Admin – Page 60 – Anent Scottish Running

A Journalist’s Reminiscences

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Admin

“I have been asked to give a journalist’s survey of the period in which I have been, as a newspaper man, associated with Scottish athletics. I propose to do it in my own fashion, taking point after point as they appeal to my journalistic sense. For instance, I find my collection of Championship Meeting programmes goes back to 1900. had been reporting the Championship Meetings for a good ten years prior to that date, but it must have been with the beginning of the new century that I acquired horse-sense enough to start a collection. Though what, after all, does a collection of programmes amount to? Nothing at all compared with what one stores up in his recollection of outstanding events: the advent of a Downer, the emergence of a Halswell, the debut of a Liddell. Still, an odd programme or two refreshes the memory. I find, for example, in my 1900 programme a notable succession of Edinburgh victories, and in those days the Championship Meetings provided a rare contention between the Scottish Capital and “the Capital of the other side of Scotland.”

Hampden Park

“A Tale Of Two Cities”

Edinburgh had Powderhall, Glasgow had Hampden, Ibrox and Parkhead. Glasgow was progressive, Edinburgh was content with what had served its athletic father, almost grandfather; but Powderhall was buttressed by Myreside and Craiglockhart, and in such a year as 1900 Edinburgh carried off the honours with WH Welsh at the three short distances,Jack Paterson at the half-mile and mile, and AR Gibb at four miles supplementing Paterson’s previous win at the long distance race in the spring. That grand all round athlete, RS Stronach, like Welsh, a Scottish Rugby cap, credited Glasgow with the hurdles, Hugh Barr, entering from Edinburgh and the Clydesdale Harriers, split the broad jump title between the rival cities, JB Milne took the high jump back to Dundee and DJ McRae conveyed the weight to Aberdeen. Edinburgh enthusiasts rejoiced and I dare say accentuated the not over kindly feeling between the athletic circles in the two cities. The previous decade had been a stormy period.

Downer’s First “Hat Trick”

It had seen AR Downer rise to amateur athletic greatness and decline into professional commonplaceness; the Athletic Abuses Commission: the dispute with the Scottish Cyclists Union; and the existence, for two seasons, of rival athletics bodies, the SAAA and the SAAU. The glamour of Downer still subsists in the minds of a few old timers, myself among the number. I can recall the air of mystery that attached to Downer when it got about, as the summer of 1892 drew to an end, that Edinburgh had a rod in pickle as against the following season in the form of a young runner whose start was quickly shortening as his powers were rapidly developing. He had been at two public schools in Edinburgh, the Institution and Watson’s College, and he opened the season of 1893 by winning a sprint handicap at a schools meeting in Edinburgh off a short mark. Then he ran second to DR McCulloch, the sprint champion of 1892, in Glasgow, and beat him over 100 and 220 yards in the Vale of Leven. Still Glasgow was hard to convince. But at the Championship Meeting at Hampden, Downer had the opposition at the sprint and furlong beaten by half distance. In the quarter, he stumbled at the start and lost yards of running, lost ground through a collision at the second bend and then tore up the winning straight, to pass the post three yards in front of the nearest man.

I question if anything finer was ever seen in amateur athletics in Scotland. Edinburgh enthusiasts went mad over Downer, a number of Edinburgh sportsmen banqueted the young hero. Some of us, I daresay, that evening read handwriting on the wall.

The First International

It is not my business to discuss the”split” which rent Scottish amateur athletics in twain. It began in 1895. The SAAA (or Edinburgh as it largely was for the time being) could not do without Downer, and he was induced to have a tilt at Ireland in the athletic International. The match originated in July 1895 and the first meeting was held at Parkhead, where Scotland, handicapped by the split, lost by six points to five. The attendance was limited – what a “write-up” the event would have had today. And there was Downer, a sick man on the morning of the meeting, doing level time in the sprint, winning the furlong in record time, and beating a dashing Irishman in the quarter. For some reason the SAAA never credited Downer with the tie with record in their official list. I wonder if this will be rectified in the book. When next, by the way, I saw Downer, he was running in a little country meeting in a field belonging to a hotel in Penicuik, rain falling in torrents. Downer’s dressing-room was a part share of a bell tent which offered a wretched shelter from the storm.

Likened To Tincler

Ere the “split” was healed and the SAAU was absorbed into the older body, the SAAA championships had revealed a great athlete in the making in Hugh Welsh, a member of a famous athletic family with Watson’s College and Merchiston connections. Welsh was likened by followers of the sport to GB Tincler, a great Irish professional runner, whose style was a model for all time. Welsh was a stylist. He was deceptive at the initial stages of a race and gave the impression that he could not break 4 min 30 sec. What he really could do was never known. Welsh, even more than Downer, made amateur athletics a real proposition to the Press in Scotland. I am speaking wholly from memory, but I should say that his great race with AE Tysoe – the winner of the English Mile Championship in 1897, when Welsh was spiked – at Powderhall in the summer of 1898 was amateur athletics “best seller” for the Edinburgh evening papers. The “gate” was big: as for the race, old hands in Edinburgh recall nothing more lovingly than a slow-run race and a tearing finish by Welsh, who literally ran the Englishman off his feet.

The Gift Of Personality

More than any Scottish amateur distance runner, Hugh Welsh possessed the gift of personality. John McGugh, soundest of milers, had not, nor had Paterson, nor WH Welsh this gift. A short time ago I got a letter from Jimmy Curran, a Galashiels man, who ha, for almost a quarter of a century been one of the most distinguished athletic coaches in American school and college athletics. He was in South Africa with the HLI during the Boer War, and when out there he found young Halswell. When the battalion came home and was brought to Edinburgh Castle, Curran introduced the then Lieutenant Halswell to get into training and, running in the 440 yards championship in the Championships of 1905, Halswell revealed that a bright new star had risen in the Scottish athletic firmament in the person of this gallant son of and English father and Scottish mother. I went to Edinburgh castle to interview the young officer. He refused to talk. It was not the thing to do on the part of an officer. But, with a quiet chuckle, he handed me a scrapbook, sent him by a relative of his mother, in which he said I would find everything there was to know of him athletically. “I must return it,” he said, bidding me good-bye. This little action was worthy of the man who, when appealed to by a Press representative as to how he spelt his name – Mr DS Duncan refused to acknowledge a final “e”, and I took my cue from the SAAA secretary – wrote that he spelt his name this way. But the recipient of his letter to this day cannot determine whether it is a final “e” or a flourish of the pen.

Halswell

Halswell’s last race

Halswell “made history” in Scottish athletics in 1906. He won four running titles in one afternoon. It was freely prophesied that the like would never be seen again. It has never been attempted, and may stand as a record for all time. The last time I spoke to Halswell was to commiserate with him on the unseemly proceedings in connection with the Olympic 400 metres race. The entire circumstances distressed the high-minded military athlete. He hated the idea that a conspiracy had been engaged in, and he hated still more the fact that the re-run was not taken part in by the American athletes, acting under orders. The fact was that Halswell cared far more for athletic expression than for results. It was felt in the battalion that his reputation was being, as it were, traded in by sports promoters. He said he would end his career with the quarter-mile in the Scoto-Irish International, and did so. Someone gave me a copy of a photograph of Halswell starting in the race. I had it copied and mounted, and years after EH Liddell took away the second copy as one of many souvenirs of his stay in this country.

Tom Nicolson

In Halswell we had another Downer and in Liddell we had another Halswell. We may have another Liddell, but it is not likely that we will ever have another Tom Nicolson, most modest of great athletes, most lovable, may I say, of sportsmen. He will never rank as the greatest heavy athlete Scottish amateur athletics has ever boasted. His best individual achievement may be beaten by a brother Scot, as it has been beaten by Irishmen, but there surely will never be a career so long and so full of honours as that of the genial Kyles farmer. He had not trhe commanding figure of some of the great Irish-Americans. He was not, in fact, a striking figure in his ordinary garb: it was when he stripped that one saw his great breadth of shoulders. Like the man himself, his work was always distinguished by his extraordinary straightness. He did not appeal to one’s sense of the romantic as, perhaps, Downer did, nor of the bizarre as an old opponent of his, the late Dennis Horgan; but Tom will be remembered for his sterling qualities, and not as the hero of stories that tend to become legends.”

That’s the article as Diogenes wrote it. Apart from Nicolson, it could have been called something like, ‘Great Edinburgh Athletes I Have Known’ but it does give information but even more than details of Downer, Halswell or Welsh as athletes, it gives an insight into the values of the sport at that time.

Memories of a Sports Promoter (W Maley)

Track Championships 1895 and 1896

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Admin

Ibrox Park

In 1895 there was disagreement between the SAAA and the SCU (Scottish Cyclists Union) about various topics but mainly about money and amateur status. Some of the clubs in the West of Scotland fell in with the SCU and formed a new organisation, the Scottish Amateur Athletic Union. This body held its own championships in parallel to the SAAA Championships in 1895 and in 1896 before the rift was healed. There may well be a page on the various rifts in Scottish athletics soon so we won’t go into the topic in detail here. In 1895 both national championships were held on the south side of Glasgow on the same day. The athletics public had the choice on Saturday, 22nd June of seeing the SAAA Championships at Ibrox with seven track events and four field events or going to Hampden to view the SAAU Championships which only had six track events. Why bother with the SAAU when there was more on offer across at Ibrox? Well there was some of the politics of the situation which would affect your choice but while Downer was going for his third triple, McIntosh was throwing and Hugh Barr competing in the Broad Jump, most of the Clydesdale Harriers and other west clubs were at the SAAU meeting and the midle distance events were promising greta things.

