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The picture below is of Santini from West Calder High winning the 100 yards at the Inter-Scholastics in Edinburgh on 17th May, 1930.   Interestingly the caption describes him as winning at the the SAAA.   The ‘Scotsman’ report follows.

Note some of the schools participating in the open events (ie Over 16) whose names we might not have noticed before – eg Lenzie Academy, Broxburn and North Kelvinside

Following his career – in the Under 16’s the name of JRG Blamire which was first noted as winning the Under 14 100 yards in 1928 in 11.6 seconds and the 300 yards in the same year in in 41.2 seconds.  He is seen in these results winning the Under 16’s 300 yards in 41.6 seconds, finishing second in the 100 yards, second in the broad jump and leading off for the winning Relay team.   .    

The meeting in 1931 was held on May 16th, again  at Inverleith.   Two of the winners are pictured above and with one from Edinburgh and one from Glasgow the Edinburgh-Glasgow balance was struck.   We note also that the standard programme of 20 events was adhered to and that there were 30 schools taking part.   And JR Blamire is now in the Open (ie over 16) events and a member of the second placed relay team.  Report and results from the ‘Scotsman’ below.   

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The event was next held on 21st May, 1932 and was previewed as below in the ‘Edinburgh Evening News’.   Note the venue – not any of the more usual venues but the relatively little known Helenvale Park.   Helenvale had a very good track on which many excellent times were set at their annual sports meetings.   These were over all distances not just for sprints or for distance runners  and the Irish John Joe Barry set a world best for the 1000 yards there.   The track was also surrounded by a good stepped terracing which helped spectators view proceedings.   Last year’s entry of 30 schools had come up to 46.   

The report from the Herald: 

The range of schools was wider still with such as McLaren High from Callander, Dunfermline High School Ardrossan Academy, Waid Academy as well as the many from Glasgow and Edinburgh and their environs.

The photograph comes from the local Hawick News on 21st May in 1933  when there were 37 schools involved. There was a lot of coverage in local papers up and down the land.   Local schools were mentioned in the Kirkintilloch Herald (Lenzie Academy and St Ninians were to enter teams), The Wishaw Press (Dalziel High School: pupil won the 100 yards), St Andrews citizen (Madras boy was second in the shot putt) and many more areas had selected results published.   The only national to cover the event in its entirety was the ‘Glasgow Herald’ whose report and results are here.

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The above photograph appeared in the ‘Aberdeen Press and Journal’ on 19th May in 1934 above the following article celebrating the local Grammar School’s first time entry to the Inter-Scholastics which were to be held in Glasgow, again at Helenvale Park.  

Coverage of the event was for some reason difficult to find.   A hint of a possible reason is in this snippet from the ‘Wishaw Press’.

Bad weather cancelled the field events.   And probably affected the crowd and maybe even lost some runners from the meeting too.   The ‘Glasgow Herald’ had some little coverage, and the only online version is a bit blurred and smudged although most of it is easily readable.

Note the name of the winner of the Mile – JN (Ian) Lapraik who would go on to be a very good runner at Glasgow University and in Scottish athletics generally before serving in the Army in the 1939-45 War.

Aberdeen schoolboy competing in 1938

The 1935 Sports was still operating on a rota of Edinburgh and Glasgow venue, year about and took place in Edinburgh.   Note that Prince Philip of Greece, later the Duke of Edinburgh, took part in the Under 14 High Jump.   The report and results from the ‘Glasgow Herald’ read as follows.

New schools to the list include Boroughmuir Secondary, Dunfermline High, Hawick High, Lasswade Secondary , Musselburgh Grammar, Viewforth (Kirkcaldy).

A year later, on 15th June, 1936,  the Inter Scholastic Sports took place at Scotstoun in Glasgow.   With many of the competing schools coming from Glasgow and Edinburgh, the competitors were from all over the country – Perth, Ardrossan, Falkirk, Dundee were all represented.   The ‘Glasgow Herald report with results is below.

