, from Steve Ovett won the 800m in 1:47.11.   At home David McNeill of Lochaber won the Mamore Hill Race and John Mudie of Shettleston won the Riding of the Marches Half Marathon at Annan in 69:56.   Lawrie Spence won the 10000m road race and smashed his own record by 42 seconds when defeating Tommy Murray at West Kilbride..   At Carluke Highland Games, Ayr Seaforth won the SAAA 4 x 400m relay championship and Peter Carton won the 10 mile road race in 51:31, beating Charlie McDougall by 250 yards.

The SWAAA Junior championships at Grangemouth contested the headlines with the Scottish Veterans championships at Coatbridge on 13th July.   Mary Anderson, competing in the new Euro-Junior age group took the bigger print with her victories in shot (14.40m) and javelin (45.90) and second place in the discus (40.80m) – but when the trophies were to be presented, it was found that she had left the stadium!   Gail McDonald (McLaren Glasgow) won the 1500m by 13 seconds in 4:32.8 but had to be content with second in the 800m behind Linda Purdie (EAC) who won in 2:13.    Jayne Barnetson won both high jump (1.80m) and long jump (5.56m)   In the vets championship it was an Australian, Frank Turner, who won the 100m, 200m and 400m 11.7, 23.6 and 52.6 seconds.   Dick Hodelet had a very good double in the 800m and 5000m winning both  but slipping to second in the intermediate distance 1500m.   But the marathon scene being in full swing, the Caithness Marathon was also taking place on the Saturday and was won by Robin Thomas in 2:36 leading Hunters Bog Trotters to team victory with Dave Tayler and John McKay fourth and fifth.   Pamela Vorverk of Lochaber won the women’s race.  At the other end of the country, David Cavers won the Duns Law Hill Race by 150 yards from Graham Haddow of East Kilbride.

On Saturday 22nd July Scotland was competing in an international fixture against Wales, Catalonia and an English select at Cwmbran under the captainship of non-competing Allan Wells.   Gus McCuaig won the 100m however in 10.7 in a competition in which Scotland was second to England.   Other Scottish winners were Brian Whittle in the 400m in 47.5 seconds , Tom McKean in the 800m in  1:51.62, Ross Copestake in the 3000m in 8:12.3, Liz Lynch won the women’s 3000m in 9:13.4, women’s 100m hurdles Pat Rollo in 13.7 and Jayne Barnetson in the high jump in 1.82m.   Incidentally this victory by Tom McKean extended his winning streak to 34 successive races.   Meanwhile in the British veterans championships at Wolverhampton was winning two gold medals and one silver – the first places were in the 100m (13.3) and 400m (60.3) with the second being in the 200 (28.2).    He had just turned 60 on the Friday.   It was a busy weekend with the SWAAA pentathlon, the Inverness 10000m, the Irvine half marathon and the Irvine Triathlon also taking place.

At Inverness in the Turnbull Sports sponsored 10Kroad race, Simon Axon won from a field of 650 from Alan Wilson of Victoria Park in 30:11. Lynda Bain of Aberdeen won the women’s race and set a new best time for the distance of 33:27 when finishing thirteenth overall.     At Irvine, the leaders got lost and ran, it is estimated about 15 miles before Ray Curley and Robert Boreland won in 84 minutes.   In the pentathlon, Anglo Scot Valerie Walsh was third and Moira McBeath fourth.  There was also a preview of the match on Tuesday 23rd at the Dairy Crest Games in London.   There were several Scots at the meeting and all performed well.   Nat Muir won the 3000m in 7:51.46 with Colin Hume third in 7:53.06, Yvonne Murray was third in the Mile in 4:28.46, and Lynsey McDonald was third in the 400m in 53.79.   Tom McKean was in unusual territory when he raced the 1000m, won by Steve Cram (2:15.09), where he finished sixth in 2:18.91.   In the Sprinter competitions, Elliott Bunney won the Junior race in 10:59 and Cameron Sharp was third in the senior 100m in 10.46.

Yvonne Murray   was racing at Bislett on the last Saturday of the month and despite suffering mid-race stomach cramps set a new Scottish national and native record for 10000m track of 33:43.8; Lynsey McDonald raced in the 400m and was timed at 53.65 to win and record another time inside the qualifying mark for the World Student Games.   At the TSB Women’s Championships in Birmingham, Ann Purvis was second in the 800m to 2:02.41.   At Balgownie, Robert Cameron outsprinted Steve Doig in the 3000m to win in 8:28.1 to Doig’s 8:30.6 and Elspeth Turner won the women’s 1500m in 4:33.7.   In the League Match held in Glasgow, Cameron Sharp ran a swift 200m in 21.17 to win the 200m: he had already run faster but it enhanced his chances of being selected for the Europa Cup match in August.   In the Division Two contest the top athlete on display was George Braidwood of Bellahouston who won the 1500m in 3:50.28 and the 5000m in 14:37.71.   Billy Bland won the Ben Nevis Race from Peter Hall.

Unfortunately there were no Rangers Sports on the first Saturday of July, but there was the Strathallan Gathering in Bridge of Allan where Springburn’s Graham Crawford won the 1500m handicap and Jim Cooper won the 3000m handicap while Derek Easton won the 14 mile road race.   In Edinburgh, Mike Carrol won a hard fought race with Jim Brown (Clyde Valley) and Lindsay Robertson (EAC) to take the TSB 10 mile road race in 49:46.   Elliott Bunney retained the British junior 100m title in 10.39 seconds.   There had been five false starts before Bunney had the chance to win.   There was an international meeting in Budapest in which Cameron Sharp was seventh in the 200m in 20.95 seconds and Tom McKean was second in the 800m in 1:46.05.   At home, Alan Farningham won the Creag Dhu Hill Race at Newtonmore, Ann Curtis won the women’s race and Mel Edwards was first veteran.   Geoff Capes broke three ground records at Aboyne Highland Games – the games circuit has an attraction for English ‘heavies’ beyond the money aspect – John Savidge in the 50’s, Arthur Rowe in the 70’s and Geoff Capes in the 80’s were among the top international throws experts to try their hand in the Highlands.   Jayne Bartnetson enhanced her chance of selection for the Junior Europa Cup when she set a new high jump record in the inter-area match at Middlesborough, as did Mary Anderson with a 14.83m shot putt, despite having three no-throws in the discus.   On the track, Yvonne Murray won the 1500 with Karen Hutcheson winning the B race, and there was a Scots 1-2 in the 3000m where Elise Lyon won from Gail McDonald.   And Sandra Whittaker made a come-back after injury with a 12.4 100 metres in the GRE Cup match.

On 17th August Jim Brown won the Monklands Half Marathon in in 69:16, Sam Graves won the Ceres half-marathon in 76:01 and M Lindsay (Carnethy) won the Dalchully Hill Race at Laggan Bridge, but the big headlines were for the Europa Cup.   Here Tom McKean won the 800m in 1:49.11, and Nat Muir was in hot water with the selectors after not running in the 3000m.   On Thursday his car broke down and he missed the shuttle to London and missed the connection to Aeroflot; then when he did get on to a plane, it went to the end of the runway and turned back because of engine trouble.  Trouble with the tickets led to him phoning the BAAB who sent him a new ticket but then a personal problem arose and he couldn’t fly out.   There was talk of him being black-listed by the Board and never selected again but luckily that didn’t transpire.   The last home countries international at Meadowbank was held after sponsors Arthur Bell withdrew their support.  There had been some good performances there – Mary Anderson and Mitchell Smith won the women’s and men’s shot putt events, Jayne Barnetson won the high jump and Pat Clarke won the women’s 400m with 55.61 seconds.

With international fixtures or major track meets in England every weekend, the Scottish track and field scene was vastly different from the 70’s never mind the 60’s and the 50’s could have been on a different planet such were the conditions and athletes.   Was the scene any better at developing young athletes might be an interesting question to debate.

The top story on Monday 26th August was that Glasgow AC had won promotion to the first division of the GB women’s league.   The sponsorship received from the McLaren Group enabled them to fly Angela Bridgman back from Los Angeles at a cost of £3000 to compete.   They reckon that she repaid this by winning the B 200m in 25.02 seconds and finishing fourth in the 400m before flying back to the USA.   Sandra Whittaker possibly made her own way from East Kilbride to be first in the 100m (11.9) and 200m )23.8).   17 year old Gail McDonald won the 1500m and Elspeth Turner (after winning the Crieff Road Race the previous day) was second in the 800m and third in the 3000m.   Carol Sharp won the 800m in 2:08.6.   In Cologne Tom McKean won the 800m beating Barbosa (Cuba) and Ed Koech (Kenya) in 1:47.13 – but that was in the B race – breaking into the top tier against so many vested interests was not easy.   He was of course sponsored by Glen Henderson – everybody had a sponsor of some sort.   In the European Junior Championships at Cottbus, Germany, Elliott Bunney won the 100m and was part of the winning 4 x 100m relay team.   Tom  Hanlon was fourth in the final of the 2000m steeplechase5:39.3.

Back in Scotland, Cavan Woodward (Leamington) won the Two Bridges Road Race in 3:40:40, Graham Crawford on the Town and Country 10 miles from Crief town centre in 53:59 to defeat Frank Harper by 80 seconds and John Duffy won the Inverclyde Marathon in 2:32:44.

A YEAR IN THE LIFE: SUMMER ATHLETICS IN 1975

1975 was an interesting year: the year after a Commonwealth Games year when nothing was at stake.   This seemed to be the case when only two Scottish track records were set – David Jenkins over 400m in the USA and Jim Brown’s wonderful run over 10000m in the AAA’s in London which broke Lachie Stewart’s Scottish Native record.   It was in fact a normal summer season in the 1970’s with all the main events taking place between the end of April and the middle of September.

The main events on 4th May were the District Women’s Championships: the West at Westerlands, the East at Pitreavie.   The report in those pre-Gillon days, was by Ron Marshall, and maybe a bit lacking in gallantry.   The report began: “A Lennox corner, a flash of Paul Wilson’s head, and Celtic were back in the lead.   Within seconds the stadium was alight with excitement – Westerlands Stadium that is – and at the Western District women’s athletic championships that proved to be the dramatic high point of the afternoon.    An astute announcer fed the necessary football information from a transistor radio, and we really felt we were in two paces at once.   The crescendos from Hampden Park contrasted with the legato performances being put up by the West of Scotland’s leading female competitors, and under a warm sun, it was all rather pleasant.”   After all these pleasant well-turned phrases  we get around to the athletics where the star turn was Myra Nimmo who won two events – the 100m hurdles and the long jump.   The McMeekin twins won the 800m and the 1500m – Evelyn took the former in 2:13.8 and Christine the latter in 4:58.   Christine Chalk also had a double win in the shot (11.24) and Discus (37.88).   In the East District championships, the headline read “Golden Streak” and there are no prizes for guessing that it referred to Helen Golden who won the 100m and the 200m in 11.4 and 24.2 seconds.   Moira Walls ( entered under the Dunfermline College colours) won the high jump and Meg Ritchie won both shot (37′ 6″) and discus (137′ 6″).   Lots of talent on display.   On the men’s side of things, Chris Black was the star of the week with a Scottish League hammer record at Meadowbank of 216′ 9″.   Shettleston won the match from Edinburgh AC and Edinburgh Southern Harriers.

The following weekend had the first SAAA championship event of the year when Doug Gunstone won the track 10 miles title at Loch Park, Carluke.   In the EAC vest, he won in 48:55.4 from Colin Youngson, in the rival Edinburgh SH colours who was timed at 49:00.8 with Martin Craven – also ESH – third in 49:40.0.   The Scottish Universities knock-out cup competition was held at Meadowbank with Edinburgh winning the men’s competition and Glasgow the women’s.   The stars of the competitions were Myra Nimmo and Roger Jenkins – Myra won the same two events as the previous week with a 6:23 long jump, the longest in Britain at that point in the season.   She won the hurdles from Liz Sutherland by 0.3 seconds in 14.1   Jenkins 48 seconds.   The middle distance events however were won by Lawrie Spence – 3:51.4 in the 1500m and 14:32.4 in the 5000.   Paul Kenny was second in the 5000m, second in the steeplechase and eventually won a ‘consolation’ 1500m.

On Saturday 17th May, the Glasgow Highland Games were held at Scotstoun Showground and Frank Clement was almost inside 4 minutes for the mile with 4:00.3!   Ron Marshall: “His first race in Scotland this season, and he goes within a stride of a four-minute mile – that is the kind of scintillating result we now expect of Frank Clement, and he gave the huge crowd at Scotstoun Showground every reason for applause in the first venture by the new Glasgow District at putting on a Highland Games.   Clement won the city’s invitation mile in 4:00.3 from two other sub-4 minute milers Adrian Weatherhead (Edinburgh AC) and Jim McGuinness  of Northern Ireland.   Their respective times were 4:01.5 and 4:05..4 , and the prize values, it was reassuring to note, made it all worth while for the runners – £30, £20 and £10.   Clement reached the bell a mere fraction outside three minutes and it looked certain we would have a time under four, something which despite the passing of more then 20 years since Bannister first breached that barrier, is still very much a rarity in Scotland.   However it was not to be.   Pursued but hardly troubled by the two others behind him Clement finished seven or eight yards clear, just failing to beat that once mystical time.    His immediate aim is to win the Emsley Carr Mile for the third successive year, something no one has achieved before.   That race will be part of the British Games on May 31 at Crystal Palace and Clement should know who his opponents will be later this week.  

Part of Les Piggott’s satisfaction at winning his twelfth Glasgow sprint title was dulled when he heard the final times given.   Having run 10.6 in his Heat, equalling the best in Scotland this year, Piggott was surely three or four yards clear of Andy Wood at the tape but the times announced were 10.8 and 10.9 for those two suggesting a gap of about a metre between them.   Something went wrong somewhere.”

A day later at Meadowbank, the women’s East v West match as won by the East (255 points to 205).   Helen Golden, Myra Nimmo, Meg Ritchie and Anne Robertson in the 400m delivered the goods as the meeting’s top performers.   Evelyn Mc Meekin had a very good meeting winning the 800m and then pulling in 15 metres on Ann Clarkson in the medley relay and beating her by the same distance.   Myra Nimmo was probably a bit tired however – she had won five events at the Scottish Universities championships at St Andrews the day before, setting championship best performances in the long jump (18′ 11.75″)and sprint hurdles (14,4) and a ground record (12.6) in the 100m.    She also won the 200 and was a member of the winning relay team.   Meanwhile, also on the Sunday, EAC won the second division of the British League with good performances from Peter Hoffman (48.9 in the 400m), Jim Dingwall (14:05.6 in the 5000m), Paul Forbes (9:07.4 in the steeplechase) and Keith Maguire (1.80 in the high jump).

A week later, the main event was the British Women’s League where Edinburgh Southern Harriers were in action in Bristol where they won the first meeting of the new first division.   Top athletes were all out in force and Christine Haskett won not one but two events – 1500m in 4:47.8 and 3000m in 9:24.6.   Other A string winners were Helen Golden (200m in 24.4), Moira Walls (HJ with 1.70m), and Meg Ritchie (discus with 47.96m).   They also won the short relay.    very good team performance from a strong team.

On the least day of the month there were a whole series of meetings to follow – East District Championships at Meadowbank, West District Championship at Westerlands, the British Games at Crystal Palace, and the first meeting of the women’s Scottish & Newcastle League.    The one which took the headlines was at Crystal Palace where  three Scots finished inside four minutes in the Emsley Carr mile but Frank did not manage his third victory.   How did that happen?   The tales is told by Ron Marshall under the headline “SCOTS HAVE A GOOD DAY AT THE PALACE.”   Three Scottish milers well under 4 minutes behind the incomparable Filbert Bayi … Angus McKenzie lifting himself over 7 feet in the high jump … and Myra Nimmo long jumping Olympic qualifying distance on the very day that Olympic standards came into operation … yes, the British Games at Crystal Palace certainly gave Scotland plenty to be pleased about.   The twenty third Emsley Carr Mile always looked a certainty for Bayi, the world record-holder at 3:51.   He took four-and-a-half seconds longer on Saturday but that was still good enough to separate himself from the pack by a good 15 yards.   The man who had been expected to chase Bayi rather more forcibly, Frank Clement, finished fifth in 3:57.9.   Ahead of him in a blanket finish were Ian Stewart  (3:57.4), Bronislav Malinowski (3:57.5) and Adrian Weatherhead (3:57.6).   Yesterday Clement was at home nursing a wheezy throat and a dry bark of a cough but still talking optimistically about his running.   “Some races leave you deflated.   Others act as a spur.   Saturday’s was that kind, I was probably too keen to stay with Bayi and sacrificed what should have been an easy second place.   I didn’t even hear the three others coming up on me at the finish otherwise I might have been able to respond.”   Clement admitted to having been mildly annoyed at the way Bayi kept looking round at him on Saturday – “that’s what forced me to stay as close as I could” – but no amount of determination was likely to upset the Tanzanian.   Stewart came boring through almost as though he had set his sights on second place and just pipped the Pole, Malinowski, on the line.  