The big result of the day however, had to be the 880 yards win of RS Langlands at Hampden when he recorded 1:59.8 – the first ever sub-2 minute half-mile in Scotland. He finished very strongly but alone after R Mitchell, the only other competitor dropped out. Many would say Downer’s third triple win including the 100 yards in 10 seconds which equalled the championship best, Scotttish record and Native Record would get top billing but there was a genuine debate to be had on the topic.

AR Downer

In the results table below, the SAAA Results come in the first three columns while those of the SAAU are in the next three columns and in italics.

Event	First	Second	Performance	First	Second	Time	Comment
100 yds	AR Downer	JK Ballantyne	10 sec	W Wilson	DR McCulloch	10.8 sec	Downers’s 3^rd Triple
220 yds	AR Downer	JK Ballantyne	23.2 sec	DR McCulloch	T Gordon	24.2
440 yds	AR Downer	RA Bruce	52.4 sec	J Rodger	T Gordon	54.4
880 yds	MC Seton	J Stirton	2:05.4	RS Langlands	–	1:59.8	1^st ever sub 2min
Mile	J Stirton	W Carment	4:46.8	W Robertson	R Langlands	4:26.4
4 Miles	J Stewart	P McMorrow	21:01.4	A Hannah	S Duffus	21:08
10 Miles*	A Hannah	W Robertson	53:26
120y hurdles	AL Graham	WCS Taylor	17.4 sec
Broad Jump	H Barr	AL Graham	21’ 0.25
High Jump	C Fenwick	A Graham W Grieve	5’ 9”
Putting the Weight	JD McIntosh	D Ross	43’ 1”
Throwing the Hammer	D Ross	JD McIntosh	104’ 6”

How did the two championships compare? First financially, maybe not surprisingly the SAAU came out on top since it was held inconjunction with the SCU Championships. The ‘Glasgow Herald’ report read: “That cycling is an important factor in modern sport had another exemplification at Hampden Park last Saturday, when the SCU and its newest confrere the SAAU held their joint championships before a crowded attendance. The actual drawings at the gate represented a paying crowd of 7000, while with the amount from the stands and that coming across from other sources, the total aggregate will not fall far short of £240, or almost the same sum as was netted at the Scottish Meet races at Powderhall the week before. It is evident that whatever party is pecuniarily affected it is certainly not the SCU, which is now more financially sound than it has been before. The same cannot be said of the SAAA which has lost money in all its meetings held in the West. These gatherings have been so sparsely attended that the surplus with which the SAAA started the season must now have almost entirely disappeared.” The comment after the short account of the SAAA event read: Any pleasure that was derived from the general excellence of the sport was greatly modified by the wretched response which the public made to the appeals of the SAAA for support. The drawings did not exceed £25, which is the smallest sum ever taken at a championship meeting in the city.

One of the factor affecting the issue was the fact that Clydesdale Harriers, the largest club affiliated to the association had thrown its support behind the SAAU and the cyclists. Where the SAAA could provide what the SAAU could not (eg 10 miles track race, any field event) the CH members simply used the Association’s events. This paid off in international selections where the established and older body selected the teams.

The team for the Irish international on 20th July was chosen after the championships and was as follows:

100 yards: AR Downer (Scottish Pelicans) , JK Ballantyne (Scottish Pelicans). Reserve: Hugh Barr (CH) 220 yards: AR Downer, JK Ballantyne. Reserve: Hugh Barr. 440 yards: AR Downer, RA Bruce (Watson’s College). Reserve: RA Mollison (GUAC). 880 yards: AM Beton (Edinburgh University), J Sterton (Edinburgh Harriers). Reserve: THB Scott (EUAC). Mile: J Sterton, H Welsh (Watson’s College). Reserve: J Hendry (Edinburgh Harriers). Throwing the Hammer: D Ross (North of Scotland), JD McIntosh (Edinburgh Harriers). Reserve: J McInnes (Edinburgh University). Putting the Weight: D Ross, JD McIntosh. Reserve: J McInnes. Broad Jump: H Barr, AL Graham (West of Scotland Harriers). Reserve: WCR Taylor (Queen’s Park). High Jump: J Fenwick (Dundee Amateurs), AL Graham. Reserve: W Grieve (Dundee Amateurs). 120 yards hurdles: AL Graham, WCB Taylor. Reserve: J Timms (Edinburgh AC). Four Miles Flat: J Stewart (Newcastle Harriers), P McMorrow (West of Scotland Harriers), RA Hay (Edinburgh Harriers)

The top men in the country who competed at the Union championships, such as Langlands in the half-mile, Robertson in the Mile and Hannah in the Four Miles, were not chosen. The actual result was a win for Ireland who won 6 events to Scotland’s 5. Scottish winners being Downer in three events, Hugh Welsh in the Mile and D Ross in the Hammer. While not as important as in the twenty first century, the power to select international teams was probably one of the factors that brought the split to an end after only two separate championships. But the financial situation of the two organisations gave the other side a bargaining counter that was at least as persuasive.

The split continued into 1896 and a journalist referred to “The SAAA (or Edinburgh as it largely was for the time being)…” and a look at the results shows that the west clubs made up most of the SAAU. Individuals such as Hugh Barr of Clydesdale competed in the east championships because they lived in Edinburgh, worked in Edinburgh and trained in Edinburgh. Individuals were not barred from competition because their club supported one camp of the other.

Results from 1896 first of all (SAAU in italics)

Event	First	Second	Performance	First	Second	Performance	Comments
100 yards	JK Ballantyne	H Barr	10.8 seconds	*W Maley*	*JB Auld*	*11 seconds*
220 yards	JK Ballantyne	H Barr	23.4 seconds	*JB Auld*	*T Gordon*	*23.4 seconds*
440 yards	GC Thompson	W Pollock	53 seconds	*J Rodger*	*J Barclay*	*55.2 seconds*
880 yards	H Welsh	W Hay	2:04	*J Barclay*	*J Rodger*	*2:03.8*
Mile	H Welsh	J Stirton	4:32	*W Robertson^*	*C McCracken*	*4:27.2*	^ New Record
Four Miles	RA Hay	AR Gibb	20:57	*S Duffus*	*A Hannah*	*20:10.8*
Ten Miles*	RA Hay	WJ Lowson	55:56.6	*A Hannah*	*W Robertson*	*54:56.8*
120 yards hurdles	AB Timms	W Dove	19 seconds	*J Cameron*	*D Carr*	*18.4*
Broad Jump	H Barr	WCS Taylor	21’ 2”***	*GM Caldwell*	*D Carr*	*18’ 4”*	*** CBP, Scottish Record
High Jump	C Fenwick	W Grieve	5’ 8”	*J Macfarlane*	*RG Murray*	*5’ 5.75”*
Putting the Weight	JD McIntosh	MC McInnes	41’ 7”**	*D Ross*	*JS McEwan*	*41’ 5”*	**CBP, Scottish Native Record
Throwing the Hammer	JD McIntosh	–	103’	*D Ross*	*W Ogilvie*	*102’ 8”*

* SAAA held at Powderhall on 4th April; SAAU at Hampden on 2nd April

Both groups had their championships on the same day – 27th June – the SAAA at Powderhall and the SAAU at Hampden. The crowd in Glasgow was estimated at 8000 when the meeting started at 3:00 pm but the only comment on the turnout in Edinburgh was that the meeting was enjoyed by a large gathering. The weather at each was said to be warm and sunny with light breezes.

The first glaring omission is the name of AR Downer who had just completed a wonderful three years of competition and was clearly running well. The story is that he had been accused by the English AAA’s of professionalism, found guilty and a month later (26th July, 1896) barred from competing as an amateur. He kept on competing well as a pro for several years thereafter. The result was that JK Barr who had been second to him in the two short sprints in 1895 won both from long jumper Hugh Barr who would go on to the sprint title himself before he ended his career. There wasn’t much between the meetings in terms of standards but it is of interest to note that Ross, throwing in the Union meeting threw the hammer only four inches less than JD McIntosh on the other side of the country.