In 1937, from June 21st’s ‘Scotsman’ came this illustrated report on the 37th Sports:

The sheer number of Glasgow schools represented on the say was amazing when we look back a mere 10 or 12 years – Albert Secondary, Allan Glen’s, Glasgow High, Hillhead HS, Hyndland HS, ,Jordanhill College. Pollokshields, Queen’s Park Secondary, St Aloysius – 9 of them winning medals and almost certainly others which did not appear in the results.   Note too the absence of Glasgow Academy which determinedly held their own school sports on the same day as the Inter-Scholastics. 

Numbers were big and growing: in 1938 there were 48 schools competing – a number described as ‘by no means a record’.  They were held on 18th June at Goldenacre, ‘Scotsman’ report follows:

In 1939, on  12th June, the Aberdeen  Press & Journal printed the following article-the North East had started its own Inter-Scholastics  and  the  standard  was  high  as  the  results  show.   It  was  one  week  before  the  national  event.   

Did  it  pay  off  for the   city?   Yes,  it  would  seem  so.  At  the Scottish  Schools  Athletic Association  Inter-Scholastics on 19th June,  1939, The ‘Scotsman’ tells us that there were 56 schools competing.   The paper’s report is below.

With 56 schools represented it would be expected that some new names would be seen among the honours.   With most of the names were familiar there were indeed some unfamiliar names – Beith Secondary, Albert Road School, West Calder High are the ones who stand out.   These Sports were the last before the War started: in 1914 the Inter-Scholastics continued throughout, would it be the same this time around?

The war was under way before the 1940 version of the schools championships took place on 22nd June and reported on in the following Monday’s papers.   The surprise was probably that the event was held in Stirling – the first time outside the Edinburgh/Glasgow double act.

It had been a successful period for the event: more schools taking part, standards continuing to rise and the venue had been spread to include Stirling.

The Schools Championship began again quickly after the war with a meeting at Westerlands in Glasgow, on Saturday, 12th June starting at 11:00 in the forenoon and, after a break for lunch, at 2:15 in the afternoon.   The report with results was published in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ on the following Monday.

There was a broad range of schools represented in the results.   Alva Academy, Ardrossan Academy, Ayr Academy, Buckhaven Academy,  Daniel Stewart’s, Falkirk High School, George Heriot’s, George Watson’s, Glasgow High School, Gordonstoun,  Hillhead High School, Jordanhill College, Kelso Academy, Paisley Grammar School, Shawlands Academy, St Aloysius, Strathallan were all there and winning medals.   If there was any doubt after the first world war about the top fee paying schools not taking part, Stewart’s, Heriot’s, Watson’s, Glasgow High and Gordonstoun removed any doubt this time round.

The championships moved to Edinburgh, to Inverleith, for the meeting on 14th June 1947.   The ‘Scotsman’ report has counted the competing schools and tells us that there were 70 taking part.   The report and results were published in the 16th June issue.

More new names on the medallists roster after last year – Bellahouston Secondary, Broughton Secondary, Govan Secondary,  Hawick High, Hamilton Academy, Kelvinside Academy, Lanark Grammar, Morgan Academy, North Berwick High,  Stirling High, Trinity Academy, Peebles High, Preston Lodge and Queen’s Park Secondary.    Note too the reference to the Scottish Schools Athletic Association – a different association to the original ruling clique from the fee-paying schools in Edinburgh.

They were back in Glasgow at Westerlands on 26th June in 1948.   Unfortunately there was no report to be found in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ or in ‘The Scotsman’.   There was however an interesting letter in ‘The Midlothian  Advertiser –

As a definition of amateurism it is faultless (!) but the perennial argument about whether they should apply to school children in the local sports gala day is highlighted.   No national coverage, but there was local reporting such as the following from the ‘Press & Journal’ in Aberdeen on 28th June which pointed up the local interest.   