Angus McKenzie, a physical education student at Loughborough, had the honour of being the first British athlete to clear 7 feet in the high jump.   Metrically it was 2.14 metres, a quarter of an inch over the once magical figure (Charlie Dumas was first over seven feet nearly 20 years ago!), but within seconds Mike Butterfield from England had also gone clear and he went on to win the event on countback.   Myra Nimmo booked a place in Britain’s team to meet East Germany in Dresden on 21st June when she won the long jump with 6.37 metres (two centimetres better than the Olympic qualifying distance.

Other Scottish performances in London were:-  400 metres  R Jenkins 47.3, P Hoffman 47.8; hammer C Black 219′ 8″; high jump B Burgess 6’8″; Women’s 800m M Coomber 2:06; 400m A Robertson 55.9 sec; 100m hurdles M Nimmo 13.8 (equals Scottish national record).”   

In 1975 we had five Scots inside 4 minutes for the mile, in 2013 we had two.   The other events on on the same day were normally big meetings for all Scottish athletes and in 1975 they were just that for most Scots.   Top men at the West Districts were Lawrie Spence who won the 1500m and 5000m, Ray Baillie from Clyde Valley won both 400m and 800m, while in the Youths age group (Under 17) Cameron Sharp won the 100 in a time only one tenth slower than the Senior winner (11.3to 11.2) and Brian McSloy took the 800m.    In the East Championships, John Robson won the 1500 in 3:50.2 on his own, Paul Buxton won shot, discus and hammer events, Allister Hutton won the 5000m (14:28)  and Jim Dingwall the 10000m (29:22), Tony Tarquini won the 400m hurdles in 55.1 seconds.    It had been a very good week-end for Scottish athletics.

After one month, all the big names had already been in action, names that still mean a lot in the sport, athletes like Meg Ritchie, Myra Nimmo, Ann Clarkson, Evelyn and Christine McMeekin, Moira Walls on the women’s side with all the milers, Dingwall, Gunstone, Hutton, Black, Buxton, McKenzie showing their undoubted ability.   June would lead up to the Scottish championships at Meadowbank.   The month started on the 6th with several meetings catering for all standards – the SWAAA junior and intermediate championship was at Pitreavie, Airdrie Highland Games had Lawrie Spence, Drew Harley and Ann Robertson among the attractions and on the Sunday in the BAL Gold Cup match at Meadowbank, Angus McKenzie again cleared 7 feet.    The event report that follows is of the Airdrie HG partly because it again illustrates what life was like in the days before money was awarded to athletes and when medals were kept for special championship meetings.

August 30th, Stretford: Dave Moorcroft (4), Frank Clement (2), Jim McGuinness (6), Dave McMeekin(7) and Ron McDonald (5)

“Lawrie Spence of Strathclyde University relieved Ian McCafferty of one of his many national records  when he ran the 2000m in 5 min 20.8 sec at Airdrie Highland Games on Saturday.   That shaved a fifth of a second off the time set by McCafferty at Grangemouth five years ago.   Spence finished at least 20 yards ahead of Mark Watt (5:26.8).   In the absence of Les Piggot, who was recovering from enteritis, Gordon Currie (Law and District) took the handicap  100 yards in 10.4 sec off 8.5 metres.   Piggot would have been pressed to concede that mammoth start and win.    Ann Robertson (Central Region) and Drew Harley (Pitreavie), who became engaged at Easter, left the meeting with their bottom drawer well bolstered.   Ann won the handicap 100 and scratch 200 in 12 sec and 25.3 sec, and Drew, having failed to finish in the 100 final, looked a winner all the way in the scratch 200 metres, leading by about 6 yards in a fast 21.9 sec.   Their prize haul – a continental quilt,  a lilo bed and a set of sheets.   Someone on the Games committee gets a prize himself for that kind of selection.”   Pity the poor committee man who is given a lump of money and told to buy prizes which vary in value from race to race, which go from first to third in value and that maybe comes to 60 prizes in all but he is not allowed to just give the athletes the money!   If blame is the game, then aim at the SAAA!   However the prize situation was indeed farcical and I have seen athletes struggling home with prizes ranging from coffee tables, fire screens and wicker chairs down to a set of matching table mats & coasters and small ornamental cannons for the mantelpiece!

In the BAL Pye Gold Cup first round match the winners included Angus McKenzie who equalled his British Games height with a great deal of anxiety at 6′ 8″ which was Crawford Fairbrother’s League record.   Other victors in the days when men’s leagues and women’s leagues were kept completely apart, were Tony Tarquini in the 400 in 50.0, Ronnie Knowles in the 1500 in 3:53, Colin Youngson in the 5000m in 14:37.6, Allister Hutton in the 10000m in 30:16.6, David Wilson in the 110 hurdles in 14.8, Stewart McCallum in the 400m hurdles in a really top class 52.9.   In the field events, Allan Wells won the long jump with 6.38m, McKenzie the high jump, Buxton the shot (15.58) and discus (50.90) and Black the hammer (65.58m).  Colin Youngson would normally be expected to run a bit quicker than the time recorded, but on the day he was tripped and fell on the first lap.  He got up, ran like fury, and overtook the opposition to win the race.  It was a day of many very good performances indeed with several Scottish all-time greats competing – not necessarily in the events for which they became known!

As for the SWAAA meeting there were several who would go on to sparkling careers in the sport.   Val Smith won the 100 and 200m (12.2 and 23.0), Kerry Williams the 400 (56.2),  Kerry Robinson the 800m (2:15.1), C Cameron won the shot (9.30m) in the inters age group and among the Juniors Fay Nixon won the 100 and 200m in 12.3 and 25.0 and Fiona McQueen won the 1500m in 4:51.9.

The main events the following weekend were the Scottish Schools Championships – the boys at Scotstoun – a BAL League meeting, the second of the season, for the men at West London, a Pye Cup qualifier for the women at Meadowbank, and an SWAAA Girls championships at Pitreavie which included the Senior women’s relays.   With a 20 mph wind stirring up the dust at Scotstoun, conditions were not good for the competitors but there were some surprisingly good performances.  eg Ross Hepburn high jumped 5′ 11″ in the 13-15 age group and Cameron Sharp won the 100 and 200m sprints in 10.7 and 22.5 seconds, and Graham Williamson won the 13-15 800 metres in 2:04.5.  Other talents on display were Peter Little (U15 100 and 200 in 11.6 and 22.7),  P Venters from Golspie winning both shot and discus in the 15-17 group, and Derek Easton winning the 17-19 steeplechase.

The performance of the day however came from Meg Ritchie in the Pye Cup in Edinburgh: “One of the few people pleased with the windy conditions at Meadowbank yesterday was Margaret Ritchie (Edinburgh Southern) who connected properly with a discus throw to reach 174′ 11″ – a cup record, the best in Britain this season and 12 feet better than her best this season.”   Among the other winners were Liz Sutherland who won the 100m (12.0) and 100m Hurdles (14.4), Myra Nimmo who won the 200m (24.8) and long jump (6.21m), Ann Clatkson 800m (2:14) and Moira Walls (high jump with 1.69m).   Meg Ritchie also won the shot with a putt of 12.55m   In the men’s league match, Angus McKenzie won the high jump and the 110m hurdles, Chris Black won the hammer with 220′ 8″,  Stewart McCallum the 400m hurdles with 53 seconds and Dave Logue and Allister Hutton were first and second in 14:10 and 14:14.6.

Ann Clarkson

On June 21st, the SAAA age group championships for Juniors, Youths and Senior Boys were held at Meadowbank, the Scottish Schoolgirls championships were held at Pitreavie, David Jenkins set a new 400m record in America and East Germany defeated Great Britain in a two day international in Dresden.    More about these and about the Scottish championships at the end of the month to come.   Paul Buxton dominated the Junior championships with championship records in shot, hammer and discus, the distances being 16.65 metres, 61.30 metres and 52.76 metres.   Brian Burgess cleared 2.05 metres in the high jump and narrowly failed at 2.10.   16 year old Ken Glass ran 49.9 in the 400m – a meeting record by more than a second and faster than the older age group winner.   Drew Harley won the junior 100 (11.3) and 200m (22.1), Cameron Sharp the youth 100 (11.3) and 200 (22.8) and Peter Little the boys events (12.0 and 24.1).   At the Scottish Schools girls championships, in the 15-17 age group Ann Clarkson won the 400m  and Kerry Robinson the 800, while in the Under 15’s Fay Nixon was the sprint double winner although the strong Pitreavie wind made records impossible.   In the US AAU Championships at Eugene, Oregon, David Jenkins at the age of 23 ran 44.93 seconds and, after a protest was upheld, was the new US champion.

The following week was the really big domestic event – the joint SAAA/SWAAA championships at Meadowbank on 28th June.   Although not covered in the Herald report, the men’s marathon was held and won by Colin Youngson in a championship best of  2:16:50 (in the colours of ESH) from fellow Aberdonian Samdy Keith (in the EAC vest) who ran 2:17:58 with Alastair Wood, an Aberdonian running for Aberdeen AAC) in 2:21:14.   Aberdeen was producing lots of top-class marathon runners at the time, probably more than anywhere else in the country, but the standard generally was incredibly high with men like Donald Macgregor, Jim Dingwall, Alastair Macfarlane, Doug Gunstone and company giving as good as they got.   In the track and field championships, Ron Marshall chose Chris Black as the top man – few would quibble given the mighty 227′ 4″ which was an Olympic qualifying distance by a long way and the best in Britain up to that point in 1975.   The women’s 100m hurdles was a very good  race with Liz Sutherland beating Myra Nimmo – both were given 13.8 at the finish which equalled Nimmo’s Scottish record.   Nimmo then won the long jump with 6.19 metres.   The results are below, men in the first table, women in the second.

The men’s championships had always been held on the last Saturday in June and the SWAAA had joined with them after the Games of 1970.   One of the obvious results was that the meeting was lengthened – this one took eight hours and the crowd number was estimated at about 1000.   Ron Marshall commented on the low number that witnessed the excellent women’s sprint hurdles.

June had gone and the first weekend in July (5th/6th) saw Doug Gunstone win the SAAA 10,000 metres championship at Carluke to go with the 10 miles track title that he had won in May.   Run in conjunction with the local highland games, his time was 30:46 which was 100 yards ahead of Alastair Johnstone (VPAAC) who was taking part in his first Scottish championship since his leg was broken by the hammer in1970.   Bill Yate of Maryhill was third.   Also that weekend was the BAL fixture at Meadowbank where ESH only had two track winners – Stewart McCallum in the 400m hurdles (54.1) and Dave Logue in the 5000m (14:10).  In the Division Two meeting at Crystal Palace, Brian Burgess cleared 6′ 9.5″ to win the high jump and establish himself as the third best in Britain behind McKenzie and Butterfield.   EAC were clear favourites to gain promotion and join ESH in Diviaion One in `976.   Maryhill Ladies AC won the new British women’s league fixture at Woodford Green in Essex to lead Division Two after two matches.   The big talking point however was the choices made by the SAAA when the picked their favoured athletes to be taken at SAAA expense to the British championships at Crystal Palace.  The athletes chosen were Roger Jenkins, Peter Hoffman, Jim Brown, Frank Clement, Adrian Weatherhead, David Jenkins, Ian Stewart, Chris Harrison, Angus McKenzie and Chris Black.   All good men and true but three of them lived in England (Harrison, Stewart and David Jenkins) and Scottish champion Stewart McCallum was not, nor was Brian Burgess.   McCallum was not happy about it and said so.   Certainly on his record that summer, he was worth selection.

The weekend 12th/14th July was a big one – an International against Poland, Sweden, USSR, Spain and Bulgaria for the GB men, the Europa Cup in Sofia where the GB women’s team with Helen Golden playing a part qualified for the final, the Scottish Men’s League at Meadowbank where two  records were set.   The sole Scot at Crystal Palace where it was one-per-event was David Jenkins who won the 400m in 45.7 seconds, the 200m in 20.95 and was a member of the 4 x 00m relay team.   For all that, the most encouraging thing was the level of competition in the Scottish Men’s League  match.   The two records were by Ron Fullelove (VPAAC) in the high jump with 2:05m (a League record and 2″ higher than he had previously managed) and Drew Harley in the 200m with 21.6 seconds which was a League record and a Euro Junior qualifying time.   Other results to note were EAC’s S Brodie running 10.5 seconds for the 00, Stewart of Shettleston’s 50.7 in the 400, 1:55.2 in the 800 by McCrone of |Bellahouston, 3:56 by Knowles of EAC in the 1500m, Johnston of Cupar clearing 4.00m in the vault, 14.11 by Paul Buxton (ESH) in the shot, and 62.88 by D Birkmyre (VP) in the javelin.   Division 1 was won by ESH from Shettleston and EAC with Perth Strathtay and Cupar seventh and eighth on the day.

The WAAA Championships were held at Crystal Palace on 19th July and four titles came Scotland’s way – Meg Ritchie, Myra Nimmo, Helen Golden and Mary Stewart all won hard competitive battles.   The ‘Glasgow Herald’ report (from ‘a special correspondent’) read: “Miss Golden regained the 200 metres title last held two years ago and needed to run one tenth of a second faster for this year’s victory in 24.2.   The Edinburgh girl, who had been suffering from a slight hamstring strain, decided not to risk aggravating the trouble by an explosive start in the 100 metres and reserved her energy for the longer race.   A change of acceleration over the last 50 metres carried the Scottish champion past Gladys Taylor and Wendy Clarke, two London girls who came to the meting with their reputations at a zenith.   They now know their weakness.  

Miss Ritchie, a schoolteacher from Dysart, was another  member of Edinburgh Southern to take a well-earned rightful place in British athletics.   The Scottish champion, overlooked in preference of Janet Thomson (Bracknell) for the discus in the Europa Cup semi-final, will certainly be the British selection for the final at Nice next month.   Miss Ritchie won with 1.20m to spare.   Miss Nimmo, ahead from the first round in the long jump and never likely to be overhauled, finished with a best effort of 6.30m.   A finishing burst down the home straight brought Miss Stewart the championship and an Olympic qualifying time in the  1500 metres.   She went below the standard by three tenths of a second, registering 4 minutes 14.7 seconds, and in the dash for the tape outpaced Hillary Hollick (Sale) and South Africa’s Sonia Laxton.   A slight lapse near the finish of the 800 metres cost Christine McMeekin (Maryhill) a higher position.   Apparently believing she had reached safety the young Scottish champion eased but was caught on the blind side by Janet Lawrence (St Helen’s), another teenager, for fourth place.   A tenth of a second separated the athletes with Miss Lawrence clocking 2:7.9.  

The narrow margin might cost the Glasgow girl a place in the British team for a match against Hungary and the Netherlands in Holland next month.   Both girls must be in the reckoning with a Canadian and a Republic of Ireland athlete separating them from the winner, Angela Creamer (Rotherham) who won in 2:05.1.   Liz Sutherland, the Scottish hurdles record holder, missed a medal nut must be a strong candidate for the International match.   The Edinburgh housewife returned 14.3 seconds for for a fourth position in the 100m hurdles to the Canadian Liz Daman , but only Lorna Booth of the British contingent was ahead of Mrs Sutherland. ”

In the post-George Dallas and pre-Doug Gillon days, the Glasgow Herald reported on events at British and World level almost to the exclusion of domestic events.   The issue of 28th July was a good illustration of this trend.   The main  headline was:

“Foster’s Way To Pull In The Crowds”  over a report of the  Gateshead Games as designed by Brendan Foster in which he attempted to break the world record for 5000m, and more than half the coverage was of Brendan, his vision and his running, then there were a mere 17 lines on David Jenkins’ 400 metres win in 45.5 and then 10 lines covering  Ian Stewart’s win in the 3000m in 7:51.4, Dave McMeekin’s second in the 1000m in 2:9.9, Frank Clement’s fifth in the Mile in 4:00.1.   The second headline was “Scots Can See Donna Murray” over an article about an upcoming meeting at Grangemouth.   Then equally big was “Bxton has a golden day” covering the AAA’s Junior Championships at Kirkby, Liverpool.   He won the shot, hammer and the discus.   Other Scots to do well were Peter Hoffman and Brian Burgess, second in 400m and high jump respectively.   Burgess ‘performance had him selected for the British International against France at Warley.   In the BAL matches, ESH finished third overall in Division 1 and EAC won Division 2 to gain promotion to the top tier the next year.