The ‘Glasgow Herald’ commented on the SAAU Championships first and in brief before providing a detailed account of each event. The comment read: “On Saturday some splendid sport was witnessed and three new records were established. In the one mile flat W Robertson did the distance in 4 min 27 1-10th, which beats the record held by DS Duncan by 4-5th second and which has stood since 1888. In the four miles flat S Duffus took 29 1-5th seconds off his own record of 20 min 40 sec while D Ross, in putting the ball after the competition was over and in an exhibition putt, got outside his own record by 3 inches, the previous record having been 42′ 8”. It is seldom that so many records are made at one meeting, but they go far to show the class of men who took part in the proceedings. “

This report was followed by the one on the SAAA Meeting which started by listing the officials at the meeting and followed this with results of Heats and Finals of the day’s events with no attempt to summarise the events or indicate the highlights. It was followed though by the team to represent Scotland against Ireland at Ball’s Bridge, Dublin in July. The team this year was

100 yards: JK Ballantyne, H Barr. Reserve: T Scott. 220 yards: JK Ballantyne, H Barr. Reserve: T Scott. 440 yards: GC Thompson, W Pollock. Reserve: G Somerville. Half-Mile: H Welsh, W Hay. Reserve: TK Fair. Mile: H Welsh, J Stirton. Reserve: JF Hendry. Four Miles: RA Hay, FW Bruce, AR Gibb. Reserves: P McMorrow and L Jack. 120 yards hurdles: AR Timms, WB Taylor. Reserve: W Dove. Broad Jump: H Barr, WCS Taylor. High Jump: C Fenwick, W Grieve. Reserve: W Dove. Weight and Hammer: JD McIntosh, M McInnes.

In the International on 18th July, Ireland won by 7 events to 4 with the Scots winners being Welsh in the 880 yards and mile, R Hay in the 4 miles and Hugh Barr in the Broad Jump. Barr was also second in the 100 and 220 yards races.

By June 1897, the two bodies had come together under the SAAA banner and the championships that summer involved not only all amateur athletes in the country but also the cyclists of the SCU. The split was over.

Track Championships: 1883 – 1894

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Admin

Powderhall Grounds: Venue for first two championships

The first Scottish Championships of the amateur era were held at Powderhall Grounds in Edinburgh on 23rd June 1883. There was a total of 90 entrants and “Fifty Years of Athletics” tells us that it was an athletic and financial success. Top man on the day was WA Peterkin, a rugby international, of Edinburgh University Club who won both 100 yards (10 1/2 seconds) and 440 yards (51 3/4 seconds) and took silver in the Putting the Weight with 38′ 9″. K Whitton (Edinburgh University) won the latter and also took second place in the Hammer (93′ 2″). Other double medallists were J Smith who was second in the 100 yards and second equal in the high jump, T Moffat who won the half-mile (2:0.75) and second in the 440 yards and AR Don Wauchope (Fettesians and another outstanding rugby man) who was second in the 120 yards hurdles and in the Throwing the Cricket Ball (105 yds 2 ft 6 in). DA Bethune of the Established Church Training College won the Broad Jump which he retained in 1884. There were 12 events – 100 yards, 440 yards, 880 yards, One Mile, 120 yards hurdles, Three Miles Walk, Broad Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault, Putting the Weight, Throwing the Hammer and Throwing the Cricket Ball.

WA Peterkin: winner of the inaugural 100 and 440 yards

1883 Results

	1st	2nd	Performance	Comments
100 yards	WA Peterkin	J Smith	10.5 sec
440 yards	WA Peterkin	T Moffat	51.75 sec
880 yards	T Moffat	T Ireland	2:0.75	CBP
1 Mile	DS Duncan	WM Gabriel	4:35
120 yards hurdles	RA Carruthers	AR Don Wauchope	16.75 sec
Three Miles Walk	J Harvie	JH Vibart	24:10
Broad Jump	DA Bethune	AE Bulloch	19’ 5.5 “
High Jump	WF Methuen	JN McLeod J Smith	5’ 6”
Pole Vault	G Hodgson		9’ 8”
Putting the Weight	K Whitton	WA Peterkin	38’ 9”
Throwing the Hammer	R Smith	K Whitton	93’ 2”
Throwing the Cricket Ball	RFH Bruce	AR Don Wauchope	107 yds 1’ 5”

There had been what were called championship events before this organised by bodies such as the various Highland Games and Gatherings of various sorts and of course the longest continuous sports meeting on the calendar (certainly in the west of the country), the various school sports: Royal High School 1864, Merchiston Castle 1866, Glasgow Academy 1868 and Fettes College 1874. Several Scots had competed in the English Championships but they were almost all from the University or Old Boys clubs that were to be founders of the SAAA. The meeting of 1883 was the first of a series of official championships that is still running. For a brief period the dispute with the Clydesdale Harriers led to parallel championships being held in 1895 and 1896.

Hampden Park: Venue for 31 Championships and 21 out of 22

The second championships were held at the same venue but with one fewer events, the Throwing the Cricket Ball having been dispensed with. Titles were retainedby DS Duncan (Mile), J Harvie (Walk), DA Bethune (Broad Jump), G Hodgson (Pole Vault) and K Whitton (Putting the Weight). Conditions were described as “Light easterly wind. Fast track.” “Fifty Years of Athletics” tells us that Best Championship Performances were set in five events. The Putting the Weight winning distance of 41′ 9″ was a CBP; the 120 yards Hurdles time of 16 3/5th seconds was equalled in 1889 but lasted longer than that; the Three Miles Walk time of 23 min 16 sec was a CBP and a Scottish Native Record ; the 440 yards time of 51 1/5th sec was a CBP and a Scottish Record and the 100 yards time of 10 sec was a CBP (equalled in 1895) up to 1913 and a Scottish Native Record from 1913 (it was equalled in 1924, 1925, 1929, 1930 and 1932). The winner of the 100 yards, James John Milroy Cowie, had been born in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, but his family moved to Kent when he was three. By 1883 he was already a top-class runner: a meber of London AC he had won the AAA’s 100 yards and 440 yards in 10.2 and 51.0 seconds. His Scottish record stood for 51 years.

1884 Results

Event	1st	2nd	Performance	Comments
100 yards	JM Cowie	W Rodger	10 sec	CBP and Scottish Record
440 yards	JM Cowie	AE Bulloch	51.5 sec	CBP and Scottish Record
880 yards	TED Ritchie	WM Gabriel	2:02.4
1 Mile	DS Duncan	JM Crawford	4:32.2
120 yards hurdles	A McNeill	HA Watt	16.6 sec	CBP
Three Miles Walk	J Harvie	A Brown	23:16	CBP and Scottish Record
Broad Jump	DA Bethune	RG Taylor	20’
High Jump	JN MacLeod	AL Van Der Merwe	5’ 5”
Pole Vault	G Hodgson	T Hyslop	9’4”
Putting the Weight	K Whitton	C Reid	41’ 9”	CBP
Throwing the Hammer	K Whitton	R Smith	98’ 10”
Throwing the Cricket Ball		No Event

The Championships came to the west of the country on 27th June, 1885, when they were held at Westmarch, Paisley. Westmarch was the home of St Mirren FC from 1883 to 1894. St Mirren of course was one of many football clubs that organised their own annual sports. Westmarch was said to have two pitches, a grandstand and a pavilion so it would have been eminently suitable for the championships. Conditions were described as being warm with light variable winds. DS Duncan won the Mile (5 min 01 2/5th sec) for the third successive year and in the field events K Whitton had his hat-trick of Putting the Weight victories (41′ 6″). He was also the only competitor with two golds, winning the Hammer with 100′ 5 3/4″. There was only one CBP and that was in the Broad Jump where JW Parsons leapt 21′ 9 1/2 “. Parsons was also second in the high jump with 5′ 6″. Parsons had been competing for many years as a member of EUAC and Fetessians-Lorettonians and had medals at the AAA’ sChampionships inaugural meeting but his real big day was in June 1883 when he won the AAA’s High Jump with 6′ 0.25″ but also won the Long Jump with 23′ 0.25″. Wonderful performances but he didn’t catch the Scotish record which was set by Tom Vallance (Rangers FC and later Clydesdale Harriers) in 1881 at 21′ 11”. RH Morison won three medals in 1885 – third in the 100 yards, second in the 440 yards and second in the 880 yards, won by J Logan in 2 min 03 3/5th sec.

JW Parsons: Broad Jump Champion, 1885, Broad Jump and High Jump Champion, 1886

1885 Results

Event	1st	2nd	Performance	Comments
100 yards	RA Taylor	MC Wright	10.6 sec
440 yards	S Henderson	RH Morison	51.8sec
880 yards	J Logan	RH Morison	2:03.6
1 Mile	DS Duncan	JM Crawford	5:01.4
120 yards hurdles	HA Watt	AGG Asher	17.8 sec
Three Miles Walk	J Caw	A Brown	24:54
Broad Jump	JW Parsons	RG Taylor	21’ 9.75”	CBP
High Jump	JN MacLeod	JW Parsons	5’8”
Pole Vault	AGG Asher	G Hodgson	10’ 01”
Putting the Weight	K Whitton	C Reid	41’ 6”
Throwing the Hammer	K Whitton	C Reid	100’ 5.75”

There was one change – Clydesdale Harriers had been founded on 4th May, 1985, just over a month beforehand and that was to have an efect on the future of the championships.

Augustus Grant Asher: winner of the Pole Vault 1885, 1886

There was a new event added to the championships in 1886, the ten miles championship. For obvious reasons it was not held at the championships proper but included in a meeting at Powderhall Grounds on 28th June – two days after the championships which were also at Powderhall. The results of the championship first.