There are other short local reports for Madras College or from Motherwell but no complete report was found.

In 1949 the ‘Glasgow Herald’ reported on 20th June on the championships, held at Inverleith again.

There were new schools on the prize list this year, names such as Irvine Royal Academy, Kirkcudbright Academy and Stevenston Junior Secondary, the latter being the first time after the War that a Junior Secondary, whose name proclaimed it, was on the awards list.   Govan Secondary might well have been another state junior secondary and although the high schools were never slow to give their full designation – which could cover the fee-paying as well as the state and granted some ambiguity  to the interpretation – the same was not quite true of the junior secondary.

Back at Westerlands on 17th June in 1950, the ‘Sunday Post’ had this short report with minimal results printed on the following day.

There was a bigger report with results for all three age groups in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ of 19th June and it is reported below.

John Blane was a wonderful athlete who won many trophies as a football player, as a long distance cyclist and then as a miler of considerable ability.   Blane came from Irvine and had three very good seasons between 1887 and 1890.   He only ran in two Scottish Championships: in 1888 he was second in the 880 and first in the One Mile in 4:35.6; he missed the Championships in 1889 but in 1890 he was second in both 880 yards and One Mile.   1888 was his best season when he was one of three men trying to be the first Scot under 4:30 for the Mile.   DS Duncan (Edinburgh) started the rush with 4:32.2 early in the season; Blane chopped this to 4:30.2 seconds and the Duncan finally reached the target with 4:28.0 in September 1888.   The record stood for several years.

Championships apart he raced a lot and won a lot.   In his first season (1887/88) as a comparative novice he had two firsts, four seconds and two thirds but he learned quickly and by 1888 he was as good as anyone in the country.   He won the Shield for the Mile at Abercorn Sports in Paisley three times in succession and was given the shield; he won the Empire Exhibition One Mile winning a superb trophy and medal, he won the Mile at St Mirren Sports winning a magnificent silver trophy, he won races all over Ayrshire and his collection of trophies is unique in my experience and testament to a superb career.

The list of items is as follows and is almost complete as far as championships are concerned:

Abercorn Mile Challenge Shield: 16” in diameter, inscribed Abercorn FC Sports 1885   Abercorn Mile Challenge Shield.   The former winners named on the shield are J Logan 1885, RC McWalter 1886, WM Thomson 1887, J Blane 1888, J Blane 1889.   Although he won it again in 1890 he did not have it engraved.   All winners were members of Clydesdale Harriers and the shield is a magnificent object set with several silver medallions illustrating parts of a race..

Abercorn FC Sports 1887: pewter tankard approx 16” tall, inscribed 880 Yards Flat Race H/cap Prize.   No winner’s name engraved.

Glasgow International Exhibition Trophy: approximately 15” tall inscribed One Mile Race H’cap, First Prize, John Blane, 1888

Scottish Amateur Athletic Association Medal: inscribed Championship Meeting 1888, 1 Mile Flat Race won by John Blane, time 4 minutes and 35 and 2/5^th seconds.

Scottish Amateur Athletics Association Medal: inscribed Championship Meeting 1890, 1 Mile Flat Race.

Clydesdale Harriers Medal: inscribed 1 Mile Record, 4 minutes 30 and 1/5^th s, won by John Blane, Maybole Sports, 14^th July 1888.

St Mirren FC AA Sports 1887: Teapot inscribed Second Prize 1 mile race, handicap, open.   Unfortunately no photograph is available.

All his cycling trophies, one below, and medals, gold and silver are also in the collection. Note the sponsor’s name at the top of this one for a road championship race.

The inter scholastics were held in the first week in April in 1871 at Raeburn Place as usual with a handful of Edinburgh private schools taking part.   What follows is the ‘Scotsman’ report.

It will be noted that the heading on the report is of the Edinburgh Inter-Scholastic Games – there was no notion of of a national or even county Inter Scholastic competition and only four establishments were involved.  