Into August and Ron Fullelove set another Scottish League record for the second meeting in succession at Meadowbank on Sunday, 3rd August, when he cleared 6′  8.75″ which ‘made some amends for his showing at the AAA’s championships where he only cleared 6′ 4.25″.   Paul Buxton also set a League Record in the discus with a throw of 169’ 8″ – ten feet better than his own record.   St the AAA’s championships at Crystal Palace on Saturday, 2nd, Ian Stewart made the headlines when he dropped out of the 5000m at about half distance.   Typically Ian, he made no excuses for it saying he didn’t know why it happened, this was the first time in his career that Stewart had dropped out of a race.  The report read: “I felt rough, my legs were heavy.   There just wasn’t anything there.   I can’t understand it.   I’ve just had one of my best-ever weeks of training.”   This could be the crux of the problem.   The narrowest of barriers separates Stewart’s training and racing pace, and instead of storing his energy for the championship, he must have drained it away.   Indeed, the race tempo was nothing extraordinary, and with the exception of Marty Liquori of America, the  quality was below par.    Liquori took the British crown in a time of 13:32.5.   A late burst carried him from third position over the final 300 metres, and a seven-tenths of a second victory over Titus Mamabola of South Africa.   All hopes of Stewart being included in the Europa Cup final at Nice in a fortnight disappeared when he dropped out.   His rehabilitation will come in the match against the Soviet Union at Crystal Palace on August  23rd.   He will have plenty of time by then to sort out a few training problems.

David Jenkins, of Edinburgh, won the 400 metres for the fifth successive occasion.   He registered 45.9 seconds half a second slower than his championship best  set three years ago, and one second slower than the UK record he collected with the American championship this year.   Jenkins, mature and powerful, detached himself from the challengers that included his brother Roger, of Heriot-Watt.   Jenkins farewell was over the last 200m but the brothers should be together in the British 4 x 400m relay team in the Europa Cup match.   Roger finished fifth, but as the third championship place went to Bevan Smith of New Zealand, it puts young Jenkins in that quartet.   Angus McKenzie, the first British athlete to clear seven feet in the high jump outdoors, will also be in the Nice team.   The Edinburgh champion cleared  6′  10.75″  , the same height as the winner, Reinhard Schiel, the South African record holder, and two other competitors.   McKenzie claimed second place with fewer failures.   Another South African, Danie Malan, deprived Scotland of a title.   He released a last lap of 54.2 seconds in the 1500m which brought him victory over Frank Clement in 3:38.1.   Stewart McCallum, from Edinburgh, was edged into fourth position in the 400m hurdles, but his time of 51.6 equalled the Scottish record.”

There were five meetings reported on in the Scottish press that Monday and the previous one: they covered meetings held in England with the sole exception of a League Meeting in Edinburgh.   There was not a word of the meetings where the bulk of Scottish athletes competed – eg Strathallan HG which was a big meeting with a famous road race, the only one over 20 miles in the country other than the marathon.   There were often enough no detailed results for the big meetings – eg the AAA’s, the SAAA’s – and there was no ‘Sport in Brief’ where these results were listed in those days.

Ron Fullelove was in the news again when was called in to the Scottish team for the international in Cwmbran, Wales, on 9th August, against Wales and Northern Ireland.  Angus McKenzie and Stewart McCallum had called off from the match on Saturday – but turned out for ESH in a BAL Pye Gold Cup match at Kirkby on the Sunday.   Fullelove was moved up to be the A String and he duly won the event with a height of 2.06 metres.     There was anther blow to the Scottish team when it was discovered that the team vests had been left at home which meant team manager Bobby Quinn heading to a local department store to buy some new ones!   As far as the match was concerned, the meeting started with a Scottish win in the 10,000m walk by Alan Buchanan in 47:49.5.   Jim Dingwall won the 3000m in which he was paired with Laurie Reilly, who led for most of the distance.   Passing David Lowes who had tried to make a break a mile from home, Dingwall won in 7:58 fairly comfortably.   Roger Jenkins won the 400m and anchored the winning 4 x 400m relay squad.   Dave McMeekin finished a close second to Pete Browne in the 800m.

In the Gold Cup, McCallum won the 400m hurdles in 51.7, just beating Harry Robinson who had won the international the day before.    Angus McKenzie won the high jump with  6′  8.25″ , Chris Black won the hammer with a throw of 216′ 4″, Gareth Bryan-Jones won the steeplechase and Dave Logue the 10000m.   The club was second to Wolverhampton and qualified for the final.

Leaving the top event of the next weekend – the Europa Cup in Nice – for the moment, the best single result was the victory by Christine McMeekin in the Under-21 Women’s Home Countries International at Teesside in the 800m in 2:08.2.   She was the only Scottish winner in a match won by North of England with Scotland fourth of the six competing teams.   The final Scottish women’s league match was held at Meadowbank and the only record set was a Scottish national record by Fiona McAulay of ESH in the 400m hurdles where she was timed at 61.3 seconds to take 0.7 seconds from the old one.   ESH won the league from EAC with Maryhill LAC third.   In the Nice meeting, David Jenkins was ‘at his uncompromising best’ in the relay where his split was 44.6 on the anchor leg, taking the country to team gold..   He also won the 400m individual race but other Scots were less successful – Helen Golden was ‘unremarkable, when running 24 seconds for seventh in the 200m, and Myra Nimmo was ‘well below her best’ in the long jump with 6.19 m for sixth place.    By far the best part of the article was taken up with Brendan Foster, with coverage of 19 year old Steve Ovett not far behind in terms of space allocated.

On August 22nd/23rd the big meetings were the GB v Russia at Crystal Palace and Edinburgh Highland Games.   In the former Scotland’s representatives were David Jenkins (1st, 45.7), Angus McKenzie (5th, 2.00m), Meg Ritchie (3rd, 54.12m), Myra Nimmo (2nd, 6.35m), Helen Golden (6th, 12.04) and Mary Stewart (4th, 4:17.06).       It was apparently a very windy day which acted against the long jumpers and affected almost every track runner.   Mike Tagg took the headlines however when he won the 10000m with a 54 second last lap.   The day before however the Edinburgh Highland Games were held before a crowd of 16,000.  The entire report follows because there used to be frequent meetings of this calibre with international athletes from all over the world taking part – as well as at the Edinburgh HG, there were big meetings at Rangers Sports, Celtic Sports, the Glasgow Police Sports and others.   Given meetings of this quality, Scots will always turn out to watch.

“MEADOWBANK’S MAGICAL MIX

Edinburgh Highland Games continues to astound with the sheer breadth of its impact.   The magical mix of world-class athletics and traditional Scottish events pulled in a 16,000 crowd at Meadowbank on Saturday and anyone who left dissatisfied is indeed hard to please.   You can look back 29 years of these Games picking out legendary competitors like Fanny Blankers-Koen and Mal Whifield , but the gems on Saturday shone every bit as brightly.   We had Steve Williams (United States) who had the previous day in Berlin run his second 9.9 100 metres; Alan Pascoe, David Jenkins, Don Quarrie, the world 200 metres record holder, and of course John Walker, the man who has broken new territory in the mile.  

Walker, a 23 year old New Zealander, whose employers , an Auckland radio company, clearly allow him generous leave, has had a phenomenal European tour.    On Saturday his performance in the British Caledonian mile could fairly be termed brilliantly competent.   Haunted by a cold and travel fatigue, Walker was unwittingly nursed by the others through slow early stages with the bell reached in 3:07, Walker shot to the front 200 metres from home and that was that.   His time, 3:59.9, was one of his slowest, and it was understandable when he said later “I don’t know who decided on that speed of pace-making but it certainly suited me in my present condition.” 

Williams, showing no such inhibitions, feathered his way to a 102 sprint followed by fellow American, Steve Riddick.   Neither ran in the 200m but Quarrie lent the class here.   Jenkins, the UK record holder, was unable to contain the Jamaican, which was hardly surprising, and he finished three yards down,   20.6 to 20.9.   Pascoe again defeated John Akii-Bua, the Olympic champion, this time over 200m hurdles, after making a decisive thrust two flights from home.   Among a host of other superb results too lengthy to enumerate, Casey Carrigan (United States) vaulted 17′ 8.25″ , a UK all-comers record, and Geoff Capes, as well as putting the shot 66′ 5″ clearly enjoyed himself in the Scottish heavy events, kilt and all.”

The paper’s sports editor must have been extremely stingy with space if he could not go to the extent of simply adding a list of winners in such a meeting.

The annual ultra marathon distance race – the Two Bridges 36 miles from Dunfermline taking in the Kincardine and Forth Road Bridges – was on 28th August.   It was won by one of the great long distance runners of all time, Cavin Woodward of Leamington in 3:26:45 to be followed by Colin Youngson who was timed at 3:29:44 to be the only Scot in the top ten.   There were 52 finishers in the race.   Colin won the Donald Macnab Robertson Trophy for the Scottish Road Runner of the year and he puts this race down as being the deciding factor, although his season’s racing had been very good with his SAAA victory in a championship performance also being an outstanding race.

On 30th August the Enschede Marathon was held in Holland and Sandy Keith was the top Scot when he finished second in 2:18:43 behind Ron Hill’s 2:15:59.   Second Scot was Martin Craven in in thirteenth in 2:27:10.   Staying with the marathon, the Harlow was run much later in the year – October 25th – and  Sandy Keith won in 2:16:15 which was to be his lifetime best.   With this he topped the Scottish rankings and at the end of the year he and his Aberdeen rival and friend Colin Youngson were equal fifth in the GB merit rankings.

In the weekend of 5th and 6th September, ESH men’s and women’s team took part in the Pye Gold Cup and Pye Women’s Cup at Crystal Palace.   The trophy competitions took the form of a knockout competition, open to all clubs in the British Isles, with preliminary rounds being held all over the United Kingdom and each club could only use one athlete per event.   It also covered every event on the programme, including a men’s 10,000 metres.    Edinburgh AC men had also made it through to the final.   The result was a win for both Southern teams.   Meanwhile back at home the Ben Nevis race took place at Fort William, and at the Shotts Highland Games Ron McDonald won the 3000 metres from Jim Brown.

It was Great  Britain  v  Sweden at Meadowbank the following week.   Britain won very comfortably, the women winning every event except one.   Scots competing included David Jenkins who won the 200 in 21.9,  400m in 46.7, Jim Brown who won the 10,000m in 28:54.4, Liz Sutherland who won the invitation 100m in 12 seconds, Rosemary Wright won the 800m and the 1500m in 4:10.4,  Meg Ritchie won the discus, Myra Nimmo who won the long jump, as well as many others who did well – eg Stewart McCallum, Margot Wells, Margaret Coomber.

The last real fixture of the summer was on 21st September when the Scottish Young Athletes League was held at Meadowbank where the star performer was 13 year old high jumper Ross Hepburn who cleared 6′ 2″ to set a British Under 15 record for the event.   His club, Edinburgh AC defeated Shettleston to win the league title.

That was the scene in 1975 when the sport had just started to move from the days when amateurism ruled unquestioningly over the sport to one in which there were queries (to put it mildly) about why it had to be that way, when it was moving more quickly into a sport where sports science started to have a greater influence than before over how athletes trained.    Even in road running such exotica as the Astrand Diet were coming even closer to the everyday athlete.   Two stories: I was running round the perimeter at a famous Glasgow athletic club when a coach from that club said “it used to be that we just got sore legs, now they all get bl**dy injuries!”    Then just before a Scottish marathon championship one of the runners dashed from the changing rooms and returned brandishing a bottle of green stuff – it was lemon juice that he was going to make into a drink to be waiting for him at the feeding stations en route.   “Flavour doesn’t matter, so long as it’s got plenty of sodium ions!”   (Flavour did matter as it turned out, the sharp taste of lemon puckered up his mouth which didn’t help at all.)

Coverage of the sport altered too.   There was probably an effect after the Edinburgh Games of 1970 and a thirst for what the big names were doing.   But to some extent the baby was thrown out with the bath water and domestic events were not at all well covered in the Scottish press: this did not help in the development of the sport.   There were many road races organised by the SMC as well as by local bodies which were either not reported or had only scant coverage.   Established meetings like Gourock Highland Games and Cowal Highland Gathering also suffered.    Some of the early season road results are noted here:

5th  March:   DAAA Balloch to Clydebank Road Race  12 Miles  1st D Gunstone 60:31;  2nd P Dolan  60:46;  3rd E Knox  61:06;  4th D Macgregor 61:19; 5th A Keith 61:22.   50 finished.

26th April:  The SMC Clydebank to Helensburgh Road Race    16 Miles   1st: P Dolan  1:26:25;  2nd  WJ Sharp  1:26:53;   3rd  WA Day  1:27:30;  4th A Macfarlane  1:28:30;   5th G Eadie  1:29:12.   41 finished

7th June:  Airdrie HG Road Race 13 Miles   1st: P Dolan  1:01:44;  2nd  AB Keith  1:02:10;  3rd  DJ Wyper  1:05:52;  4th  GW Brown  1:07:18;  5th  HS Scott  1:07:39.

There were many more – more than one a week at various distances.   But it was a different scene from the 60’s with many of the big meetings now defunct, little opportunity for the man-on-the-terracing to see the stars in action other than at major  Games and the coverage at times bordered on the abysmal.

A YEAR IN THE LIFE: SCOTTISH ATHLETICS IN SUMMER 1965

Scottish athletics in 1965 was nearer the 1955 scene than the 1975 one: in the 50’s there were still major sports meetings with huge crowds taking place, by the 1970’s almost all these fixtures had gone and other than in big sponsored one-off meetings, the only chance the supporters of the sport had to see the top athletes was at a major Games.   The ’60’s summer seasons still featured the classic works sports days like Babcock & Wilcox and Dirrans Sports, the major Highland Gatherings at Strathallan and Cowal were still pulling in the crowds, there was still the excitement every time the top milers toed the line in an attempt on the four minute mile.   The Scottish Marathon Club was firing on all cylinders and top class races at distances from 10 miles to ultramarathons were being organised throughout the year.   We can start the 1965 coverage in the last week of April.

There were no fewer than seven meetings or events covered in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ of 26th April 1965.   Pride of place went to the University match between Glasgow and Aberdeen at Aberdeen which Glasgow won quite comfortably.   The quality of athletics on display was high – “The most aggressive performance of the day came in the javelin where A Fowlie (Aberdeen) entered the thin ranks- in this country at least – of the 190 ft throwers with a best effort of 193′ 3”, a ground record.   By doing so he now threatens CF Riach (Jordanhill College) whose splendid isolation in the event over the years has become something of an institution  in Scottish athletics.   If Fowlie can reach 120 ft this season then spectators at the national championships will perhaps see a real contest instead of the hollow victories of recent years.   Aberdeen’s only win on the track was by W Ewing  who was little troubled by his opponents in the mile.   He was in turn well contained in the 880 yards by BWM Scobie (Glasgow University) who gives every indication of being an even better runner than he was last year.   Scobie had the race in control from the start and led Ewing over the finishing line by about five yards.  

GL Brown (Glasgow) took full advantage of the adequate interval between the hurdles races on the programme, and on both comfortably.   His problem later in the year will be in deciding whether he is fast enough over the high hurdles, or if his chances of success lie in the 440 yard event, which demands every ounce of stamina as well as an economical hurdle clearance.   Brown, well equipped with the latter quality, may not be so happy about the other necessity.   WM Campbell (Glasgow) equalled the ground records on 10.2 and 22.4 seconds for the 100 and 220 yards on a track not renowned for its fast running surface, and at the end of the day he anchored the relay team in an easy win 44.5 seconds.”  

For the record, Scobie’s time was 1:59.5 and Ewing’s 4:18.3.   Ray Baillie won the Three Miles in 15:03.7 from D Clarke (A) and, as a matter of interest, Jim Bogan was third in both mile and three miles.

On the same day, the not wholly accurate headline “Macgregor foils Wood in Road Race”, rather was it a case of the officials foiling a plot by the runners to dead-heat!   In the report of the Clydebank to Helensburgh 16 mile road race, it was made clear that Don Macgregor and Alistair Wood had decided to cross the finishing line side by side in a dead heat.   The judges took the view that a staged dead heat was against the spirit of man-to-man racing and split them, giving the verdict to the Edinburgh runner, but the same time of 1:21:51 being given to them both.   It’s the kind of thing that runners argue about in a pub after the race but the verdict always stands.     Davie Simpson pof Motherwell was third in 1:30:29, 12 seconds in front of Hugh Mitchell of Shettleston.

Meanwhile at Hampden Park, Bill Allison of ESH, home on holiday from New Zealand after seven years away, won the mile at half-time in 4:12.5 from Iain Macpherson of Victoria Park (4:17.7) and Lachie Stewart (4:4:19.3), Ian McCafferty (4:20.6), A Smith (VPAAC), G Grant (DAAC), J Reilly (VP), E Knox (Springburn) and J Reilly (VP) trailing behind in that order.   At Westerlands, Garscube Harriers defeated Glasgow University’s second team 70 to 64.   Gerry Taylor of Garscube won the three throws (shot, discus, javelin), Les Piggot won the 100 and 220 yards.   At Craiglockhart, Edinburgh University won a triangular match against Queen’s University (Belfast) and Strathclyde University.   They won every track event and finished with 102 points to Strathclyde’s 41 and Queen’ 40.   Doug Edmunds putt the shot over 50′ – 51’8″ to be exact and threw the discus 138′ 3.5″ while Laurie Bryce heaved the hammer out to 178′, having managed 188′ in a midweek universities triangular match.   There was also a match between Forth Valley AAC against a combined Dumbarton and Maryhill at Larbert with some very good performances.   A Robb (Forth Valley) won both sprints in 11.1 and 23.2; Colin Martin (Dumbarton) won the mile, Jim Brennan (Maryhill) won the three miles,  and there was a fairly full field events programme.