1886 Results

Event	1st	2nd	Performance	Comment
100 yards	W Rodger	MC Wright	11 sec
440 yards	MC Wright	T Blair	52.4 sec
880 yards	S Henderson	JM Crawford	2:04.2
1 Mile	DS Duncan	WM Gabriel	4:40.8
Ten Miles*	AP Findlay	Only one finisher	55:16.8
Three Miles Walk	J Caw	A Brown	24:03.2
120 yards hurdles	HA Watt	A Vallance	18.4 sec
Broad Jump	JW Parsons	AGG Asher	21’ 6”
High Jump	JW Parsons	JW MacLeod	5’ 11”	CBP
Pole Vault	AGG Asher	G Hodgson	10’ 3”
Putting the Weight	C Reid	T Robertson	40’
Throwing the Hammer	C Reid	BM Norval	92’ 6”

The winner of the new event was AP Findlay of Clydesdale Harriers who was the reigning Cross-Country Champion. He came from Ayr and was a notoriously tough competitor. He was the only finisher in the event. There were other Clydesdale Harriers competing – T Blair, J Caw, A Brown, A Vallance, JT Ward were among the first three in their events.

DS Duncan: winner of five SAAA Mile titles, including the first four-in-a-row!

Yet another event was added in 1887 – the Four Miles Championship which was decided on the day of the actual championship meeting. The meeting was held on25th June at Hampden Park and the Ten Miles was he;ld just two days later in Edinburgh at Powderhall. AP Findlay, the stonemason from Ayr won both. The championships were now becoming established but there were several differences that a modern spectator would notice straight away. First of all, only two medals were awarded instead of the now customary three and the only time given was that of the winner. Some of the biggest differences were in the field events. In the Pole Vault for instance, the pole was of ash or hickory wood, rigid and often broke – as it did in the first championship. It was very poorly supported and intially only appeared in the championship for seven years before being dropped after there were no competitors at all in 1890. John Keddie in his centenary history of the SAAA describes the high jump technique as follows: “Jumpers like Parsons would approach the bar straight on, tuck their knees up to their chest and thus, hopefully, sail over. By this method quite lng distances were also jumped!” The Hammer was at that time thrown from a 9′ circle rather than from the 7′ circle that was used from the early 20th century.

That open athletics had arrived was indicated by the number of Clydesdale Harriers among the medallists – Logan, Findlay, Henderson, Brown, McCulloch and Ward all being members of the club.

1887 Results

100 yards	RA Taylor	CJF Paisley	10.6 sec
440 yards	CJF Paisley	DR McCulloch	52.4 sec
880 yards	JC Braid	SG Nobbs	2:02.4
1 Mile	J Logan	DS Duncan	4:35.6
Four Miles	AP Findlay	WM Thomson	21:30
Ten Miles*	AP Findlay	W Henderson	55:21.6
Three Miles Walk	A Brown	J Caw	24:32.2
120 yards hurdles	HA Watt	JT Ward	17.8 sec
Broad Jump	AE Bullock	No other competitor	21’
High Jump	JN Macleod	No other competitor	5’ 7”
Pole Vault	EL Stones	CC MacKnight	11’
Putting the Weight	C Reid	J MacDonald	40’ 11”
Throwing the Hammer	J Barron	R Smith	94’ 6”

*Decided on 27^th June at Powderhall

Having all the championships in the one weekend is nearly always a good idea but when you see Findlay racing a four miles on the Saturday in Glasgow and then travelling to Powderhall two days later for the ten miles, you maybe have to wonder. However the situation was soon to change and in 1888 the ten miles was held in April.

J Blane Photo John Blane

In 1888 the championships took place at Powderhall on 23rd June when conditions were fairly good – dry with a slight wind.

1888 Results

Event	1st	2nd	Performance
100 yards	JH Allan	RA Taylor	10.4 sec
440 yards	T Blair	JB Green	53.4 sec
880 yards	AM Marshall	J Allan & J Blane	2:02.6
Mile	J Blane	DS Duncan & J Logan	4:35.4
Four Miles	WM Jack	A Hannah	21:17.6
Ten Miles*	AP Findlay	DS Duncan	55:33
Three Miles Walk	A Brown	J Urquhart	27:26.4
120 yards hurdles	A Vallance	JT Ward	18.8 sec
Broad Jump	AE Bullock	WH Campbell	21’
High Jump	GG Robertson	JT Ward No Height	5’ 2.5”
Pole Vault	EL Stones	No Other Competitor	11’ 2.5”
Putting the Weight	J Macdonald	T Robertson	40’ 4”
Throwing the Hammer	T Robertson	R Smith No Throw	90’ 8”

*Decided on 7^th April at Powderhall

Clydesdale Harriers were by now the biggest club in the land – Edinburgh Harriers had followed their example and appeared on the scene in September 1885 and were followed a year or so later by West of Scotland Harriers but Clydesdale was the biggest by far. The winners of the threedistance events – They were particularly prominent in the distance events with Blane, Logan, Findlay and Hannah being significant athletes. Blane was a Kilmarnock man who was a successful racing cyclist before he turned to athletics where he had a short but outstanding career winning championships and setting records at National level. 1888 was his best year when he was one of three men attempting to break the 4:30 barrier for the mile but his best attempt was 4:30.2 in July before DS Duncan cracked it in September with 4:28. Findlay won the Ten Miles for the third successive year and DS Duncan had two seconds, in the Mile and in the Ten Miles – but he had not yet finished winning the Mile championship.

1889 Results

The 1889 Championships were held at Hampden Park on 22nd June when the weather conditions were reported as Warm with light breezes.

Event	First	Second	Performance
100 yards	RA Taylor	T Blair	10.2 sec
440 yards	T Blair	JB Green	52.2 sec
880 yards	R Mitchell	J Wright	2:01
One Mile	C Pennycook	SB Figgis	4:29.8
Four Miles	JW McWilliam	A Hannah	20:56.2
Ten Miles*	A Hannah	C Pennycook	55:30.4
Three Miles Walk	W Miller	J Urquhart	23:50.2
120 yards hurdles	JL Greig	JR Gow	16.6 sec
Broad Jump	JL Greig	R Williams	20’ 4”
High Jump	JL Greig	EAS Bell	5’6”
Pole Vault	EL Stones	JAT Hall	11’ 4”
Putting the Weight	K Whitton	T Robertson	39’ 1”
Throwing the Hammer	K Whitton	J Cheyne	98’0”

* Decided on 12th April at Hampden

It was a good championship at least insofar as records were concerned – the Mile, Four Miles, 120 yards hurdles and Pole Vault were all CBP’s and Four Miles and PV were both Scottish Native Records. The distance races were the preserve of Clydesdale Harriers members with Mitchell, Pennycook, McWilliam and Hannah all being club members but two names stand out in the list of winners – K Whitton and JL Greig in the jumps.

Kenneth McLennan Whitton was a footballer with St George’s FC and later on joined Edinburgh Harriers. He was the first Scot to putt beyond 13 metres. He had competed in the 1883 championships and won it again in ’84 and ’85 before coming first again in 1889. After his competitive career was over he became President of the SAAA in 1932 and a life vice-president until his death in 1947. He was also first Scottish record holder in the Hammer which he threw 100′ 5.75″ in 1885 which he improved to 103′ in 1890. James Lewis Greig was another Fettes man who was very versatile, competing successfully in the sprints, the hurdles and the jumps. He won the hurdles and long jump twice for Cambridge in their annual contest with Oxford but his most unusual feat was in 1889 when he won three events at the SAAA Championships. Never setting a Scottish record for any of the events, he was second best ever when he long jumped 22′ 7.75″. Charles Pennycook was another very ineresting character who went on to become President of the SAAA.

Andrew Hannah

1890 Results

Event	First	Second	Performance
100 yards	NC Macleod	T Blair	11sec
440 yards	T Blair	DL Anderson	52.8 sec
880 yards	R Mitchell	J Blane	2:03.2
One Mile	DC McMichael	J Blane	4:40.2
Four Miles	A Hannah	DC McMichael	21:03
Ten Miles*	A Hannah	TIS Hunter	55:39.4
Three Miles Walk	J Urquhart	A Ramsay	24:49.4
120 yards hurdles	R Williams	HWG Lander	18.4
Broad Jump	G Munro	R Williams	19’ 10”
High Jump	R Williams	Only one competitor	5’ 5”
Pole Vault		Void
Putting theWeight	J MacDonald	K Whitton	39’ 01”
Throwing the Hammer	K Whitton	M McInnes	103’ 0”

* Decided on 4th April at Powderhall

This championship was held on 21st June, 1890, at Powderhall Grounds on a day said to be warm with south to south west breeze. The following report in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ is commendable for its brevity, its attention to the actual facts of the matter and coverage of the entire event:

100 yards Challenge Cup: Holder RA Taylor, EUAC, Scottish record 10 seconds. First Heat. 1st NC Macleod, GUAC, 2nd EE Maley, Celtic FC. Times 11 sec. Run in the teeth of the wind, won by two yards from Maley who in turn beat GH Allan, St George’s FC by a yard. The other starter was GW Cullen, GUAC. Second Heat. 1st T Blair, QPFC, 2nd GT Ward, CH, time 11 2-5th secs. Also ran R Wilson, EUAC, KF Thomson, Larchfield AC, D Wright, Abercorn FC, won by a yard and a half. Final: 1st Macleod, 2nd Blair. Considerable delay was caused through Macleod’s restiveness. At length the pistol was fired. Macleod had such a distinct advantage that he had no difficulty in breaking the tape first, but the start was deemed so unsatisfactory by Mr Davidson that no race was declared and the men were ordered to run again later on. On the second attempt the starter again had difficulty in getting his men away. Macleod’s strength and pace pulled him through, the Glasgow University man coming away twenty yards from the tape and winning by a yard and a half, a half yard separating Blair from Maley who was third.”