Unfortunately for 1872 there was no ‘Scotsman’ available for April but we can go on to 1873 when we were more fortunate.   The report that year was in the  ‘Scotsman’ of 21st April and is a much longer account than the 1871 Games was in evidence.   It tells us that five schools took part and that Trinity College, Glenalmond was competing for the first time.   Note too that the reporter refers to the participants as ‘public schools’ which is now thought of as a reference to the English private school system. 

For 1874, there was a dearth of ‘Scotsman’s to consult online, similarly in 1875 but 1876 was a different matter.   There is a whole correspondence, maybe verging on the acrimonious, on the event which is on the next post which can be reached at   this link .

We will end the coverage of the event for now with the correspondence in ‘The Scotsman’ about it which was started in the paper of 13th April, 1876 with this letter by M.I. which casts doubt on whether the event ought to be continued.

There was an almost instant response from various interested parties.

Of course there had to be a response from M.I.  (or was it M.J.?) – 

In the course of all this, the Head at Loretto had to correct a few mis-statements –

Given that he referred to the ‘late’ inter scholastic games, it would seem that they had ceased to exist!  Loretto off their own bat appeared to be trying to do something about the situation.   But it would seem that there would be a hiatus and that is where we will leave the Games – for now at least. 

Despite talk in 1869 of the sports being held at Merchiston Castle, they were again held at Raeburn Place and went off well.Although it reported that all the best athletes from all the public schools in Edinburgh were taking part, there were still only four establishments in action.  For the second time in five meetings the qualifying dates for the various age groups was given in the report, and the jumps for height participants were graded by their height.   The speech at the end of the afternoon was abbreviated to the point of almost non-existence.

Crowd size was better than satisfactory, the standard of athletics was high and the report was by far the best of those printed so far in the series.

The Games of 1968 were the third in the series which were limited to several fee-paying schools in Edinburgh.  The opening paragraph of the report below comments on this and repeats the fact that the Games were a copy of the Oxford/Cambridge meetings.   The spirit of the age comes through the report with talk of “more for the honour of the school than personal aggrandisement”.   Well, maybe that was the outward appearance but it is fair to think that it did confer some status on the performer.

A good day’s sport with some interesting comments and conclusions: eg that the venue be changed to Merchiston Castle after four years at the same venue.  The fact that the number of competing schools was now down to four should maybe have caused some stirring in the cloisters of the establishments concerned too.

In an interesting introduction to the coverage of the report, the writer says that they were set up in imitation of the Oxbridge inter-university sports.  That’s the first time that has been mentioned.   What, if anything, does that tell us of the self perception of the schools’ management at the time?   As in the first two meetings, there were the five schools taking part and the event took place at Raeburn Place.  The report is from the ‘Scotsman’   .

Apart from Lord Ardmillan’s rousing speech with its “one word” of advice which runs to ten lines, that the meeting went on until 7:00 pm is a testament to the hardiness of the spectators, or maybe to the determination of mothers and fathers to see their progeny in action.   The programme had flat racing, hurdles racing, high jump, long jump, pole vault and throwing the cricket ball.   

The Merchiston Castle school sports day was on 18th April in 1866.   It was a good day alkthough there was reportedly a wind blowing but it was the only school to games to have a figure for the attendance – approximately 2000 were there for the occasion.   The report from the ‘Scotsman’ is below.

Among all the schools, it was the list of events that was most like the actual upcoming  inter-schools. Pole vault, high jump,long jump, putting the cannon ball, throwing the cricket ball and hurdles were all there.   The only lack was the number of events in each group – eg only one mile race with the nearest distance event being the 440 yards.   Then there is the last event of a flat race for fencing pupils: was there a separate fencing class that was taken at the time when the other pupils were doing their athletics?   A bit of a puzzle.   But like the others, it was a great social occasion with the grounds properly marked out, lots of flags and decorations around the ground.