Full lists of winners and performances were given for all but the EU v Queen’s  v  Strathclyde match.   The season was under way!

There were five events reported on from Saturday, 1st May: the big headline went to Georgena Buchanan (later Craig) with second billing to another Wood/Macgregor endurance head-to-head.    “Three West Titles For Miss Buchanan” tells its own story: in the West District Championships at Scotstoun she won the 440 yards, the 880 yards and Mile in times that she had beaten many times in the past but three victories in any championships represent a good day’s work.   Winning times were 61.5, 2:20.5 and 5:29.2.   Avril Beattie of Maryhill took the 100 and 220 yards races in 12.2 and 26.3 seconds.  Moira Kerr won the shot and was second in the discus.   Lindy Carruthers and Jinty Jamieson were notable in the Intermediate age group winning the 880 yards and long jump respectively and Heather Stuart won three events – javelin, shot and discus.     In the distance running rematch there was no question of a staged tie at the end.

In the SAAA 10 miles track championship at Seedhill Track, Paisley, the headline gave the game away when it read Macgregor too good for Wood.”    The report read as follows:

“The revived Scottish 10 mile track championship at Paisley on Saturday was not long in progress when it became clear that DF Macgregor (Edinburgh Southern) and AJ Wood (Aberdeen AC) were to be the pair to battle out the issue in the absence of AF Murray (Edinburgh University) who was considered to be the favourite.   It was Macgregor who shaped the course of the event with with Wood hanging on tenaciously with 5:06 for the first mile, 10:05 for the second, and thereafter 3 miles, 15:19, four miles 20:16, five 25:17, six 30:19, seven 35:23, eight 40:29 and nine 45:37.   Entering the last lap Macgregor raised the pace which Wood was unable to compete with and ran out winner by fully 30 yards in the fine time of 50:23 in the gusty conditions.   Result:  1.   DF Macgregor  50:23;  2.   AJ Wood  50:29;  3.   WJ Murray (GReenock Glenpark)  53:54;  4.   NJ Weir (Edinburgh Southern)  55:14;   5.   PJ Duffy (Aberdeen AAC)  55:14;   6.   BA Goodwin (Bellahouston)  56:00.”

The East District women’s championships were also taking place at Meadowbank where the top performance was S Clarke’s 135′ javelin throw which set a Scottish record, eclipsing the previous best of 120′.   Barbara Lyall (Tayside) won the 440 yards by inches in 59.4 and finished second in the 220 yards.   Other than that, E Watt of Edinburgh AC won the 100 and 220 yards in 11.4 and 26.4 seconds.   Ann Wilson won the longjump with 16′ 6/5″ after being second in the 100.

In Belfast. Glasgow University defeated Queen’s University and St Andrews in the men’s match, and in the women’s competition Queen’s defeated Glasgow and St Andrews.   It was a windy day, witness this on the 880 yards, “After allowing lesser mortals in the 880 yards to act as hares, BWM Scobie (Glasgow) broke away with half a lap to go and won in 2:01.2, a time that on any other day but Saturday he would readily have scorned.”   For Glasgow Ming Campbell won the 100 and 220 (9.9 and 22.3), Kennedy the 440 (53.0), Scobie the 880, Rough of St Andrews won the Mile (4:20.2) preventing a Glasgow clean sweep of the track events, Ray Baillie the Three Miles (14:55), Brown the120 yards hurdles and 440 yards hurdles (15.7 and 57.2), Norrie Foster won the pole vault with 12’and Sandy Sutherland the shot putt (47′ 2″).   Glasgow  seconds took on St Andrews and St Modans at Westerlands and finished third.   Top performances were Dougie Edmonds who won the shot by 10′ from second and the discus, C Stewart Strathclyde in the 440 (51.4) and R Marshall who won both sprints for St Modans.   Allan Faulds won both Mile and Three miles for Glasgow.

Five lines were given at the foot of the page to Ron Hill’s win over Jim Alder in the AAA’s 10 mile championship at Kirkby, Liverpool.

The big event on 8th May was the Glasgow University Athletic Club Championship – or was it the SWAAA Pentathlon championship?   The students had the bigger headline so we’ll start  with Min Campbell’s sprinting.   “For the second successive year Glasgow University’s championships were afflicted with the most atrocious weather.   A gale an heavy rain made the afternoon more a battle against the conditions than against any opponent.   A spark of enterprise by the officials, however, did make the day bearable for the 100 yards runners when it was decided to run their races with the wind.   With their vests billowing and their backs uncommonly upright they were whisked down the straight to performances that were understandably flattering, none more so than that of WM Campbell whose 9.4 seconds beat the championship record by 0.6 seconds.   One is at a loss as to why the time will not be considered to be a record when one sees that the win-assisted times by Campbell (9.6 sec and 21.2 sec) are printed on the programme as ground records.   Had the wind assistance been less obvious but still over the limit on Saturday would the officials have still looked more kindly time? They would have been forced to because there was no wind gauge in sight.”   The number of competitors was less than might have been desired – Norrie Foster was the only competitor in the pole vault and only did a token jump to take the title.   The results were interesting with many well-known names among them

100:  1.  WM Campbell;  2.  R Mayberry.  Winning Time: 9.4 sec;   220:  1.  WM Campbell;   2.  McGeough.  23.6 sec.   440:  WM Campbell;  2.  A Kennedy.   50.6 sec.  880:  1.  BWM Scobie;   2.  K Nimmo.  1:58.9

Mile:  1.   BWM Scobie;  2.  R Baillie.  4:38.1.   Three Miles:  1. R Baillie;  2.  WC Rutherford.   14:37.7.   Steeplechase: 1.  J Bogan;  2.  J McCall.   10:20.2.   440y hurdles:  1.  GL Brown;  2.  A Kennedy.   56 seconds.

High Jump:  1.  N Foster;  2.  IH Bilsland.   5′ 7″.   Pole Vault:  1.   N Foster.  12′ 3″.   Long Jump:   1.  N Foster;  2.   B McInroy.  22′ 3″.   Triple Jump:  1.   N Foster.   31′ 2″

Shot Putt:  2.  AL Sutherland;  2.  N Foster.  48’10.75″.   Discus:  1.  AL Sutherland;  2.  N Foster.  126′ 7″.   Javelin:  1.  BA Seton;  2.   F Kennedy.   142′ 10″.   Hammer:  1.  N Foster;  2.  G Taylor.  110′ 8.5″

Women:

100m:  1.   P Murray;  2.  P Kerr.  12.1 sec.   220:  1.  P Kerr;  2.  M Torbet.  31.4 sec.   80m hurdles:  1.  P Murray;  2.  AH Wapshaw.   14.8 sec.

High Jump:  1.  AKA Seaman  4′ 3″.   Long Jump:  1.  P Murray;  2.  AKA Seaman.  13′ 10″

Shot Putt:  1.  EA Gunn;  2.  M Torbet.   27′ 1.25″   Discus:  1.  MC Semple;  2.  EA Gunn.  60′ 4″.   Javelin:  1.  MC Semple;  2.  EA Gunn.  72′ 8.25″

And there were invitation schools events in the programme as well.

As far as the SWAAA Pentathlon championship was concerned, the event was always well supported and many surprising names appeared on the results sheets over the years.   For instance, several senior middle distance specialists picked up medals – it is difficult to imagine any of the senior men milers taking part in such a contest.   In 1965 it was won by E Kilpatrick from L Haldane of Bellahouston with Georgena Buchanan third.J Jamieson beat L Carruthers in the Intermediate championship.   Also on that day, Edinburgh Southern and Octavians won their respective Scottish League fixtures at Meadowbank and Bellahouston Harriers beat St Andrews University at Nethercraigs in Glasgow.

The weekend of 15th May had the SWAAA East v West meeting at Nethercraigs, the British Universities Championships at Liverpool, Fergus Murray won the Shettleston Marathon, Scotstoun hosted Victoria Park v Ayr Seaforth, Edinburgh AC defeated St Modans in a League Match at Redford Barracks and there was a four-way inter-University match at Toryglen.

Maybe a word of explanation for all those League Matches being reported.   The set-up was that each Division had eight clubs competing and it was up to the clubs to arrange their own fixtures in which every club was scored against every other club.   It was maybe a fairer method of competition that the current one of three meetings with every club facing every club every time.  It worked as follows:   Club A would invite Club B and club C to a contest at their home ground and at the end of the meeting, Club A would be scored against club B and separately against club C; similarly club B would be scored against club C so that there were three results from the meeting.   Points for win/loss/draw would be allocated and totals aggregated to find the league winner.   The clubs would arrange their own fixtures so that they met every other club in the division.   This is why there are so many League matches being reported in the columns of the press – athletic and otherwise.

In the British Universities Championships, Scots students won four events, had three seconds and three thirds to add to the two victories on the Friday night.   WM Campbell won the 220 yards in 21.8, EK Patrick won the women’s long jump title and wqn the 80 metres hurdles by a metre in 12.5 seconds.   Laurie Bryce won the hammer with 174 feet, AB Kennedy was second in the 440 yards in 49.3, M Campbell was second in the women’s 880 yards, GM Brown won the 440 yards hurdles on the Friday and finished second in the 120 yards hurdles. Bill Ewing was third in the Mile.

In the women’s inter-district championship, Georgena Buchanan won the 440 and the 880 yards in 58.4 and 2:18.7, both inside the meeting best performances.   All the best performers were there – Ann Wilson (100 and long jump), Lesley Watson (Mile), Sheila McBeth (80m hurdles), Moira Kerr (shot and discus), Carruthers, Jamieson, Stuart among the Inters.   At Scotstoun in the triangular match between Victoria Park, St Andrews and Ayr Seaforth, St Andrews failed to show up and Victoria Park won comfortably.   Ross Billson of Ayr surprisingly defeated WH Barrow in the 880 yards in 1:56.6 to Barrow’s 1:57.1.   One of the features of this match was the versatility shown by the host club’s high jumpers: Crawford Fairbrother won the high jump (6′ 6″, Cosmos Julien the the discus (70′ 10.5″)  and Alan Houston the shot (32′ 6″).   The match was studded with top class athletes: the 100 and 220 yards were won by A Wood (VP) in 10 sec and 22.4 sec, D Griffiths (A) won the 440 in 51 seconds, I McPherson (VP) won the Mile in 4:14.5, A Smith (VP) won the 3 miles in 14:09.6,  P Maclagan (VP) won the 6 miles in 31:07.2, D Hay (VP) won the 120 hurdles in 18.9 seconds, and D McLaren won the 440 yards hurdles in 64.6 seconds.   PV Milligan won the pole vault for VP with 10′ 9″, T Hay won the long jump and J Lundle (VP) won the triple jump with 42′ 3″.    Quite a comprehensive win.

Also in Glasgow, Fergus Murray won the Shettleston Marathon in 2:18:30 from Alastair Wood (2:19:03) with R Donkin (Sunderland) third in 2:30:11 and HK Mitchell fourth in 2:31:50, C McAlinden fifth in 2:34:33 and RC Calderwood sixth in 2:42:04.

Another very good weekend with six events on the card.

On Saturday 22nd May, the Glasgow Championships for men and women with many invitation schools events were held at Scotstoun, Edinburgh University beat Glasgow University at Craiglockhart, David Simpson won the Drymen to Scotstoun road race, and Glasgow University B Team beat Edinburgh University B at Westerlands.    The Glasgow Championships stole the thunder from all the other events by a distance.   It had events for men, for women and for young athletes as well as being the finishing point of the road race.   Covered by the ‘Glasgow Herald’ as follows:

“On a day when most organisers of sports meetings would have been ruefully counting the losses the Glasgow Athletic Championships with their generous supply of competition for schools at Scotstoun Showground on Saturday had more spectators than one sees at district senior championships.   The spectators enthusiasm, it was pleasing to note, was well directed, particularly in the senior handicap mile, in which A Faulds (St Modans), with the helpful allowance of 100 yards,  found himself 30 yards clear of JL Stewart (Vale of Leven) with one lap remaining.   The latter, whose handicap was 55 yards, made little impression until the last 100 yards, when he summoned from nowhere a sprint which closed the gap with astonishing speed and gave him a most unexpected win over some one who himself is no laggard at finishing races.

To dwell on handicap competition when there were so many championship events may seem disproportionate, yet it was another non-championship performance that was among the day’s best.   The high jumpers, easily seen only with binoculars, were set away in a cranny of the ground, competing when the rain was at its heaviest.   Despite these drawbacks, CW Fairbrother (Victoria Park) appeared to revel in the conditions and eventually cleared 6′ 7″, his best height of the year.    The senior championship mile was successfully acted out with WH Barrow and IG McPherson, both of Victoria Park, the main protagonists.   Barrow was at no time in trouble and on the back straight of the last lap, he moved into an unchallenged lead, strode ahead and won by 10 yards in 4:13.0.  

D Simpson (Motherwell in the road race from Drymen to Scotstoun entered the Showground only 15 yards ahead of HK Mitchell (Shettleston) but the latter seemed happy to finish in second place.   The winner’s time was 1:23:31.  

Miss G Buchanan (Western) and L Piggot (Garscube) were successful in retaining the 880 yards and 100 yards respectively.   Miss Buchanan, after having passed the bell in a fast 64.5, won in 2:15.6, and Piggot, timed at 10 seconds, had more than a yard to spare over his nearest challenger.”

The other senior and junior winners were Men’s Championships – Junior 220 yards:  H Baillie (Bellahouston) 22.6 seconds; Junior Mile: G Grant (Dumbarton)  4:23.8.     Women’s Championships:  Junior 100 yards:  J Smith (Hillhead High) 12.6 seconds; Senior 100 yards:  E Thomson (Hyndland Secondary)  12.2 seconds;  Senior shot putt:  M Kerr (Maryhill)  40′ 5.5″.

Handicap winners:  Men:  100 yards   L Piggot (scr) 10.4 sec;  220 yards:  E Hayes (Hillhead High – 12)  22.6;  880 yards:  MJ McLean (Bellahouston  28) 1:51.8; Pole Vault:  1.  PJ Bragg (Bellahouston 3′ 3″) 13′ 3″;   Shot Putt:  B McHugh (Bellahouston  5′ 6″)   50′ 10″.      Women:   100 yards:  P Johnstone (Westbourne 4 yards)  11.4 seconds;  220 yards  E Thomson (Western 12)  26.6;  Long Jump:  J Jamieson (Western 2′ 9″)  18′ 6″.

Other event:   Two Miles Team Race.   1.   I McCafferty (Motherwell)   8:57.2.    Team Race:  1 Motherwell

Schoolboys 4 x 110 yards relay:   Hillhead HS   47.1 seconds.     Schoolgirls Relay:   Hutchesons Girls Grammar School   52.9 seconds.

Undoubtedly a very good meeting although maybe a bit light on the championship events.   Good competition nevertheless.

The last Saturday in May was always the men’s district championships, and on 29th May, 1965, the West Championships were at Ayr where there was a bit of an upset in the 100 yards, and the East were at New Meadowbank.   The major account was of the Ayr meeting and read :

“It was unfortunate that the competitors in the Western District Athletic Championships at Dam Park Ayr were overwhelmed in popularity by their equestrian rivals at the Race Course half a mile away, for several outstanding  performances deserved greater applause.   The triple jumping of HC Robertson (Bellahouston) was the finest seen since the days of T McNab seven years ago, yet had the jumping pit been in front of the stand instead of  at the other side of the field two improvements would have emerged.   First the spectators could have better appreciated a far from popular event, and second, that indefatigable wind-gauge expert, Mr J Brown, could have calculated the wind speed of the 220 yards and the triple jump at the same time.   As it was he missed the 48′ 3″ jump by Robertson and then had to reject a further effort of 48′ 11” because the wind was fractionally over the limit.

On the track, the 100 yards and the mile produced the closest of finishes.   The sprint was remarkable in that R Marshall (Jordanhill College) and L Piggot (Garscube) who were involved in an eyelash finish at these championships a year ago, when the former won, contested the issue on Saturday in a similar vein.   After an excellent start Marshall was clear of the rest at 60 yards, but then Piggot, in a frantic finish, pulled himself practically level at the tape.   Although judges gave Marshall the verdict, they were unable to separate then in time, both being given 10.1 seconds.

 WH Barrow (Victoria Park) ran  less skilfully in the Mile than one had expected yet still won in 4:08.8.   I McCafferty (Motherwell) led for  three laps, after which Barrow became a hesitant leader round the penultimate bend and his lead of about five yards into the home straight seemed insufficient, for the |Motherwell runner’s finish had not been blunted.   Only determination by Barrow in the last 20 yards managed to fend off a gallant challenge by McCafferty whose time was 0.1 sec slower.”