All events were covered in similar fashion.

JD McIntosh

1891 Results

Event	First	Second	Performance
100 yards	BC Green	NA McLeod	10.8 sec
440 yards	DL Anderson	T Blair	52.8 sec
880 yards	R Mitchell	W Malcolm	2:03.6
One Mile	DS Duncan	J Rodger	4:31.6
Four Mile	GW Pollard	AW Forrest	21:43
Ten Miles*	A Hannah	WM Carment	54:18.6
Three Miles Walk	J Caw	W Wilson	25:20.8
120 yards hurdles	BC Green	JR Gow	16.8 sec
Broad Jump	BC Green	GAF Fothergill	21’ 0.5”
High Jump	Void
Putting the Weight	A Carswell	JD McIntosh	39’ 1”
Throwing the Hammer	JD McIntosh	M McInnes	92’ 9”

* Decided 2nd April at Hampden

The championships in 1891 were decided in Glasgow at Hampden on 20th June. One to watch was James D McIntosh of the West End Amateur Rowing Club and Edinburgh Harriers who would go on to win the Hammer event six times and the Shot six times as well, doing the double five times! He was to set a record of 117′ 03″ in 1897 throwing from a 9′ circle. Andrew Hannah would ultimately have seven ten mile titles to his name as well as four four miles championships. For the championships, DS Duncan won the Mile for the fifth time. It will be noted that there was no Pole Vault this time and the event was dropped after several years of little support, no competitor took part in 1890. The high jump must also have been at some risk – one competitor in 1890 and none in 1891 was not a good sign.

1892 Results

Event	First	Second	Performance
100 yards	DR McCulloch	NA McLeod	10.6 sec
220 yards	NR McLeod	DR McCulloch	23.4 sec
440 yards	DR McCulloch	Only one runner	54 sec
880 yards	R Mitchell	W Malcolm	2:05.8
One Mile	HA Munro	C Pennycook	4:37
Four Miles	GW Pollard	HA Munro	21:01.6
Ten Miles*	P Addison	TIS Hunter	56:06.4
Three Miles Walk	J Dickison	Only one competitor
120 yards hurdles	NA McLeod	TM Donovan	17 sec
Broad Jump	AL Graham	TM Donovan	20’ 8”
High Jump	R Williams	JL Williams	5’ 6.5”
Putting the Weight	JD McIntosh	MN McInnes	40’9.5”
Throwing the Hammer	JD McIntosh	MN McInnes	98’

* Decided on 24th March at Powderhall

The championships were held in 1892 in Dundee – at the Carolina Port Grounds which had been opened in 1891and was the first major venue in the city. It was the home of Dundee FC for a number of years. A quick glance at the results indicates that there was a new event on the schedule – the 220 yardsmade its appearance and, if we substitute the three miles for the four, then the track events are starting to look more like the modern championships.

Hugh Barr, Clydesdale Harriers winner of the Long Jump 7 times as well as the 100 yards once.

The 1893 championships were spectacular in terms of the quality of the champions – including the new champions – who appeared at Hampden on 17th June. the great Alf Downer who was to do the ‘triple triple’ (three sprints every year for three years), Hugh Barr who went on to win the broad jump seven times, Andrew Hannah who won the Mile, Four Miles and Ten Miles, John Gow of Rangers FC and Clydesdale Harriers who won the hurdles and JD McIntosh in both throws events. The following report is from the ‘Glasgow Herald’ of 19th June.

“Gathering together the outstanding features of Saturday’s championship meeting, we first of all come to the triple victory of Mr AR Downer of the Edinburgh Institution in the 100 yards, the 220 yards and the quarter. This is a unique achievement. In 1891, BC Green, London Athletics Club, won the 120 yards hurdles and broad jump, and while these performances no doubt represent greater versatility than Downer’s, still the latter’s triple victory over graduated distances is in our opinion the more meritorious. Downer would have done good time in the 100 and 220 yards had he been pressed; as it is, his performances are very creditable, and there can be no doubt that he is head and shoulders the finest sprinter Scotland has yet turned out. D McCulloch was weak in the 100 yards, weaker still in the 220 yards – a distance over which he was supposed to be invincible – and he threw away the quarter in a by a display of judgment unpardonable in a runner of his years and experience. Downer will make a capital quarter miler with some additional training. So also will HA Mollison, Glasgow University AC. He ran well on Saturday and were he trained on the same scientific principles as Downer he would easily become as great a runner. Strong physical assertiveness is the distinguishing characteristic of Downer’s running, and that, combined with boundless confidence, has given him the high position he now holds.

The half-mile was the best race of the day, and both Malcolm and Hindle distinguished themselves. It was a close finish, and the time – 2 min 1 4-5th sec – is consistent with their handicap running all season. AR Muir finished inside standard, 2 min 3 sec. Andrew Hannah carried off two championships, the one and four miles. In the former, he beat Milroy in the sprint and in the latter, he shook off Robertson the same way and won, the times being 4 min 36 and 21 min 36 sec. If Milroy could only sprint, he would be the best mile runner in Scotland. By next year perhaps this defect will be put right.

The walk is played out and should be abolished.

One of the best performances of the day was AL Graham’s high jump of 5′ 8″. Only once has this been surpassed and that was in 1886 when JW Parsons, Fettes College, did 5′ 8″. The long jumping was disappointing. Guthrie was reported to have done 22′ in practice, while Hugh Barr, Clydesdale Harriers, on Thursday did 21′ 9″. The former fell off terribly as all he could do was 19′ 4″; Barr however covered 20′ 0.5″ and thus won the championship, while AL Graham was second with 19′ 4.75″. It should be kept in mind that all the jumping was done in the face of a stiffish breeze. The Saturday previous Barr did 20′ 3.5″, a performance which in face of the fact that he had no ‘previous performance’ to give, we felt justified in characterising as a remarkable jump for one who was ostensibly a beginner. We are informed however that Barr was quite entitled to rank as a novice, as he had not jumped since he left school, not even once in practice. JR Gow’s hurdle win was very popular.

Only one record was broken on Saturday and that was in the matter of attendance, the gate and stands realising £233. Two years ago when the championships were held at Hampden, the gate and stands yielded £120.

It is an interesting fact, and one that we have more than once commented on, that the sport at evening meetings is more inspiring than that witnessed at Saturday gatherings. This easily explained. Our athletes do their training after business hours, and it therefor comes more natural to them to run in the evening than in the afternoon. A careful analysis of athletics bears out the fact that better performances are done at evening meetings than at Saturday gatherings. At the West of Scotland Harriers Monday meeting of last week for example, W Malcolm did a capital 1000 yards performance breaking a record which had stood since 1890, his time being 2 mins 27 secs or 2 1-5th secs better than McMichael’s record. The half-mile too produced an excellent finish, about a score entering the home straight in a cluster, and the winner’s time, though fast, might have been accomplished by both Malcolm and Hindle had they not preferred to husband their strength for the extra 120 yards necessary to complete the 1000 yards. The 100 yards heats were closely contested , Hugh Barr winning the first prize very cleverly; while the quarter mile running was the best we have seen for some time.”

It’s a long report and covers the meeting of the previous Monday but I felt that it gave an interesting insight into the athletics of the period. Incidentally, the comments on evening running being more natural and therefor better in quality, raises the question – why not hold the championships in the evenings??? The results:

Event	First	Second	Performance
100 yards	AR Downer	DR McCulloch	10.6 sec
220 yards	AR Downer	DR McCulloch	23.4 sec
440 yards	AR Downer	DR McCulloch	53.4 sec
880 yards	W Malcolm	J Hindle	2:01.4
Mile	A Hannah	J Milroy	4:36
Four Miles	A Hannah	W Robertson	21:36.4
Ten Miles*	A Hannah	SJ Cornish	55:12.6
Three Miles Walk	J Dickison	Only one competitor	29:10.6
120 yards hurdles	JR Gow	AL Graham	17.2 sec
Broad Jump	H Barr	AL GRaham	20’ 0.5”
High Jump	AL Graham	Only one competitor	5’ 8”
Putting the Weight	JD McIntosh	JB Haggerty	40’ 5”
Throwing the Hammer	JD McIntosh	K Whitton	101’ 4”

* Decided 27th March at Hampden Park

Hugh Welsh: Mile and Half-Mile champion in the 1890s

The 1894 championships were held on 23 June at Powderhall on a rainy day – the first since the event had begun in 1883 – and the Three Mile Walk had been taken from the programme. Tha made it three events removed from those contested – throwing the cricket ball, the pole vault and now the walk – and three had been added – the 220 yards, the Four Miles and the Ten Miles. The results from 1894 were

Event	First	Second	Performance
100 yards	AR Downer	DR McCulloch	10.4 seconds
220 yards	AR Downer	DR McCulloch	22.8 seconds
440 yards	AR Downer	R Mitchell	51.8 seconds
880 yards	R Mitchell	TBH Scott	2:09.6
One Mile	J Rodger	H Welsh	5:36
Four Miles	A Hannah	S Duffus	20:48.8
Ten Miles*	A Hannah	SJ Cornish	54:02.6
120 yards hurdles	AL Graham	JR Gow	17.4 seconds
Broad Jump	WCS Taylor	H Barr	20’9”
High Jump	C Fenwick	AL Graham	5’ 8.75”
Putting the Weight	JD McIntosh	MN McInnes	40’ 10”
Throwing the Hammer	JD McIntosh	MN McInnes	94’ 9”

* Decided 2nd April at Powderhall

Downer won his second triple and, despite the comments the previous year, McCulloch took three second places, McIntosh took both throws and Hannah won both long distance races. The ‘Glasgow Herald’ was now reporting the championships in detail and it makes interesting – on Downer for instance it says, “As we pointed out last Monday, sprinting at present provides little interest compared with what it did some time ago, because at present only one man is prominent and he alone was expected to carry off last Saturday’s events. AR Downer came up to expectations. He repeated last year’s performance by putting the triple event to his credit. He had both short races in hand all the way, and won easily. … Great excitement attended the quarter mile race. Downer having captured the other two events, some anxiety existed as to whether he would repeat his form of last year. He used great judgment in his effort, allowing the rest to make the pace, until the half the distance had been covered, when he came away with a great finish nd won easily. R Mitchell, who was fancied, proved his strongest opponent but drew up six yards from the line when he saw Downer was winning.”

The results in the table show a Mile time which was one whole minute – fifteen seconds a lap – slower than the previous year. The average lap speed being 84 seconds, almost exactly the same as lap times for the Four Miles! In reality they were going slower than that – the last lap was run in 54 seconds so the first three must have been in 94 seconds each. The report tells us that the winner had previously run 4:31.4 at the West sports, and also comments that Duffus led through the first mile in the longer race in 4:59.2 “which was 36 4-5th faster than Rodger took in the Mile.”

Fortunately the crowd was ‘a mere handful’ because of the weather because the report ended with the comment that “viewed as a whole, the sport of Saturday cannot claim an important place in the annals of Scottish championship meetings.”

Derek Parker

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Admin

I had been a member of the British Milers Club for about a year when I first met Derek. He had taken over as Scottish Secretary but resigned after a couple of races that he had organised did not take off. I was his successor but it was several years before I managed to get the club working as it should. Derek was a member of the British Milers club until his death on 27th May 2014 and wore the club badge on his tracksuit alongside his BAAB Senior Coach badge. He wrote many, many articles on the subject of coaching: I read them in Athletics Weekly, Scotland’s Runner (pretty well for the duration of its existence – from 1986 to 1993), Athletics Coach (published for many years by the AAA’s as the oifficial coaching magazine with a large circulation), the BMC News in its various forms, and many others. The articles could be academic when dealing with the physiologyof the events he was discussing or intensely practical, such as when he spoke of working with very young athletes and using various kinds of ‘tig’. There were some aspects of his coaching that he kept private and I was surprised several years ago when he wrote a letter to Athletics Weekly complaining that other coaches had stolen some of his sessions. Surprised because he was always forthcoming when we spoke and because coaches share information readily.

Derek was always easy to get on with – he was always the same as far as I was concerned. Of his range of coaching knowledge there could be no doubt. He was a good coach and he knew he was a good coach. But the difference with him was that his knowledge came from reading and experience. I never, ever, saw him at a coaching conference or gathering. When I asked him – not once but several times – to come and speak to BMC coaches at annual meetings in the 1980’s he always gave the same reply, that he preferred to stay in Kilbarchan or Linwood working with his own athletes. He was devoted to them and spent a lot of time with them individually. But maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit.

Like almost all coaches, Derek was not a full-time coach – he had to earn a living as well. he had a degree in Divinity and he wrote the occasional letter to the ‘Glasgow Herald’ on topics connected with religion. He wrote for the local newspaper, the Gazette, and was interested in and an authority on local history. Indeed he was also a member of the Johnstone History Society. Latterly he was a park ranger and this fitted in well with his love of nature on which subject he also had an encyclopaedic knowledge. Nor did he compartmentalise his various areas of interest – for instance he often wrote about the need for runners to get away from the artificial restrictions of track running and had a wonderful article in”Scotland’s Runner” about the Australian coach Percy Cerutty: possibly one of the best I’ve read on the man.

He spoke of his coaching on the Kilbarchan AAC website and I reproduce much of it below since it is a good, fairly detailed account of his career and practices.

Coaching Background:- I began coaching in my early 30s and was at one time the youngest senior sprints coach in Scotland and also the youngest coach to hold the senior awards in sprints and middle-distance simultaneously. Since then, I have coached on a regular basis i.e. several days per week on an uninterrupted basis for nearly 40 years. I have extensive experience of coaching male and female athletes of all ages and abilities from nine to 70. Up until recently, I coached senior athletes at international level in sprints, hurdles, steeplechase, middle-and long-distance, cross-country, half-marathon and marathon. From now onwards (in the meantime, at least), I plan to concentrate my coaching efforts on the long distance seniors group (men and women), including 2014 Commonwealth Games aspirants Hayley Haining and Gemma Rankin. I pride myself on the fact that my group includes club and elite standard athletes, all of whom get MY close personal attention.

Further Information:- I have coached athletes to Olympic, World, European, Commonwealth Games and UK elite standard level. The Olympic level athlete was Hayley Haining who achieved the Olympic standard marathon qualifying time TWICE in 2007-2008 but was controversially not selelcted for the Beijing Olympics. However, representing GB & NI, Hayley won a bronze medal in the team event (along with Paula Radcliffe and Liz Yelling) at the World marathon championships in Helsinki, Finland, in 2006. She also represented GB & NI at the World half-marathon championships in Edmonton, Canada, in 2006.I have coached two Commonwealth Games athletes (Hayley Haining in the 2006 marathon at Melbourne, Australia, and Claire Gibson in the 800 metres at Delhi, India, in 2010).I was also triathlete Kerry Lang’s 10K coach for the Commonwealth Games triathlon in Melbourne, 2006. I have coached three senior Great Britian and Northern Ireland full internationals (Hayley Haining – marathon/half-marathon; Robert Quinn – track, cross-country, roads and hills).

I have also coached three UK age group champions (Ross Toole – indoor 3000 metres; Andrew Gibson – indoor 1500 metres; and William Docherty – 1500 metres steeplechase. Coaching experience outwith Kilbarchan AAC includes advising England international marathon runner Kim Fawke and Joe Gough (Kilkenny, Ireland) who won several European 800 and 1500 indoor and outdoor titles at veterans championships and a silver medal at one world championship.

On the basis of my work with Hayley Haining and Claire Gibson, I won the prestigious Scottish Athletics Performance Coach of the Year Award in 2005 and 2009.

I have also written hundreds (literally!!) of coaching articles in leading athletics journals for many years, including Athletics Weekly, Athletics in Scotland, Running Fitness, The Coach, Scotland’s Runner and other publications.

And that is his own account of his career as a coach. Like all really good coaches he was approachable and any athlete, whether in his own club or not, could go to him for advice and get individual, tailored advice based on what he had told Derek and what Derek had seen when the athlete was running.

Derek was totally unique. Only 71 when he died, I feel every sympathy for his family and for his athletes and friends at the club. The ‘Herald’ obituary appeared on 31st July, 2014, and can be found at http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/obituaries/derek-parker.24904241