Marshall also won the 220 yards (22.4) and other victories were: 440 R Billson (Ayr) in 49.1, 880 yards G Grant (Dumbarton)  1:54.3; Three Miles J Reilly (VPAAC)  14:19.2, Six Miles HJ Summerhill (Shettleston) 30:51.6,  Steeplechase  A Faulds (St Modan’s) 9:35.4, 120y hurdles A Heron (VP) w/o, 440 hurdles  GL Brown (GUAC) 54.5 seconds.   CW Fairbrother led a VPAAC 1-2-3 in the high jump with 6’5.75″, N Foster the pole vault with 12’9″, Long Jump  HC Robertson  22′ 3″, Shot by D Edmunds with 48′ 5.75″, Discus by D Edmunds 141′, javelin by CF Riach (Jordanhill) 126′ 2″ and hammer by JA Scott (GUAC) 158′ 4″.

The Junior events were won by N Symeonides (Bellahouston (220 in 23.8 sec, and C Martin (the Mile in 4:19.1)

The standard of competition was high – Grant won the 880 from Mike McLean and Brian Scobie, Reilly won the Three Miles from Keith Lawrie of Ailsa AC and Pat Maclagan of VPAAC, Henry Summerhill won a needle match with Ian Donald of Clydesdale in the Six Miles, Colin Martin won the Junior Mile from Eddie Knox.   The only absentee of note was WM Campbell who was winning a 440 at Sudbury in Middlessex in 49.1 .   For all that, the East District some better performances.   That report read:

“One Scottish all-comers record, two Scottish national records, all subject to ratification, six championship best performances with one equalled, provided one of the most outstanding East District championships to date at New Meadowbank on Saturday.    AF Murray (Edinburgh University) improved upon GD Ibbotson’s 1956 Scottish all-comer’s record by 8 seconds and AJ Wood’s 1960 Scottish national record by 14,4 seconds in winning the Three Miles in a time of 13:25.4, which is the best recorded over the distance in Britain this season.   He passed the mile at 4:24 and two miles at 8:52, which left the rest of the field far behind.  

AL: Heath who already has a throw of 205′ 9″to his credit this season, once again broke DWR Mackenzie’s Scottish national javelin record of 204′ 11″ with a throw of 211′.   Only the second person to throw the javelin over 200′ at Meadowbank, he is still a junior which makes his performance noteworthy.   E Osborne’s running in the 220 yards in which he beat JC Togher the holder decisively in the best championship time of 21.7 seconds was also most impressive, as was the 1:53.5 by JC Douglas in the 880 yards.”

Selected results not quoted above include 440 yards – A Stewart (EAC) 50.2,   Mile K Ballantyne (ESH) 4:12.6, 120y hurdles WA Hogarth (Octavians) 14.8,  440y hurdles  WA Hogarth 56.2, Steeplechase J Linaker 9:16.4, Shot Putt I McPherson 46′ 3″, Discus AM Black (ESH) 133′ 6.75″, hammer  L Bryce (EUAC) 182′ 10″.

Again competition was good all the way through the programme, maybe particularly so in the steeplechase where John Linaker defeated Graham Stark and Bill Ewing.

The meetings have been done in some detail simply to indicate to those who have no knowledge of the old district championships, what the level of competition was.   Many  British and Scottish competitors – including several Olympians and at least two British team captains mentioned already – indicate what we as a sport lost when the district championships were first down graded in importance and then dispensed with altogether.

Also on that very day was the Scottish Marathon Club’s 12 Mile championship race at Springburn was won by David Simpson (Motherwell) from Hugh Mitchell (Shettleston) in 68:25.

“BARROW RUNS FAST MILE

Although finishing in fifth place in an international mile, during the British Games on Saturday at the White City, WH Barrow (Victoria Park) ran 4:03.1, his fastest time to date.   The Scottish National Record, 4:03.9, is credited to G Everett and because Barrow’s race was outside Scotland his performance is accepted only as a record furth of Scotland.   The winner was J Whetton (Sutton-in-Ashfield) whose time of 4:00.3 is the fastest in Britain this year.   Second to Whetton, in the same time, was DA Graham (Belfast).

MBS Tulloh (Portsmouth), having re-established himself as one of Britain’s top three milers with his victory on Saturday, is now prepared to give all he has to take on R Clarke, Australia, who lowered his world record to 13:00.4 three days ago.  ……”

So started the coverage of the first weekend in June.   Ian Stewart said to other Scots distance runners that they were prepared to go 200 miles to get out of a good race, whereas he’d go 200 miles t get into one.  Hugh Barrow was a regular visitor to races in the south and when Frank Horwill and others founded the British Milers Club to get fast, paced races, Hugh was member number one – and he still gets his member’s ticket every year with the membership number on it.   Also on that weekend, the Scottish Universities Championships took place at King’s College, Aberdeen.   Norrie Foster had a very busy day indeed – surprisingly beaten in the long jump, he did win the triple jump, hammer both hurdles races (heats for both in the morning, finals in the afternoon) and pole vault.   He was looking ahead to the SAAA Decathlon the next weekend at Westerlands and there was a big element of preparation involved in the Aberdeen endeavours.   Fergus Murray won the mile from Bill Ewing and Alistair Blamire and the Three Miles from A Wight and Bill Ewing.   In the throws, Sandy Sutherland beat Doug Edmunds with 47′ 7.25″ and both were beaten in the discus by A Milne of Aberdeen.   The hammer was won by Laurie Bryce with 175′.

On the women’s side of things, Elspeth Patrick was as busy as Foster had been on the men’s.   She won the 100m, 80m hurdles, high jump, and long jump.

Away from the track, Don Macgregor won the 13 miles road race at Dundee ASA meeting in 63:05 with John Linaker taking first in the 3000m steeplechase in 9:28.2 and Crawford Fairbrother won the high jump with a best of 6′ 1″.    Ian McCafferty won the Mile at Singer’s Sports in Clydebank and Graham Grant won the 880 yards.   The two and three quarter mile road race round the factory was won by Cyril O’Boyle and Ian Logie won the pole vault.   ESH beat Ayr Seaforth at Dam Park in Ayr on the Sunday and good performances were turned in by Justin Togher (100 and 220 yards in 9.8 and 22.5, Ross Billson won the 880 yards in 1:54,2. Don Macgregor the Mile in 4:21.4.   Across in Edinburgh, Octavians won their match with Edinburgh AC at Redford Barracks.   Retrospectively notable might have been F Dick who won the mile in 4:26.6.

Another weekend with big numbers competing all over Scotland – Aberdeen, Dundee, Ayr, Edinburgh, Clydebank and some others in London.   The range of events was wide too – three pole vault competitions, three steeplechase events – so everybody was catered for and competitors wanting to do the more unusual events were encouraged to do so, even requested to do so by their clubs.   The tempo was building towards the SAAA and SWAAA championships.

on June 12th the SWAAA Championships were held at Pitreavie and there were a number of athletes from the Anglo-Scottish Athletic Club present to add a new challenge to the locals.   “Mrs H Payne, Britain’s top discus thrower, was in a class of her own in that event and earlier in the day had relegated Miss Moira Kerr (Maryhill), the holder, to second place in that event.   The mile was no race at all.   Miss V Tomlinson (Aldershot) having run 4:55.8 earlier this month, went out from the start as if it were a training run, and in so doing built up such a lead as to focus attention on the race for second place.   That query was soon answered when Miss L Watson (Maryhill) left Miss G Buchanan (Western) in pursuit of the leader, but at the tape Miss Tomlinson was 70 yards ahead in a time of 5:06.7 , an all-comers record.   An hour earlier Miss Buchanan had been an equally convincing winner of the 880 yards, finishing 60 yards ahead in 2:15.2, 2.1 seconds slower than her national record.   One wonders why these days she is persisting with faster first laps and much slower second laps.  Her time at  the bell was 64.5 seconds which gave her a second lap time of 70.7 seconds; how much easier she would find two laps of 66 seconds is arbitrary but one feels that until she looks into her pace judgment she will continue only as a 2:15 runner.  

The javelin throwing of Miss S Clarke (Edinburgh AC) was hesitant and her run-up so lacking in confidence that she was releasing the javelin at least 12 yards farther behind the line than was needed.   Her winning distance as a result was only three feet ahead of her nearest opponent.   Other seniors with good performances were Miss P Johnstone (Maryhill) who in her first year as a senior won the 100 yards narrowly from Miss A Wilson (DCPE), and Miss E Patrick (St Andrews University) with wins in the 80 metres hurdles and the long jump.   The best hurdling however came from the intermediates in which Miss Watson (Maryhill) showed forceful determination and no small amount of hurdling skill in winning in 12 seconds, a tenth of a second faster than the seniors.   The most significant junior performance came from Miss M Frame (Motherwell) who ran with admirable style i9n winning the 100 yards and 150 yards in 11.9 and 18.3 seconds respectively.”

It is interesting that the reporter feels that he should give advice to championship winners in events as diverse as 880 yards and javelin while seeming to condemn the domestic milers.   In 2015 scribes tend not to be as judgmental as far as athletes are concerned but at times it is maybe salutary for the plain truth to be told.   At times.

Also on that day, we read, WH Barrow (Victoria Park) running his fourth race in six days at Rockingham, Barnsley, on Saturday won the invitation mile in 4:06.3, the same time as R Roseman (South London Harriers) in second place.”   Ian Stewart’s line about going 200 miles to get into a good race seemed to be applying with some force.    In the Decathlon Championship at Westerland, Norrie Foster won with 6736 points which was 37 points better than the United Kingdom record.   It was also better than the all-comer’s record set two years earlier by S Zumich of 5744 points.   Second was AL Sutherland (Glasgow University) with  5077 and third was DAP Bruce of Maryhill (4395).   Foster’s best events were the pole vault (835), 400 metres (784), long jump (780) and 100 metres (756).

The Lanarkshire Police Sports were held at Shawfield Stadium where the Greyhound Racing Track went outside the cinder running track giving the arena a strange atmosphere with spectators far away from the action.   The athletics was good however with Lachie Stewart and Ian McCafferty going head-to-head in the three miles, neck and neck up the finishing straight Stewart just got the verdict in 14:06.6.  Albert Smith (VP) was third.   Graeme Grant won a special three quarters mile race from Bill Ewing and Craig Douglas in 3:04.2 and Les Piggot off scratch in the 100 was just beaten by G Johnstone (Bellahouston) off 16 yards. Edinburgh Southern and Octavians both beat Shettleston in the triangular league match at Redford leading to the headline “Shettleston Beaten Twice.”

Alastair Wood won the SAAA Marathon title over a course from Westerlands round Vale of Leven in 2:20:46 with Don Macgregor second in 2:22:24.   Charlie McAlinden was third 2:26:25  followed by Hugh Mitchell (2:28:06), WJ Murray 2:30:20 and Davie Simpson 2:40:01.

The SWAAA selected their team to travel to the WAAA’s championships at White City at the start of July.   The chosen ones were A Beattie100 and 220 yards, P Johnstone (both Maryhill) 100 yards, G Buchanan (Western) 880 yards, MT Campbell (Birmingham) 880 yards, Mrs R Payne (Lozells Harriers) shot and discus, Moira Kerr (Maryhill) shot and discus, S Clarke (EAC) javelin.

The volume of competition and the quality of competition was still high and relentless.   It was heavier on the athlete than would maybe acceptable in the twenty first century but the performances did not seem to suffer.

With the SAAA Championships being on the last Saturday of the month, there were fewer senior events than usual taking place.   There was the Scottish Schools Championships – boys at Goldenacre, girls at Westerlands – which included the SAAA 4 x 440 yards championship, Babcock’s Sports in Renfrew, and Edinburgh Southern defeated Bellahouston in a league match in Edinburgh.    In case anyone thinks that the league match would be an easy stretch of the legs before the national, note the following winning performances – 100  and 200m were won by Justin Togher in 9.7 and 22.2 seconds, Graham Stark won both three and six miles races (14:49 and 31:13), and Doug Edmunds won the shot with 48′ 2″.   At Babcock’s sports, Andy Brown won the 14 mile road race from Gordon Eadie and Les Piggot ran 9.9 in his heat of the 100 but could only finish third in the final behind W Talbot of Glasgow Police off 4 yards.   Graeme Grant won the 880y in 1:52 and Lachie Stewart won a very competitive 2 Miles in 9:11.6.   Field events specialists got their competition in a programme which included a high jump and pole vault.

In the Boys championship the main talking point was, unfortunately it seems, the men’s relay where Ming Campbell took over well clear of Ross Billson who chased and caught him with the two falling over the line together.   It was felt to be an injustice when the verdict was given to the University team, most spectators feeling that a dead-heat would be a better result.   The athlete of the meeting, however, was HC Robertson (Hutchesons) who won the long jump, triple jump and the 200 yards hurdles.   In the first he cleared 21′ 9.25″, in the TJ he he leapt out to 47′ 4.25″ and in the hurdles he was timed at 23.6, all into the wind.      He was awarded the Eric Liddell Memorial Trophy as the athlete of the meeting.   There were six meeting best performances at the girls event in Glasgow and the top athlete was Miss M Fleming of George Watson’s who won the 880 yards and received the Frances Barker Trophy for the performance.   Among the others who excelled at the meting, P Johnstone (Westbourne who took the 100 yards, E Thomson who won the 220 yards, R Haldane of Shawlands who won both shot and discus (all in the 17-19 age group), while the 15-17 competitions had many fine performances from such stars of the future as J Jamieson, L Carruthers, D Ireland, H Stuart and M McGahey.

The SAAA Championships took place on 26th June and the standard was high.   For instance in the 880 yards, Graeme Grant won from Dick Hodelet and Craig Douglas, all three being within seven-tenths of a second of each other, Ian McCafferty beat Hugh Barrow in the Mile by one tenth of a second with Ken Ballantyne a mere half second adrift of Barrow.   In the Three Miles, Lachie Stewart beat Steve Taylor of Aberdeen and Jim Johnston of Monkland in 14:9.4 which had only two seconds between first and second.   In the field events there was only three inches between first (DJ Whyte) and third (N Foster) in the long jump where second placed PN Reed was only an inch behind Whyte.   The competition in the sprints was fierce with Ming Campbell being  victorious in both 100 and 220 yards.   In the Junior ranks Mike McLean won the 880 yards from Greenock’s Tom Dobbin, Blamire beat Brennan in the mile, and Hugh Baillie of Bellahouston won both sprints.   Senior results:

After the championships, the squad for the AAA’s championships was chosen:   100 and 220 yards:  WM Campbell; Mile:  WH Barrow;  Three Miles:  AF Murray and I McCafferty; Six Miles:  AF Murray;   High Jump:  CW Fairbrother; Hammer   LM Bryce,    For the Marathon on August 21st:  AJ Wood and DF Macgregor.   For the Decathlon on 6th/7th August:  N Foster.

There was a women’s match ESH, DCPE and Western in which DCPE was victorious  but there were several fine performances with the winners being:   100 yards: A Wilson 11.3;   220 yards:  E Thomson  26.4;   880 yards:  G Buchanan 2:21.8;   80m Hurdles:  S Brown 12.1.   Long Jump:  A Wilson  17′ 0.75″.   High Jump:  A Jamieson  4′ 9″.   Shot:  E Robertson 31′ 9″;  Discus:  C Sutherland  108′ 5″/   Javelin:  A Grant  117′ 9″

In the first week of July there was not much going on on the Saturday – the Braw Lads Gathering at Gala produced some good results, many by students from Brigham Young University who were on a European tour with the principal Scottish fixture  being on the Monday evening at Westerlands against a Scottish Select in which the Glasgow Herald correspondent forecast a 30 point victory for the American students.   The thirty second British Police Championships took place at Westerlands where the top performances were both by Englishmen – Ernie Pomfret won the steeplechase in 9:11 which took 26.8 seconds from the ground record, and he also won the three miles in 14:11.  JB Sanderson also set a ground record in the javelin of 208′ 10″.   Andy Carter ran an excellent 880 yards in 1:52.1, a ground record, and the 440 yards in 49.9 seconds.  Glasgow Police had two wins – J Scott in the Hammer (162′ 7″) and W Talbot in the long jump (22′ 2.5″).

The headline for the report on the Westerlands match on Tuesday morning read:  “SAAA Beat Brigham Young University” and the report went on –

“The Scottish Amateur Athletic Association beat Brigham Young University last night at Westerlands by 74 points to 66 in a contest of high standards and great team spirit.   The Americans, with only 17 men, not unnaturally stretched their resources to the maximum.   R Tobler for example ran in four races, and in several other events the students had only one competitor.  The points system was changed with mutual agreement to 5-3-1, another disadvantage to the visitors.   Nothing, however, can detract from the home team’s achievement.  The tone of their enthusiasm was set in the first event, the 4 x 110 yards relay in which L Piggot, M Bathgate, H Baillie and WM Campbell won in 41.7, a Scottish all-comers record.  

The sprints, too, upset predictions, although F Russell (Brigham Young) was plainly nursing an ankle injury in the 100 yards, a race won in fine style by Campbell, whose time of 9.8 seconds into a wind  equalled the Scottish national record.   What most impressed the largest crowd Westerlands has had for a long time was the javelin event, in which T Thatcher reached 220′ 5″, a ground record by almost 12′.   Just as intriguing, however, were the near misses the javelin had at two officials.   Both hurdles races were won by Brigham Young.   The 120 yards being particularly fast, 14.4 into a considerable wind.   The winner, A Rockwell (Brigham Young), was somewhat slow off the blocks but after two flights he opened a gap which at the tape was all of 6 yards.  