SAAA Marathon 1979

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Admin

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John Myatt’s Photographs

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Admin

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Jackie Laidlaw’s Racing

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Admin

Jackie Laidlaw: Shettleston: 10 July 1937

1930	24 Jun	Hawkhill	Mile	4:44.2	1
1930	5 July	Easter Road	Mile hcp	4:27.2 off 100 yds	1
1931	23 June	Hawkhill	Mile	4:30.0	1
1931	23 June	Hawkhill	Half mile (Sco v Ire)	2:02.4	1
1931	6 June	Hawick	Mile hcp	4:33.0 off 60 yds	1
1931	22 May	Inverleith	Mile hcp	4:25.0 off 75 yds	1
1931	27 June	Hampden	Mile (Sco champs.)	4:35.	2
1931	26 June	Hampden	Half mile (Sco champs.)	2:03.8	1 heat
1932	16 July	Powderhall	Half mile (Sco v Ire)	2:02.9	2
1932	11 June	Hawick	Half mile hcp	1:59.6 off 16 yds	1
1932	24 June	Hampden	Half mile	2:01.0	2 heat
1932	25 June	Hampden	Half mile (Sco champs.)	1:59.0	2
1932	25 June	Hampden	Mile (Sco champs.)	4:29.	2
1932	8 Jun	Hawkhill	Half mile	2:05.2	1
1932	8 Jun	Hawkhill	Mile	4:38.0	1
1932	4 July	Inverleith	Mile	4:52.2	2
1932	7 May	Inverleith	Mile hcp	4:22.8 off 30 yards	2
1932	30 July	Powderhall	2 miles	9:59.6	1
1933	16 June	Meadows (Edinburgh)	Mile	4:28.2	1
1933	16 June	Meadows (Edinburgh)	Half mile	2:07.0	1
1933	27 May	Hampden	1000y hcp	2:16.8 full distance	1
1933	14 May	Inverleith	Mile hcp	4:20.0 off 20 yds	1
1933	13 July	Craiglockhart	Mile	4:28.0	1
1933	14 June	Hawkhill	Mile	4:25.8	1
1933	22 May	Hampden	Half mile hcp	1:58.4 off 8 yds (heavy track)	1
1933	24 June	Hampden	Mile (Sco champs.)	4:20.6	2
1933	8 July	Powderhall	2 miles team race		1
1934	3 July	Helenvale Park	2 miles team race	9:29.0	1
1934	21 May	Ibrox	3 miles hcp	14:46.4 off 40 yds	1
1934	13 May	Inverleith	Mile hcp	4:24.5 off 10 yds	2
1934	4 July	Craiglockhart	Mile	4:25.8	1
1934	16 June	Penicuik	Mile	4:36.8	1
1934	12 June	Hawkhill	Mile	4:27.8	1
1934	19 June	Hawkhill	Mile	4:32.6	1
1934	4 August	London	3 miles (Empire Games)	14:50.	7
1934	5 August?	London	Mile (Empire Games)		unplaced in h2
1934	26 May	Hampden	Half mile opening leg in relay	1:59.0	1
1934	23 June	Hampden	Mile (Sco champs.)	4:27.	2
1935	5 August	Glasgow	Mile hcp	4:20.4 off 20 yds	1
1935	29 June	Hampden	3 miles	14:44.8	3
1935	22 June	Hampden	3 miles (Sco champs.)	14:46.4	1
1935	1 June	Hampden	3 miles team race	14:59.4	1
1935	20 August	Helenvale Park	1 ½ miles hcp	6:46. off 25 yds	3
1935	20 May	Ibrox	3 miles hcp	14:31.0 off 75 yds	1
1935	4 June	Meadowbank	Mile	4:31.6	1
1935	27 July	Shawfield	2 miles hcp	9:16.2 off 45 yds	1
1935	22 July	Berwick	2 miles		1
1937	10 July	Carntyne AAC sports , Shettleston	2 miles	9:38.0	1
1937	12 June	Powderhall	Mile hcp	4:27.0 off 25 yds	2
1937	8 June	Hawkhill	Mile	4:30.2	1
1937	22 June	New Myreside	Mile	4:29.5	1
1937	8 July	Craiglockhart	3 miles	14:37.5	1
1937	30 June	Craiglockhart	3 miles	14:51.4	1
1937	15 June	Goldenacre	3 miles	14:57.5	1
1937	5 June	Hampden	3 miles	14:59.2	1
1937	8 June	Penicuik	Mile	4:40.2	1
1937	17 Aug	Helenvale Park	2 miles	9:21.5	2
1938	30 July	Shawfield	Mile hcp	4:21.0 off 14 yds	1
1938	31 May	Hampden	3 miles	15:00.8	1
1938	14 June	Craiglockhart	3 miles	14:41.2	1
1938	25 June	Hampden	3 miles (Sco champs.)	15:06.0	2
1938	7 June	Goldenacre	3 miles	15:06.6	1
1938	9 July	Dundee	Mile hcp	4:20.6 off 90 yds	1
1939	20 June	New Myreside	Mile	4:39.2	1
1939	28 Jun	Helenvale Park	1 ½ miles	6:58.0	3
1939	8 June	New Meadowbank	Mile	4:36.6	1
1939	13 June	New Meadowbank	Mile	4:35.4	1

Laidlaw was badly injured at a meeting at Firhill Park on 18th May 1936 and missed the track season.

1934 Empire Games 2 miles, The Scotsman:

„Scottish hopes in the 3 miles were raised by the excellent running of J.P. Laidlaw for about the first two miles. He was lying third at that stage, but the uneven pace and the hard track told heavily against him in the closing stages, and he fell behind to seventh place. His time was approximately 14 minutes 50 seconds.“

Many thanks to Alex Wilson for the photograph and the work done compiling this list.

JP ‘Jackie’ Laidlaw

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Admin

JP Laidlaw, a member of Edinburgh Northern Harriers, was a very versatile track runner throughout the 1930’s with SAAA Medals at 880 yards, 1 Mile and Three Miles and the winner of Scottish representative honours. Running the Mile at the same time as Tom Riddell and the Three Miles alongside GM Carstairs he did not have it easy, and his career merits closer scrutiny that it has received so far in athletics histories. A comprehensive list of his racing, courtesy Alex Wilson, is on the accompanying page of ‘Jackie Laidlaw’s Racing’

First appearing in the SAAA Championships on 27 June 1931, Laidlaw was the focus of some attention, and not because he won a silver medal either. He was second to Tom Riddell in the mile being 30 yards behind the winner who was timed at 4:29. It was in the half mile however that the real drama was to be found. Laidlaw had won his heat in 2 minutes 3 – 4-5th secs from CM Wells, the second heat being won by Hood of Shettleston Harriers from Calderwood of Maryhill. The ‘Glasgow Herald’ on the following Monday reported as follows on the final. “The necessity of having stewards at the bends was emphasised in the half-mile final. From the stand it was observed that there was much unnecessary jostlin taking place and it was culminated when JP Laidlaw was brought down: it was a slow run race this, the slowest in twelve years. The first quarter was covered in 64 seconds and the whole in 2 mins 4 1-5th secs. But the final, fought out between James Hood of Shettleston and CM Wells was the keenest for a long time. Wells was in front entering the straight, but after a stirring finish Hood managed to get on terms 20 yards from the tape and won by inches.”

Despite the excitement, the reporter in commenting on the Mile had this to say “JP Laidlaw of Edinburgh Northern Harriers was second man home. Still a Youth, he has made a big advance since last season and looks like developing into a front rank man.”

The SAAA Championships on 27 June 1932 were better than those of 1931 in that Laidlaw came away with two medals rather than one – but they were both silver, In the Mile it was Tom Riddell who beat him for the second year in succession and the inning time was 4:29, while one place behind him was Bobby Graham. In the half mile he was second to Maryhill’s WH Calderwood who won in 1:58 1-5th. The half-mile winning time was the third fastest ever and was attributed to the hard front running of TJ McAlister who eventually finished third. The report on the mile read: “In the Mile TM Riddell achieved, as expected, an easy win and the fact that his time showed an advance of 3 secs upon last year was due to the urge of the youthful R Graham of Motherwell. This youth and JP Laidlaw of Edinburgh Northern had an interesting duel for second place, although neither was near the winner at the finish.” The winning distance was given as 20 yards.

Laidlaw was then selected for the half mile in the International against Ireland at Powderhall on 16th July where he was given a time of 2:03 when he finished three yards behind the winner. The Scottish champion was unpolaced and was only one of several other Scottish champions who performed poorly on the gras track. Ireland won the match comprehensively but Laidlaw ran well.

On May 20th, 1933, Laidlaw took part in what seemed to be an over-distance race for him when he competed in the Monkland Harriers sports. In the Two Miles team race he not only competed but he won the race from such notables as Suttie Smith (second), Jim Flockhart (third) and Tom Blakely of Maryhill in 9 mins 43 2-5th secs.

A week later in the Queen’s Park FC Sports (on 27th May) Laidlaw created another bit of an upset. The cause? He defeated TM Riddell over 1000 yards. The main headline for the report was ‘Another Scottish Record for Blakely’ but just below the sub-head read ‘Laidlaw defeats Riddell’ and the actual race report read, “The first appearance on a Scottish track this season of TM Riddell, the mile champion, was awaited with interest. Riddell as usual served up a good race in the 1000 yards special event but was eclipsed on the afternoon by JP Laidlaw who, while running from 10 yds, not only won the race with comfort but actually returned better time over the distance than did the champion. Last Saturday he he secured first place in the Monkland Harriers two miles, and then on Saturday he again broke the tape. He has then amply realised the promise of last season and in addition to pace he possesses a high sense of track tactics. He was content to let Riddell do the forcing work in Saturday’s race, but never allowed himself to be far away. When the champion went to the front in the back straight, Laidlaw was only a couple of yards behind, and when he made his effort 100 yards from the tape, Riddell could not hold him and was beaten by a good five yards.

Laidlaw’s convincing time for the race was 2 mins 15 3-5th secs, and running out the full distance, he was returned as doing 2 mins 16 4-5th secs, 4-5th secs outside Duncan McPhee’s record. Riddell’s time was returned as 2 mins 17 secs. If, as has been hinted, Laidlaw’s ambition is to secure the Scottish mile honour, a stern struggle is promised in the championships between the pair and possibly another record breaking performance. Riddell will be fitter then and will not accept defeat lightly.”

It should be noted that Riddell ran off scratch. Later in the same meeting Laidlaw ‘won’ the first half mile stage of the inter-city relay from WH Calderwood by five yards.