It was fitting that the match should finish with a close contest in the high jump between CW Fairbrother and T Winfield.   Winfield cleared 6′ 8″ on his first try, Fairbrother on his second, and then both had three failures at 6′ 10″.   The American won having had fewer failures.   The 60′ 3″ shot putt by M Bianco (Brigham Young) was by far the best seen in Glasgow.   He then won the discus without any trouble with a throw of 157′ 7″.”

The first two in each event were as follows.    100 yards:   1.   WM Campbell 9.8; 2.  L Piggot.   220 yards:  1.  H Baillie  22.0;  2.  M Bathgate.   440 yards:  1.  R Tobler  48.3;  2.  R Billson.   880 yards:  1.  G Grant  1:52.7;  R Delaney;   Mile:  1.  K Ballantyne  4:10.3;  2.   I McPherson;   Two Miles:  1.    I McCafferty 8:47.4;  2.  JL Stewart.   120 yards hurdles:  1.  A Rockwell  14.4 seconds;  2.  WA Hogarth;  440 yards hurdles:  1.  M Douglas (BYU) 54.1   2.  RR Mills.  3000m steeplechase:  1.  J Linaker  9:09.2;  2.  R Krenzer.

Shot Putt:  1.  M Bianco 60′ 3″;  2.  R Anderson (BYU).   Discus:  1.  M Bianco  157’7″;  2.  AM Black.   Javelin:  1.  T Thatcher  220′ 5″;  2.  D Logan (BYU).   High Jump:  T Winfield  6’8″;  2.  CW Fairbrother.   .

A good night for Scottish athletics even although the reporter seems to be apologising for the Scots team winning.

Saturday, July 10th, was the date of the AAA’s championships with many Scots taking part and back at home in Scotland, the SWAAA Relay championships were being held, Alastair Wood won the marathon which finished at Forres Highland Games, Octavians held a meeting at Redford and the Dirrans Sports were held at Kilwinning.   Relay meetings are always great fun and enjoyed by spectators and athletes alike.   One of the big meetings in the United Kingdom in the 60’s was the Bracknell Relays meeting with 4 x 110, 4 x 440, 4 x 880 and even 4 x 1 mile for men and women and covering several age groups.   The farming out of one or two relays at a time to meetings around the country seems to be an opportunity missed.   However, the SWAAA Relays Championships in July 1965 was the scene of two Scottish records and two meeting best performances as well as an opportunity for lesser known clubs to make their mark.   Three of the four records were set by Maryhill Ladies AC.   “Maryhill Ladies enhanced their reputation by taking three of the four records and perhaps one might name the medley relay win of 4:05.8 as the most meritorious performance, credited to Miss P Johnstone, Miss P Petrie, Miss I Inwood and Miss M Campbell.   This was as much as a 6.9 second improvement on the previous figures.   Edinburgh Southern Harriers (Miss A Burke, Miss M Robb, Miss P Brown and Miss M Fleming) were also inside the previous time with 4:11.2.  A notable performer for them was Miss Fleming who showed sterling form against Miss Campbell in the half-mile.  

Maryhill revelled in the senior 4 x 110 yards relay, the other Scottish record, won in 48.8 seconds and the successful four were Miss C Campbell, Miss Petrie, Miss Johnstone and Miss M Campbell.   Western were second.   Maryhill’s strength was also shown in the intermediate 4 x 110 yards when Miss R Rintoul, Miss A Christie, Miss S Robb and Miss L Carruthers put up a best performance with a time of 50.5.   Second to them were Western who were unfortunately not represented in the senior medley relay.   Townhill Youth Club (Dunfermline) returned the best time of 52.5 seconds in their heat of the junior 4 x 100 yards, but failed to show this form in the final which fell to Motherwell in 52.8.   The winning team was Miss M Frame, Miss L Barr,  Miss M Sloan and Miss A Hetherington.”

At the White City, the main talking point was the running of Ron Clarke who set a world record of 12:52.4, breaking the old figures by 8 seconds.   There were a whole host of personal best and very good times behind him including Fergus Murray in sixth in 13:21.2 which was really a Scottish record but under the rules of the time could not be counted as such, merely being recognised as a ‘furth of Scotland’ best.   Ian McCafferty was tenth in 13:36 and described as being ‘thrilled to have taken part’.   Ming Campbell could do no better than third in the 100 yards where the winner – Figuerola of Cuba – was lucky to have taken part.   He had missed his Heat on the Friday but sponsors Coca-Cola (who had paid his fare from Cuba) insisted on him running in the semi-final.   Les Piggot was fifth in the final and could have been fourth had the Cuban been eliminated.   Campbell was second in the 220 in 21.9, Fairbrother was fourth but first Briton in the high jump, Hogarth was fourth in the 120 yards hurdles, and Ken Ballantyne was seventh in 4:07 in a slow mile which was won by Alan Simpson in 4:01.7.   The injury that had kept Hugh Barrow out of the match against Brigham Young, also made him an absentee at these championships.

Back at home Alastair Wood won the Forres Marathon in 2:29:54 with Ron Coleman of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers second in 2:33:50, and  D Davidson of Forres third with 2:47:06.   In the actual meeting, Peter Gabbett won the 100 yards in 10 seconds, Clark Wallace of Shettleston won the Mile in 4:24.2 off 140 yards, and Steve Taylor won the North of Scotland Two Miles Championship in 9:29.4.   The Octavians open meeting in Edinburgh was a tour de force for Mike Bathgate who won 100, 220 and 440 yards, and Dave Walker who won long jump, triple and high jumps events.   In the women’s events Ann Wilson won the long jump and shot putt.   Georgena Buchanan won the 440 and Lesley Watson the 880.   Dirrans Sports, held annually at Kilwinning in Ayrshire had a 13 mile road race strongly supported by the Scottish Marathon Club, this was won in 1965 by Gordon Eadie of Cambuslang (1:17:120 from Charlie McAlinden (1:17:30) and David Simpson (1:19:08).   Jim Johnstone, a very much under rated runner over a wide range of endurance events won the 880 yards off 10 yards  in 1:56 on a track not of the best, Pat Maclagan won the Mile (4:21.2 off 105 yards) and Joe Reilly won the Two Miles team race ((9:12.6).

It had been another very busy weekend with two road races and five track meetings for the athletes to chose from and almost all events available somewhere in Scotland.

The big event as far as the press was concerned was, on 17th July, rightly, the international fixture between Scotland, Wales and the Midland Counties at Salford, but for the domestic scene attention focused on Kirkintilloch Highland Games, a second Octavians open meeting in Edinburgh, The Honest Toun Sports at Musselburgh and an open meeting at Portwilliam in Galloway.  The Honest Toun Meeting, organised by the local authority, was  a very good meeting indeed with events for both men and women.  The thirteen mile road race in Scotland was won by Andrew Brown of Motherwell by team mate and former winner David Simpson in 1:10:02, and Joe Reilly won the Two Miles team race in 9:17.8.   In Edinburgh at the Octavians meeting Neil Donnachie won the 660 yards and the three-quarter miles races in 1:28.3 and 3:16.8, WA Hogarth won the 150 yards and the 330 yards in 12.8 and 36.1 seconds.   In the international at Salford, Ming Campbell won the 100 yards from Lynn Davies and been congratulated by Lynn and his coach Ron Pickering – and the judges gave the verdict to Davies.   He immediately conceded and said that the Scot had won but the result stood for the results.   Campbell also won the 220 yards.   Other Scottish winners were Ian McCafferty in the Two Miles in 8:42, and Georgena Buchanan in the 880 yards in 2:11.8.

In the twenty first century when is seeking top-level competition in the hope that it means fast times, local events of many years standing are mostly ignored.   That was not the case in the 1960’s when the top men took every chance to test themselves against each other.   They became battle hardened in a way that those who do mainly paced races never will.   On 24th July the Gourock Highland Games gave evidence of this.   The report of the Games follows.

“Despite the sodden ground conditions six ground records were established at the Gourock Highland Games on Saturday, the most notable example of that being G Grant (Dumbarton) who won the open half mile handicap from scratch in 1:54.9.   Grant ran so well that even at half distance he looked all-over the winner, no mean achievement against opponents of the calibre of I McPherson (Victoria Park) who, after having received eight yards start was beaten by 20.    JL Stewart (Vale of Leven), the Scottish Three Miles champion, took no fewer than 7.8 seconds off the existing two miles best time in recording 9:03 and beating AH Brown (Motherwell) by 8.3 seconds.   Motherwell won the team race with 10 points.  

G Eadie (Cambuslang), the former Scottish marathon champion and holder of the Edinburgh to Glasgow road race record,   had a fine victory in the 14 miles road race via Inverkip and the Cloch Road, registering a new record time of 1:14:04, aan improvement of 4.4 seconds on the previous best.   C McAlinden (Babcock and Wilcox) was second, and D Simpson (Motherwell), the holder, third nearly 20 second behind the winner.   Bellahouston Harriers (M McLean, W Robertson, P Ritchie and D Young) retained the Auchmountain Trophy by winning the medley race in 3:34.5, 3.4 seconds faster than the previous record, held by Ayr Seaforth AC.   Western AC (Miss P Brodie, Miss G Buchanan, Miss M McGahey and Miss S McBeth) , the holders, again won the 4 x 1 lap relay in the new best time of 1:24.5, 1.6 better than their previous best.   Greenock High’s 1:34.4 in the junior inter-school 4 x half lap relay was the other Games best performance. ” 

The other notable running performance not mentioned in the report include Jim Brennan (Maryhill – 85 yards) winning the mile from Jim Johnstone (Monkland – 20) in 4:20.   In the field events Cosmos Julien (VP) with an allowance of 4″ won the handicap high jump from Crawford Fairbrother (scr) by one inch, his aggregate 6’6″ being better than Fairbrother’s 6′ 5″; Peter Milligan (VP – 2′ 8″) won the pole vault from Ian Logie (Clydesdale – 1′ 6″)and in the throws Doug Edmunds (Strathclyde University – scr) was second to GB McHugh (Unatt – 4′ 9″) and Laurie Bryce won the caber.

Ian McCafferty might well have run against Lachie and Andy in the two miles had he not been running at Cardiff in the Welsh Games.   He finished first in the three miles in 13:30, beating Ron Hill by two yards.   Ming Campbell ran in the 100 yards defeating R Jones and L Davies in 9.8 seconds.   The Edinburgh Highland Games were also taking place on that weekend with many English athletes taking part.   The Scots winners were – 100 yards handicap: M Bathgate (scr) 10 sec;  100 yards scratch:  J Togher 10.1 sec; 220 handicap:  D Walker 22.1;  880 yards handicap:  A Roden (36) 1:52.3.   Mile:  JK Wight (130)  4:19.1.   High Jump Handicap:  HT Stevenson (9″)  6′ 7″.   Shot Putt Handicap: J Scott (10′) 51′ 10″

Ladies:   100 yards handicap:   R Elliott (8 yards)  11 seconds; 880 yards scratch: I Inwood 2:19.1.

Finally, at Chiswick, London, during the Sward Trophy meeting, Ken Ballantyne won the invitation mile by a second in 4:08.

BERT McFall, December 5, 1932 – January 4, 2016

BERT McFall, who has died aged 83, was a popular and respected figure in Scotland’s athletics community for whom running was not so much a sport as a way of life. He had a deep and enduring passion for it from childhood days till a hip operation seven years ago brought an end to a long and successful career.

During that time he won medals at district and national level on the track, on the road and over the country, enjoying particular success latterly as a veteran or masters athlete. He was accomplished over a wide range of distances from the mile to half marathon and represented Edinburgh Southern Harriers, latterly Edinburgh Athletic Club, with distinction.

In 1961 he was ranked fourth in Scotland at 3,000m steeplechase while in 1963 he won the East of Scotland title at that event and over several years figured prominently in the national ranking lists as well as for the mile.

While he enjoyed track, his favourite disciplines were cross country and road. One of the highlights of his cross country career was being a member of the Edinburgh Southern Harriers team which won the National Cross Country Championship for the first time in 1964. This was a highly sought after title and one which had hitherto eluded the Edinburgh club in their 67-year existence. In the individual race Bert finished a highly creditable 16th out of a high calibre field of more than 300. He also assisted his team-mates to silver and bronze medals in the championships on four other occasions while achieving very respectable finishes in the individual event.

On the road he enjoyed success in the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow relay race, again for the Harriers. In 1961 and ’62 he helped win silver medals and bronze in 1964. He always ran the third leg, over his ‘home’ territory, collecting the baton at the east end of Broxburn and running through Uphall to Wester Dechmont where he handed it on. This was a demanding, hilly four and a half mile stretch, McFall being the fastest over this leg in the 1962 race.

As a veteran/masters athlete he achieved numerous distinctions. He won the Scottish cross country title several times and often represented Scottish Veteran Harriers in the British and Irish championships, assisting the team to silver and bronze medals while once earning an individual silver and finishing first Scot frequently. On the track he was 1^st M65 in the Andy Forbes Memorial 10km race in 2000 with a time of 41:56. Well into his 60s, he ran excellent times for the half marathon.

Although very competitive, above all he loved running for its own sake. He particularly enjoyed going for ten-mile runs in the Bathgate Hills near his home, taking in Cairnpapple, Cockleroi and Binny Craig en route. Another favourite venue was Almondell Park where the steps up to the viaduct provided testing training.

After his hip operation, he turned his attention to the gym, becoming a regular visitor to Broxburn Sports Centre where his competitive streak continued. A few years ago the gym hosted an open competition replicating the Empire State Building Challenge, a run up its 102 levels, on a ‘Stairmaster’ machine. Much to everyone’s astonishment Bert, in his late 70s, won. Aged 80, under monitored conditions there, he completed 10 km on an exercise bike at an average speed of about 22mph.

Born and brought up at Roman Camp near Uphall, where his Irish-born father worked in the shale industry, he enjoyed a happy childhood. Running to school in Broxburn nurtured his love of the sport, which would play such a huge part in his life.

Initially he worked as an engineer with Wimpey Construction before and after national service in the RAF Regiment in Germany, later joining Parson and Peebles in Broxburn. Aged 30 he changed career, becoming an insurance agent for Pearl Assurance company in the Broxburn/Uphall area. In this role he was well known, highly trusted and much liked in the local community, often referred to affectionately as ‘Bert the insurance man’, with many clients becoming friends.

Thanks to his social conscience, some years ago he set up a successful ‘It’s a Knock Out’ series of competitions in Broxburn, based on the idea of the successful TV programme of that name, to give local youngsters an activity and keep them off the streets. A man of strong religious faith, he regularly attended his local Roman Catholic church.

Away from running he had a number of interests including gardening, growing tomatoes, jam-making, cooking and fine wines. He was a man of immense energy and goodwill and, according to his widow Nancy, filled every second of every day. “He was always positive and saw the best in everyone,” she said. Former Scottish marathon champion Colin Youngson described him as “A real gentleman, interesting company and a very good and respected athlete.”

His first marriage ended in divorce. In 1982 he married Nancy Comiskey, with whom he enjoyed over 33 happy years. He is survived by her, children Stephen, Vivienne and Elizabeth from his first marriage, stepson Kevin and four grandchildren.

JACK DAVIDSON

I knew Bert from 1997, when he joined SVHC. He was a keen cross country runner, and started competing in the Scottish Athletics Veterans/Masters Championships in 1996. He finished 2nd M60 behind Tom O’Reilly in 96 and 97. In 1998 Bert moved up to the M65 age group and won his category in the 98 and 99 races, in front of Hugh Gibson and Tom O’Reilly respectively. He then missed a few years and made a come-back in 2003, finishing 2nd M70 behind Hugh Gibson. In 2004 He won M70 in front of Tom O’Reilly, then in 2005 he was 2nd just 2 seconds behind his good friend Walter McCaskey.

From 1998 to 2005 Bert competed for the SVHC team in the annual British & Irish Veterans/Masters Cross Country Champs, only missing 1 year (2003 at Cardiff). At St Asaph in 1998, although over 65, he finished 1st M60 Scot and 9th overall, helping the team to bronze medals. At Bideford in 1999 he finished 1st M65 Scot and 4th overall, leading the team to silver medals. He repeated this performance at Navan in 2000. At Falkirk in 2001 and Ballymena in 2002 he again led the Scottish M65 team to bronze medals. Then in 2004, after missing the 2003 race, Bert went to Croydon in superb form, winning an individual M70 silver medal and leading the team to silver medals. In 2005 at Santry, Bert was 6th M70. With Walter 2nd and Tom 5th, they again won team silver.

Bert also had some good road and track results, notably in 2000 1st M65 in the Andy Forbes Memorial 10,000m race in 41:56, less than 2 months before his 68th birthday.

Unfortunately Bert was having worsening knee problems, and had to give up running after 2005, though he still kept very active in other sports.

DAVID FAIRWEATHER

Hamilton Racecourse

The photograph above is a good one of what was basically the home of the Scottish Cross-Country Union Championships from 1926 – 35 and again from 1950 to 1968.   It is atypical in that the sun seems to be shining and the lush, apparently smooth green grass gives the impression that the competitors were running round parkland similar to Rouken Glen, Dalmuir Park or on other similar surface.    What you can see is the long, fairly steep drags up in each direction: you always seemed to be slogging your way up a hill – like Hugh Forgie after running the undulating third stage of the E-G – and ‘never finding the downhill bits’.    In addition the lush green surface was tough grass meant to withstand the punding of metal-shod horses hooves and pretty heavy going.   At times they took the trail down and along beside the Clyde, but it was almost always confined to the racecourse.   You started at the stands (at the top in the distance in the picture) and ran or charged downhill towards the cameraman and straight up the hill in front of you, before swinging round to your left and back down to join the straight at the second opening on the right above.   Back up past the stands, round a wee loop to the left and back down to the stands, repeat three or four times.    It was ferociously had going and all age groups (boys, youths, juniors and seniors) ran it.    Despite the absence of fences, burns and any other obstacles to progress it was the hardest national run in my lifetime.   The Dragon Hill at Irvine, fearsome as it is, came nowhere near as hard as the loing drags and hills of Hamilton.

Naturally there were some hard, hard races there and two in particular stand out for me.   The first was the battle between Graham Everett and Alastair Wood in 1960  and the best ever Junior championship in which Mel Edwards defeated Ian McCafferty in 1964.

The first took place on 5th  March 1960.   Although Wood (13 January, 1933)  is known as an Aberdeen man, at this point he was running for Shettleston at that point and had best times of 4:10.3 (Mile), 8:46.4 (two miles), 13:42.2 (three miles), 14:15.2 (5000m) and 28:40.8 (six miles) in 1959.   The two and six mile times ranked him number one in Scotland.   Everett (20 January, 1934) was a lifelong Shettleston Harrier and one of the best milers Scotland had produced.   He had best times in 1959 of 1:54.1 (880y), 4:06.0 (Mile), 8:50.3 (two miles) and 14:26.1 (three miles).   Wood was reigning SAAA champion at three and six miles while Everett held the SAAA Mile.    They were both particularly good and strong runners who were in fine form.   They had great respect for each other – when I asked Graham several decades later who was his toughest opposition in Scotland he replied that over the country it was Alastair Wood.

The race at Hamilton was a hard, hard race with Everett going out really hard and only Wood able to stay with him.   By half distance the pair were well clear of the field and Wood took the lead and the pace was maintained  with each man fighting to win the title.   Wood held first until they were into the last mile, out of the big loop and into the long (one and a half miles) heavy grassy trail which had been made even heavier by the races held already and the big field having trampled it several times.   Into the last mile and Everett got in front and was never headed, opening a gap of five seconds by the finish.   Third placed Andy Brown was 500 yards behind.   Colin Shields in ‘Whatever the Weather’ tells us that in the weeks before the race, the winner had won two races at the Shettleston winter track meeting – 1000 yards in 2:18.2, and 3000m in 8:49.0.   It had been a great race with the winning time being 47:15.

29th Feb 1964 was the date of possibly the best cross-country race I ever witnessed.   It was the junior championship and a quite superb field contested the race.    Who was running?   Ian McCafferty of Law and District (4:16.0 Mile, 9:00.2 2 Miles, 14:36.4  3 Miles in summer 1963), Lachie Stewart (14:36.0  3 Miles, 30:01.8  6 Miles, 10:11.2 steeplechase), Mel Edwards (1:56.5 880 yards, 4:14.9 Mile, 14:40.0  3 Miles), and Alex Brown (4:20.9 Mile, 9:09.4  2 Miles, 14:04.8  3 Miles).   A really very good field indeed.

It was reported by Willie Diverty for ‘Athletics Weekly’ as follows: “In the junior race M. Edwards (Aberdeen Univ) was soon in front and although he was challenged by I McCafferty (M’well YMCA) and J.L. Stewart (V. of Leven), they could not match Edwards’s speed and he finished a clear winner by 75 yards from McCafferty with Stewart a further 30 yards back.”

There might have been 75 yards at the finish but it had been a hard race, a great one to watch with Mel  nevertheless looking invincible throughout.

I watched the race while jogging about with Irish runner Cyril O’Boyle and we talked about it at length on the day and at training the following week.   Edwards looked like a movie star, he ran like a thoroughbred and was moving as smoothly at the end as he was at the start.   Remember – we are talking of McCafferty and Stewart running behind him  …  and Alex Brown, and Joe Reilly and 88 others who labouring in the vineyard of cross-country running.   It would have been a great race to have on video.

QUESTIONNAIRE: FIONA DAVIDSON

Fiona Davidson (born Fiona Watt) has had a long and versatile athletics career. At fifteen years of age, her events ranged from 100m to 400m Hurdles. Until 1992 Fiona concentrated on 100H as well as 400H. Then in 1993, Long and Triple Jumps make an appearance. Within a year she was ranked third in Scotland for Triple Jump; and in 1995 reached a peak when she won the Scottish Indoor Triple Jump title with 12 metres 15 centimetres – which is still 14^th on the Scottish All-Time TJ rankings. In all, indoors and outdoors, in Scottish Senior Triple Jump Championships, Fiona has won one gold medal plus three silver and one bronze.

After marrying Aberdeen AAC’s 1990 Commonwealth Games 400H athlete and Scottish Champion Mark Davidson, (who was the 2014 British Masters Indoors M45 200m Champion), Fiona competed less frequently but, in 2001 and 2004, was still ranked 5^th best Triple Jumper in Scotland. Having reached the W35 age group, Fiona Davidson quickly secured victory in the 2008 Scottish Masters Long Jump and Triple Jump, both Indoors and Outdoors. She repeated this feat in 2010, adding the 60 metres Indoors and also finishing a meritorious fourth in the Scottish Senior Championship TJ.

In 2011 Fiona won even more Scottish Masters titles: Indoors 60m, LJ, TJ and Shot Putt, plus a gold medal in the Scottish Universities Triple Jump. 2012 to 2015 saw a considerable increase in competing. Highlights included victories in: several more Scottish Masters LJ and TJ; British Masters TJ wins in 2012 and 2013; a British Masters W40 Indoors LJ and TJ double in 2014, plus third in the Budapest World Masters TJ.

2015 has been extra special for Fiona Davidson. Scottish Masters titles plus silver (TJ) and bronze (LJ) in the European Masters Indoors in Poland. Then, in Lyon on 15^th August 2015, a gold medal in the World Masters Triple Jump, with a distance of 11.35m. Long may similar successes continue for this exceptional, dedicated, resilient athlete!

NAME             Fiona Davidson

CLUBs           Aberdeen AAAC/Scottish Veteran Harriers Club

DATE OF BIRTH       29/01/1973

OCCUPATION          PT  Sales Administrator

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT? I was always winning the school sports day at primary school so my mum suggested going along to the local athletics club. I went along to Coatbridge outdoor sports centre to train with Shettleston Harriers. I was looked after by Bob and Dora Stephens who coached and ran the club.

HAS ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP HAD A MARKED INFLUENCE ON YOUR ATTITUDE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE? I loved my years with Shettleston Harriers, training with Bob Stephens, fun times going away to British Leagues with older athletes and being part of one big team. Latterly, before moving to Aberdeen, I trained at Coatbridge with Roger Harkins and a group of people who brought out the best in me. They made me train hard and gave me the belief that you can do whatever you put your mind to. This made me even more competitive than I already was.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET OUT OF THE SPORT? Lots of things: discipline, structure, satisfaction. Most of all, fun and enjoyment. I have met lots of friends along the way. It’s funny that we all go along nowadays to competitions to watch our children compete. I still keep trying to get them all back training and joining the Masters’ circuit. They don’t seem too keen.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST EVER PERFORMANCE OR PERFORMANCES?

I always remember when I won the Scottish Seniors indoor triple jump title at Kelvin Hall  in 1995 and, at the time, set a new Scottish Native record, so that was pretty memorable. More recently must be my performances in 2015.  Winning 2 medals at the European Masters and then following it up with a World title was pretty special. I was actually surprised with my distances as I never thought that I would jump that far again. I haven’t jumped that far for over 10 years. The distance ranked me 5^th in Scotland. Nice to be competitive with the young ones.

YOUR WORST? I don’t really remember anything in particular. However, when I competed for Scotland in Turkey in 1994, I didn’t jump well at all.   In fact I jumped further in Lyon last year – that sums up how bad it was.

WHAT UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?  When I was younger I was a multi-eventer and moved into 300mH/400mH. I did well in those events and competed for Scottish Schools/Scottish Juniors.  Sometimes I feel I had unfinished business at 400mH, but kids came along so I found it easier to stick to triple jump.

OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES?  To be honest I don’t really have the time for much else. I train and compete myself, as well as the kids (Callum 16 and Jane 15) competing too. I am also quite well involved with Aberdeen Athletics Club. I team manage the girls’ side so, from April through to August/September, that takes up most of my time.  Breathe, Eat and Sleep Athletics!

WHAT DOES THE SPORT BRING YOU THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS?

Achievements. I can look back and say that I competed for Scotland, held Scottish Records and was a World Champion.

CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF YOUR TRAINING? I am currently recovering from a knee operation but a typical week in the winter months would be as follows.

Monday – Circuits AM – Easy running PM

Tuesday – Weights

Wednesday – Jumping/Sprinting

Thursday – Weights

Saturday – Circuits or Running

Sunday – Stretching or Short Hills

Fiona added the following:

Mark and I met in May 1994 at a Scottish Senior International in Turkey.  Mark was hurdling and I was triple jumping. I always say he fell at my feet as he fell over the last hurdle.  Shame though, as that put him out for the rest of the season or I am sure he would have made the 1994 games too.

I then moved to Aberdeen in January 1996 and we got married in September that year. All quite quick I suppose. Saved on train fares.

We both encouraged each other in our training and it worked well when we started going out. When I came up to Aberdeen I just trained with Bob Masson (Mark’s coach at the time) who already coached Mark’s sister Linda for jumps. Then, when Mark came to Coatbridge, he fitted in well with my training group, as he knew Roger Harkins and Davie Mulheron from Scottish Internationals previously.

When I eventually moved to Aberdeen, I just slotted into Bob Masson’s group no problem.

My son Callum (16) is an U17 – he is just like Mark, with long legs, so he will be more suited eventually to 400m but is currently sticking to 100m/200m to get him quicker.

My daughter Jane (13) is an U15 – she is currently doing multi events but, coming from a gymnastic background, she is already showing signs that hurdles will be her thing.

I think I have progressed more in the last couple of years as I started to have a different outlook on my training.  I focused more on strength and conditioning. I joined a gym in Aberdeen, called Barry Stephen Personal Training (advert in AAAC yearbook) where I work with Rory Annand, who has helped me get conditioned and able to cope with jumping at my age – ha ha.   I still do technical work with Bob.

SCOTTISH PAST MASTERS: HUGH RANKIN

Back in Spring 1995, ‘Veteran Athletics’ featured an article, written by Alastair Aitken, entitled ‘Hugh Rankin in Top Form’.

(Photo by Ben Bickerton)

“Kilmarnock’s Hugh Rankin, who was 60 in December, showed his class in the BVAF Cross Country Championships in Irvine in March. He finished 18^th out of 94 finishers in the over -50 race and won the M60 group by a margin of nearly two and a half minutes. He confessed, however, to ‘nearly jacking it in’ just before the end of the first lap. He commented, ‘To be fair to myself, I was not 100 per cent as I was running with a chill. My friends round the course were telling me that I was so far in front in my age group. This kept me going. I believe that I would have packed it in if any of the others had been close to me, but I felt much better by the time I started on the third lap.’

Rankin, a hospital porter in Kilmarnock, has other results to be proud of. In 1990, when he reached 55, he set a World Indoors M55 record of 9 minutes 37 seconds for the 3000 metres at the Kelvin Hall. The same year he did the M55 double in the prestigious Bruges Veterans Grand Prix, winning the 10k in 34.29 and the 25k in 1.31.36. He also gained representative honours when selected for Scotland in the Home Countries Cross Country International at Luton.

Hugh, who has only ever belonged to one club, joined Kilmarnock Harriers about forty years ago. As a teenager, cycling was his main interest. Called up for National Service, he took his bicycle with him but, when posted to Benghazi, he had to leave it behind so took up running. Although he produced some good performances in his younger days, he did not find the time to train consistently, and so never achieved his true potential. With a family of five children to raise, training became haphazard. ‘I could have trained harder and I should have done. It was just one of those things,’ he said. Rankin did get chosen for a Scottish Select team at this time but could not run because of illness.

He has been more successful as a veteran, although an operation on his knee at the age of 50 held him back for some time. In recent years he has found more time to train and is now running up to 70 miles per week. This, and the fact that he did not train hard when young, he gives as the reasons for his successes in recent years. ‘I did not burn myself out in my younger days. You cannot run high mileages all your life. The younger runners, who are covering 100 miles a week now, will not be performing well when they reach middle age,’ he declared.

Hugh Rankin’s most immediate athletic priority is to produce good performances in the European Road Championships in Valladolid, Spain, in May, when he will be competing in both the 10k and the Half Marathon.”

Hugh Rankin was born on the 18^th of December 1934. In 1956 he took part in the Scottish Senior National Cross Country Championships; and soon became Kilmarnock’s first finisher in the annual event. He was in the top fifty several times, including a good 33^rd position in 1964.

In the Scottish Masters Cross Country Championships, Hugh won the M55 title in both 1990 and 1992. When, in 1990, Johnny Walker Kilmarnock Harriers finally took part in the marvellous Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay, Hugh, aged 55, was one of their team. A truly outstanding performance for this fine athlete was when he triumphed in the annual British and Irish Masters Cross Country International Championships at Dublin in 1995, by winning the M60 race.

In 2009, aged 74, he ran the fast time of 44.16 to win his age group in the SVHC 10k. In 2014, Scottish Athletics magazine ‘PB’ had an article on Kilmarnock Harriers, saying that the club “paid tribute to Hugh Rankin – one of their oldest, most long-serving and successful members, in a double celebration to mark his 80^th birthday and his 60^th year as a member.

The club chose to mark the occasion with a torchlight run from the Ayrshire Athletics area, accompanied by rousing music, a light show and fireworks. The club’s best-kept secret was a total surprise to Hugh, and he loved every minute of it. Following the run there was a presentation in the indoor area, where those present were reminded of Hugh’s contribution as an athlete, a coach and as a volunteer helper. In honour of this contribution he was presented with a hand-embroidered club pennant, produced by the East Ayrshire textile group, and a substantial sum of money that he promised to donate to a charity of his choice. In addition, on behalf of Provost Jim Todd, he was given a ‘Luath’ limited edition book of Robert Burns’ poems, which was much appreciated.”

On 30^th June, 2014, the Queen’s Baton Relay before the Glasgow Commonwealth Games reached Ayrshire Athletics Arena. Team Scotland coach Chick Hamilton had the honour of carrying the baton, before passing it to Kilmarnock Harrier stalwart Hugh Rankin. His old team-mate from the 1950s, Jim Young, was also a baton bearer that day.

Ian Gebbie, who is the Event Organiser for Kilmarnock Harriers and AC, writes: “Hugh is my main support – still marshalling and setting up every race, clearing the cross country course etc, etc. He coaches our disabled section on a Wednesday night; is a jog leader Tuesday and Thursday; and still manages to give me and Kate Todd a fair run for our money on Mondays and Fridays. Not bad at 81. He has just recently signed up to do our new 10k – the “Roon the Toon 10K”. The attached photo is from our launch event.”

My Favourite Events: by Davie Fairweather

[Editor. One aspect of being over 65, and slowing drastically, but still meeting younger Masters runners, is that they have no idea that you used to be quite fast at their age! For many years, Davie Fairweather has done a tremendous amount for SVHC, including the onerous task of being our team manager at the annual British and Irish cross country international. Here are some details of his successful running (and cycling) career.]

David Fairweather in the 1984 Glasgow Marathon            

3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross Race.

When I was a lad, I was a keen racing cyclist, but my favourite sport was cyclo-cross, and in the 70s the highlight of the year for me was the annual 3 Peaks Race held on the last Sunday in September. This was a 25 mile race, open to amateurs & professionals, with about 20–22 miles rideable and 3–5 miles running/ walking/ staggering/ falling, dependent on individual ability & prevailing conditions. It included 5000’ of climbing and descending. The race started at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, proceeding on road to Ribblehead Viaduct, then by tracks up and down Whernside 2419’, with a road stretch through Chapel-le-Dale then left onto the track to Ingleborough 2373’. It was possible to cycle across the plateau at the top, then there was a steep descent  before joining a rideable track to Selside, back along the road to Horton and left up a rough track for the final climb up Pen-y-Ghent 2273’. Most of this was rideable, with a hair-raising descent to the finish in Horton.

I completed the race 7 times between 1970 and 1977, with 5 finishing places between 4^th and 8^th.  In 1975, my wife Theresa, with Claire almost 3 and Catherine 7 months, managed to get to Ribblehead Viaduct with spare wheels. I punctured just before the viaduct, and dropped from 1^st to last place before I got my wheel changed, but without Theresa’s help I’ld have been out of the race. I managed to get back up to 2^nd place at the top of Whernside, and was still 3^rd at the top of Ingleborough, but the chase had taken too much out of me and I finished 6^th in 3:07:10, 15 minutes behind the winner. My best ever time was 2:56:15 in 1972, and I helped Keighley St Christophers/Bronte Wheelers win the team prize 5 times.

In those days the race field was restricted, though 100 finished my last event in 1977. The event has now been extended to 38 miles, and 536 finished in 2015!

In 1978 I decided to try the 3 Peaks running race instead. As Mel Edwards said in his article, conditions were atrocious. The course differed from the cycling route, and visibility was near zero on top of Ingleborough. I lost sight of the runner in front, and couldn’t find the path down to Selside. However I could see a clear descent to Clapham, so I ran down there with 2 other runners, even though I knew it was miles off-course. I managed to scrounge a beer at the pub, then hitched a lift to Settle. I don’t know what the other 2 did. I ran back from Settle to Horton and managed to get clocked in as a finisher in 4 hours 1 min. Like Mel I was dismayed to find out later that a runner had died, and thankful I’d decided to make a safe descent. Theresa wouldn’t ever hear of me doing the race again!

1977 was my last cycle race until 2006, when I started doing duathlons and time trials.

Inverclyde & Lochaber Marathons

After these endurance events, it was a natural progression through half marathons to the marathon, and my favourite race was the Inverclyde Marathon. After ‘hitting the wall’ in the first event in 1981 (2:36:04, 13^th), won by 50 year old Bill Stoddart in 2:27:43. I swore “Never again!”, but I ran the race 10 times all told, & a total of 40 marathons between 1981 & 2000.

1983 was my best year, starting with London, running in Greta Waitz’s group for 19 miles, before dropping back & finishing in 2:29:05.

4 weeks later I ran at Motherwell, finishing 2^nd in 2:29:38. It was great having a police motor cyclist escorting me over the last few miles, and all the family cheering me at the finish.

Then I had 3 months recovery before returning to the Inverclyde Marathon, finishing in 4^th place with a PB of 2:24:49 at age 39, 2:24 behind winner John Stephens & 1:27 in front of Brian Carty.

By then I had the marathon bug, and I ran Glasgow 2 weeks later in 2:31, followed 2 weeks later by the Humber Bridge Marathon, where I finished 6^th in 2:31:42.

All of these races were just preparation for a charity marathon relay starting at 6am on Sat 8^th Oct 1983, when a team of 14 runners from Organon Laboratories Ltd (where I worked for 30 years) ran from Newhouse, Lanarkshire to the Organon HQ in Cambridge. Organon UK was celebrating 50 years in healthcare, and we decided to do this 376 mile relay in 14 stages to collect money for The Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust. As the most experienced runner, I volunteered to run the hilly 4^th stage from Jedburgh over Carter Bar to Otterburn. We were blessed with perfect running conditions, and I managed 26.7 miles in 2:47. After my run I was given overnight accommodation with a family in Darlington, who had a child with cystic fibrosis. Then one of our support vehicles took me to Lincolnshire. On Sun evening we were relaxing in a pub near Lincoln, and I was on my 3^rd pint, when the call came that our 11^th stage runner was in difficulty, so I was pressed back into action to complete 7 or 8 miles of the stage through Lincoln. The beer must have given me wings, because I got to the changeover point, before the next runner was ready! I just kept running till the support vehicle got him up to me, then I was driven down to Histon, where all 14 runners (including the 14^th stage runner) completed a final 4 mile jog to Cambridge Science Park, finishing at 13:31 on Mon 10^th Oct.  We collected over £5000 for our efforts, which Organon made up to £10,000, and it was a memorable team-bonding experience.

I returned to Inverclyde in 1984 as a veteran and finished 3^rd overall in 2:26:57, but was beaten by 1½ min by the indomitable Allan Adams. Allan beat me again in 1985 2:26:10 to my 2:27:24, when we were 1^st & 2^nd in the Scottish Veterans Championship. Brian Carty was 3^rd vet in 2:29:28. John Stephens won again in 2:23:13.

In 1990 I finished 3^rd, & 1^st vet, in 2:30:03. The absence of Allan & Brian made it a bit easier.

In 1991 the race incorporated the Scottish Marathon Championship for the first time. I was feeling good and hoping to beat Charlie McDougall, but suffered a torn hamstring at the Inverkip turn. I didn’t fancy walking 7 miles, so started running again after walking briefly & managed to finish in 4^th place, 2:23 behind Charlie. To add insult to injury, Charlie & I both had to undergo a drugs test after the race! I think we were allowed some beer to help us produce samples. First 4 finishers were T Mitchell (Fife) 2:24:50; J Stephens (Low Fell) 2:27:10; C McDougall (Calderglen) 2:35:51; D Fairweather (Cambuslang)  2:38:14, 1^st Veteran.

In 1992 I decided to try the Lochaber Marathon, which was the Vets Championship for many years. It was an inauspicious start, as I hit the wall after 15 miles & finished 13^th, 11min behind Colin Youngson (2:36:23). I ran at Lochaber 8 times & it took 3 attempts before I got a grip on it, In 1995 I finished 4^th & 1^st Vet in 2:36:02, which I think was an M50 course record. John Duffy won in 2:31:19.

In 1998 it was the BMAF Championship, and I had a memorable duel with Colin Youngson. After the turn I started putting in short spurts to try to open a gap on Colin, who finally gave up at 17 miles gasping “On you go you wee b—–!” I think it’s the only time I’ve beaten Colin in any race. Meanwhile Bobby Young had been watching us from behind, and started chasing me. I only just managed to keep going, & finished in 2:43:37 for my 2^nd BMAF M50 title, with Bobby 2^nd M50 in 2:43:58. M40 Mike Girvan won in 2:30:36.

Although I had several disastrous marathons, where I hit the wall, I did manage to win 1 marathon from the front, without any problems. In June 1988 I ran the last Galloway Marathon. Although it was quite a strong field, I thought the pace was too slow, & everyone was watching me and nearly tripping me up, so I broke away after just 3 miles. I felt good & just kept going, finishing in 2:32:06, almost 5 minutes in front of Colin Kinnear from Dumfries, & broke the Vets’ course record by 13 minutes!

Cross Country Races

I’ve enjoyed cross-country races since my Uni days, & initially used them as training for cyclo-cross, but I never did a decent run in a major event until the SCCU Veterans Cross Country Champs at Musselburgh in 1987. Up till then I’d always been an also-ran, but that winter I had a week off work when our factory site was closed by snow. I took advantage of the break to do hard runs every day in the snow, & by 8^th Feb I was at my peak…Brian Scobie led from the start, & it was a race for 2^nd place between me & Brian Carty. I clung to him like a leech & we opened up a gap on the rest of the field. I knew I couldn’t outsprint Brian but I hung on till the last 200 metres & finished 10 sec behind Brian C & 38 sec behind Brian S. I claimed numerous scalps, including Archie Duncan, Colin Martin & Allan Adams. It was a 1-off performance & I never got any other medal in the Scottish Veteran Championships.

Similarly, in the British & Irish Veterans/Masters Cross Country International, I’d managed to get a few team medals, & I did win an Open Race M50 prize at Malahide in 1995, but I was never near winning an individual medal until Navan in Nov 2000.  I suppose I had a good build up, with 78:28 in the Helensburgh ½ Marathon, 2:48:39  2 weeks later in the Glasgow Marathon, & 78:48  3 weeks later in the Inverclyde ½ Marathon! Anyway, by the time I got to Navan I was well-prepared, but I fell flat on my face in the warm-up, which didn’t augur well for a good race performance.  I’m never very good at judging my position in cross country races, and I didn’t see any M55 numbers, so just assumed that all the good runners were out of sight in front. Then on the last lap I passed Archie Jenkins (who was in the M45 team!), and suddenly I was on Colin Youngson’s heels (ln the M50 team!). but he wasn’t going to let me beat him this time, & I crossed the line 3 sec behind him to win M55 gold. Frank Reilly came in 12 sec behind me, with Graham Patton 3^rd a further 6 sec behind. With Bobby Young 4^th & Brian Campbell 10^th we won team gold as well. I’ve managed a few more team medals since then, but been nowhere near another individual medal.

                                                 Davie in 2015

SCOTTISH VETERANS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE FIRST TWO RACES

Bill Stoddart with the British Veterans Cross Country Trophy. He defeated England’s Arthur Walsham by thirty seconds

The very first SVHC Cross Country Championships took place on Saturday 20^th March 1971. The venue was Pollok Estate, Glasgow. 33 ran and 32 finished the course.

Willie Russell won, followed by Hugh Mitchell, Willie Marshall, Tom Stevenson, Willie Armour, Chick Forbes, Jack McLean and Andy Forbes, who won the Over 50 title from Tommy Harrison and Walter Ross. John Emmet Farrell was first Over 60, in front of Harry Haughie and Roddy Devon. Shettleston Harriers won the Team Award.

The second Championship, this time officially recognised by the Scottish Cross Country Union, was on 4^th March 1972, at Clydebank, Dunbartonshire. The course was five miles (or eight kilometres) long. The SVHC organised the event, assisted by Clydesdale Harriers.

Bill Stoddart (Greenock Wellpark H) won easily, from Hugh Mitchell (Shettleston H) and Moir Logie (East Kilbride AAC). M50 champion was Andy Forbes (Victoria Park AAC), in front of Tommy Harrison (Maryhill H) and Walter Ross (Garscube H). Emmet Farrell (Maryhill H) retained his M60 title from Ron Smith (SVHC) and George Taylor (Shettleston H). Greenock Wellpark Harriers won the Team Award.

In the programme, Walter Ross, the SVHC Secretary, and a very important figure in the development of Scottish Veteran Athletics, published a poem (written many years earlier by an anonymous Clydesdale Harrier). Walter suggested it could be retitled ‘To a Veteran’.

To a Harrier

Some fellow men seem lucky, yet

I yearn to change with few,

But from my heart this afternoon,

I needs must envy you,

Mud-splattered runners, light of foot,

Who on this dismal day

With rhythmic stride and heads upheld

Go swinging on your way.

A dismal day? A foolish word;

I would not, years ago,

Despite the drizzle and the chill,

Have ever thought it so;

For then I might have been with you

Your rich reward to gain:

That glow beneath the freshened skin,

O runners through the rain.

All weather is a friend to you:

Rain, sunshine, snow or sleet.

The changing course – road, grass or plough –

You pass on flying feet.

No crowds you need to urge you on;

No cheers your efforts wake.

Yours is the sportsman’s purest joy –

you run for running’s sake.

O games are good – manoeuvres shared

To make the team’s success,

The practised skill, the guiding brain,

The trained unselfishness.

But there’s no game men ever played

That gives the zest you find

In using limbs and heart and lungs

To leave long miles behind.

I’ll dream that I am with you now

To win my second wind,

To feel my fitness like a flame,

The pack already thinned.

The turf is soft beneath my feet,

The drizzle’s in my face,

And in my spirit there is pride,

for I can stand the pace.

(Editor adds: a romantic view of cross-country, no doubt, but perhaps how we all feel, briefly, on a very good day! The first SVHC championship took place in 1971: no less than 45 years ago. We owe those pioneers a great deal.)

The ‘anonymous Clydesdale Harrier was Thomas Millar who had been club secretary for many years and contributed to the local Press under the pen name ‘Excelsior’.   After being a member for decades he moved to the English Midlands which was where he sought work as an accountant.   His son Gavin is a film director, BBC programme producer, director, actor and has been responsible for many excellent programmes.

The Chris Anderson Stadium at Aberdeen Sports Village

Probably quite a few Scottish middle or long distance runners have never raced in Aberdeen. Yet since the 1960s many good athletes have lived and trained in the area. Aberdeen AAC and Metro Aberdeen RC have done well in team contests – particularly road racing events like the late-lamented Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay (AAAC won three times in the 1980s). A number of international runners (for example cross-country men and women) have improved their fitness in the Granite City.

What is it like to train there? Apart from the longest stretch of sand in the British Isles, Aberdeen and District has quiet country roads and forest paths, hills and parks, golf courses and many miles of suburban pavements. There are knowledgeable coaches for athletes of all ages; and packs of runners train hard on club nights or Sundays. Between the early 1960s and the 1990s, Aberdeen developed many sub-two hours twenty minute marathon runners, including several male or female Scottish marathon champions. In addition, a ten man AAAC team twice broke the relay record for the 850 mile relay from John o’Groats to Land’s End. (In 1982 they finished in 77 hours 26 minutes 8 seconds – just work out speed per mile!)

What about racing venues? Linksfield Stadium was opened on the first of January 1940. In the early sixties, Aberdeen AAC legends Alastair Wood and Steve Taylor took part in a Britain-wide 20 mile Paarlauf competition, and came second, despite the old chunky cinders underfoot. (They each ran 40 220 yard sprints, plus jogs over the track centre in time to take over again.) In the 1980s, Linksfield became the Chris Anderson Stadium and gained a modern hard running track. (In 2007 it was upgraded further to Aberdeen Sports Village, a really impressive resource. Scottish Athletics championships have been held there.) However gales from the North Sea still tend to slow the times of longer track races. Not until 2000 was the four minute mile broken in Aberdeen: 3.57.5 by two young Kenyan athletes. (Three year previously, another unknown African, Noah Ngeny, narrowly missed the target at Linksfield, winning in 4.00.83. However in the 2000 Sydney Olympics he won gold in the 1500m!)

Before and after WW2, Aberdeen FC’s Pittodrie Stadium used to host an annual Sports Day – my father James Youngson ran the mile there in 1934. Occasional races thereafter featured as half-time entertainment. The photo below shows how narrow the space was between touchline and crowd; and how much shoving was necessary at the start!

The Aberdeen Marathon (which usually included the annual Home Countries International match) and Half Marathon used the spectacular Beach Promenade as part of their courses. Nowadays, the Aberdeen Baker Hughes 10k is the big event, with a huge turn-out from runners of widely-varying ability. In 1982 the Aberdeen Marathon record was set by England’s Gerry Helme, who recorded a rapid 2.15.16. Local woman Lynda Bain did 2.41.41 in 1984. Both athletes went on to represent Great Britain. The fastest times in the Half Marathon were in 1984, when Denis Fowles of Wales ran 64.41 and Lynda Bain 73.22. These were all performances on the verge of world-class; and race-day atmosphere at these events was second to none, with in-depth media coverage.

For a few years from 1992, Aberdeen’s splendid Duthie Park hosted an International Festival of Running. For example, during the first promotion, winners included Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Peter Elliott, who won the road mile; and World 10,000m champion Moses Tanui, from Kenya. The latter’s effortless yet powerful style was the most impressive running I have ever seen in Aberdeen.

             
Later versions of this event included a memorable battle between (World Indoor 3000m champion) Yvonne Murray and her Scottish rival (World 10,000m victor) Liz McColgan; and a Union Street Mile featuring amongst others (former World Cross-Country winner) Zola Budd-Pieterse. Autographs collected included those of many major international champions: Peter Elliott, Zola Pieterse, Steve Cram, Steve Ovett, Brendan Foster, John Treacy, Khalid Skah, Eamonn Martin, Kirsty Wade, Rob Denmark, Moses Tanui, Sonia O’Sullivan, Liz McColgan, Yvonne Murray and many more. Not surprisingly, these fixtures were marvellous treats for enthusiastic fans.

Local runner Alan Reid, with Khalid Skah on his left shoulder, leading the 5k in the Duthie Park

But what about other less glamorous races in Aberdeen venues? The North-East Cross-Country league, which flourished from the 1960s to 1970s, and featured clubs from Aberdeen, Dundee and St Andrews, used two different courses in Aberdeen. One was at Hazlehead Park, through tree-lined paths and past golf courses. The only problem that the route involved a pony track and, occasionally, runners collided with horses!

The alternative course was devised by Aberdeen University Hare and Hounds Club. This started on cobbles, went onto tarmac, down dangerous steps, over a metal bridge, along a dusty path, up a steep grassy bank, onto playing fields, down a long tarred road, right over a dangerous main road, onto sand dunes, then harder sand right beside the sea, across the main road again, along a rough undulating path and finished up a very steep little hill! Six and a quarter miles of very varied terrain. John Myatt and Bill Ewing (both Scottish international athletes) were the two fastest men on this course.

In recent decades, most of the main Aberdeen cross-country races have taken place at Balgownie, which offers flat grass near rugby and football pitches, plus a major climb each lap. Hydrasun used to sponsor races for all ages there; and the Scottish Masters and East District championships were held successfully at the venue.
Runners will certainly enjoy training and racing in Aberdeen!