Hopes were probably high after the Monklands and Queen’s Park races – Monklands over distance and QPFC under distance – but in the Scottish championships held at Hampden he was again second in the mile – for the third successive year in 4:20.6 on 24th June. Praise was fulsome from the Glasgow Herald reporter. “The best running of the meeting was seen in the Mile where TM Riddell, JP Laidlaw and J Gifford put up an exhibition that has never been bettered in the history of the race. Riddell’s winning time was 4 min 18 3-5th secs, only 3-5th secs outside his own Scottish record made at the Rangers Sports two years ago. Laidlaw was times ta 4 min 21 secs and Gifford at 4 mins 24 secs and the merit of the performances lies in the fact that Gifford’s time was actually faster than any of the previous winners of the event. What enhances the running is that the conditions were none too good: a strong breeze is always a deterrent rather than a help in distance races.

A month ago at the Queen’s Park meeting Riddell was surprised and beaten by Laidlaw’s pace at the finish of the 1000 yards. On Saturday the champion showed that he had profited by the experience, as after his clubmate W Sutherland had led the field for the first quarter in 61 secs Riddell went to the front and set a pace that proved too strong for his eastern opponent. Laidlaw ran a very fine race nevertheless while Gifford enhanced a growing reputation. Had Riddell not been there either would have been a worthy champion.”

1934 did not start as well for Laidlaw and he could only finish fifth in the half-mile at Monklands although the reporter hinted that he was holding himself back. Came the SAAA Championships in June 1934, Laidlaw concentrated on the Mile but again finished second to Riddell who won in 4 mins 22 2-5th secs but the race was not what it had been a year earlier. Despite finishing 35 yards down on the winner, Laidlaw nevertheless defeated some good men including WH Calderwood, W Struthers and JN Lapraik.

1935 season saw Laidlaw tackle the two miles handicap race at the Monkland Sports. His participation was commented on thus: The distance races at this meeting have always been a feature and Saturday’s two mile handicap proved no exception. In this, JP Laidlaw ran from virtual scratch, off 25 yards, in a good field which included W Sutherland the 10 miles champion. Sutherland who had 220 yards concession from the back marker, and Laidlaw boith ran to form and at one time seemed to dominate the race, but their task in the closing stages was made very difficult by the surprising virility of H McPhee of Springburn Harriers who was on the 145 yards mark. In the last three or four laps McPhee opened out and finally wn by 10 yards from Sutherland in 9 mins 17 4-5th secs – remarkably good time when it is noted- that there were 13 laps in the distance and that Blakely’s Scottish record is 9 mins 10 4-5th secs. This track evidently suits McPhee as it was in this race a year ago that he achieved his initial success in track racing.” McPhee won by 20 yards.

One week later at the Queens Park sports, the sub-headline read ‘Laidlaw Wins Again’ and the account of the race was as follows:

“In the three miles JP Laidlaw defeated W Sutherland once again and it is evident that at this distance he is superior to the Shettleston man. It is understood that this season Laidlaw is concentrating on the three miles in the Scottish championship. It looks like being his for the taking as it was year ago that he dropped his chance to challenge Riddell in the mile.” The winning time was14 mins 59 2-5th secs. On 8th June, Laidlaw dropped down a distance when he won the mile easily in 4 mins 40 1-5th secs in an inter-club contest at Penicuik. The following week, Laidlaw did not race anywhere – it was the week before the championships.

The SAAA Championships were held again at Hampden and Lailaw won his first Scottish title in 14:46.4. The report read, JP Laidlaw won his first title in the three miles in emphatic fashion. His only challenge came from WC Wylie but the national cross-country champion’s effort faded out before the finishing pace of the Edinburgh Northern runner.” Laidlaw won by 10 yards.

He ran slightly quicker the following week (29th June) when representing Britain in an international match against Finland at Hampden, he finished third and first GB runner in 14:44.8. He competed in the Three Miles at the AAA’s championships on 13th July but according to the ‘Glasgow Herald’ JP Laidlaw was outclassed in the Three Miles, just as JC Flockhart had been in the Six Miles the previous evening.’ On 3rd August, having done his best running of the season, having followed a prolific racing programme, Laidlaw won the second Mile race at the Rangers sports in 4 minutes 40 4-10th secs.

After all the successful racing in 1935, Laidlaw did not defend his title in the SAAA Championships in June 1936 in fact there was no sign of him in any of the meetings that he usually graced. Meetings such as Monkland, Glasgow Police, Queens Park, Penicuik. However he reappeared in 1937 and turned in a time of 14:59.4 for Three Miles on 5th June at the Queen’s Park Sports. The headline in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ read “LAIDLAW’S FINE EFFORT” and the paragraph below read as follows:

“The Three Miles was also a keen race and the lead fluctuated many times. First JC Flockhart, the International Cross-Country champion, set the pace and others took their turn in leading the field, but the actual winner, JP Laidlaw (Edinburgh Northern Harriers), waited until 60 yards from the tape and challenged JE Farrell (Maryhill Harriers). Running on strongly Laidlaw won with five yards to spare. He held the Three Miles championship two years ago but sustained a serious injury last year and could not defend his title, which was won by Jack Gifford (Bellahouston Harriers). Gifford never showed any signs of winning Saturday’s race and was a poor fourth although he will doubtless do better on championship day.” Laidlaw won by five yards.

His next recorded race was at Goldenacre in Edinburgh on 15th June when he again raced over three miles and was slightly quicker with 14:57.5. A week later he ran in the SAAA Championships against such as GM Carstairs, the winner, JE Farrell and J Gifford and indeed Carstairs did win from Farrell with SK Tombe of Plebeian Harriers third. On the 30th June, Laidlaw made it three races in a row on the east coast when he raced another three miles at Craiglockhart this time, and was timed at 14:51.4.

The season was not yet finished for him however, and his next race was at a ‘four-cornered meeting’ at Craiglockhart on 8th July. Four cornered? It was a competition between Edinburgh University & Former Pupils Union, Glasgow University & Former Pupils Union, Edinburgh Open Clubs and Glasgow Open Clubs. Laidlaw had his revenge over Carstairs that night and the report read, “GM Carstairs (Edinburgh University) another SAAA title-holder was 10 yards behind JP Laidlaw in the three mile race. Laidlaw’s time was only four seconds outside the Scottish record.” The race result was 1. JP Laidlaw (Edinburgh Open Clubs); 2. GM Carstairs (Edinburgh University); 3. WG Black (Glasgow Open Clubs). Time: 14 mins 37 1/2 secs. Then on 17th July at Shettleston he was timed at 9:38.0 for two miles, a time that he bettered by no less than nine seconds at Shawfield on 31st July. Running in the Clyde FC Sports, Laidlaw won by 15 yards from Emmet Farrell in 9:29 with WC Wylie of Darlington third. With the furthest race at the Rangers Sports on the first Saturday in August, Laidlaw’s season was over for 1937. It had been a very good season with the only gap being at the SAAA Championships where he would almost certainly been among the medals.

1938 would be another good season, at least initially, which started at Hampden Park track on 31st May over three miles. The event was a Tuesday evening meeting between Glasgow and Edinburgh and Laidlaw was ‘master of the distance runners’ – he won by 40 yards from JE Farrell in 15 mins 00.8 secs. It was a good start to the season and he next competed on 7th June at Goldenacre, again over three miles but was a little slower with 15:06.6. The big improvement came on 14th June at Craiglockhart when he took over 25 seconds from that time when he recorded 14:41.2.

In the championships there were hopes that he might defeat GM Carstairs for the title, but he had to yield first place when he finished over 100 yards behind the champion in 15:06.0 – Carstairs ran 14:40.8. Laidlaw came down a distance at the Dundee Police Sports at Dens Park on 9th July when he won the invitation Mile from the in-form PJ Allwell in 4 mins 20 6-10th. Although an invitation event it was also a handicap race with Laidlaw off 90 yards and Allwell off 100. There were no more races reported that summer but given that his best three miles time of the season – 14:41.2 at Craiglockhart two weeks before the SAAA championships was less than half a seond behind Carstairs’ winning time, it is a pity that he did not contest the event.

The only track result that we have found for 1939 was after the SAAA Championships which he did not run and it was for 27th June 1939 when Laidlaw ran 6:58.0 at Helenvale track in Glasgow for the seldom run mile and a half distance.

It should be noted that although he is mainly known as a track runner he was no mean cross-country exponent and even represented Scotland in the international cross-country race in Wales in 1934. He first ran in the National in 1930/31 when he finished eighteenth and was second counter for the Edinburgh Northern team that finished seventh. There was a team that finished thirteenth the following year but no Laidlaw. In 1932/33 the team finished fifth with H McIntosh 4th, W Hinde 5th and Laidlaw thirteenth – he had run well but faded towards the finish. There was no repeat the next year when he was third with the team also third. The team was helped by the presence of J Suttie Smith who had added Edinburgh Northern to his list of clubs for the next two years. In the international itself he finished 27th to be a scoring runner for the Scots team. Suttie Smith had finished ninth that year but in 1935 he was second and the team won the championship with Laidlaw back in thirty second. He did not run the following year and Suttie Smith had moved on so the team could do no better than tenth. In 1936/37 the club finished seventh and was led home by WQ Hinde in sixth and JP Laidlaw in eighteenth. Missong 1937/38, he turned out in the 1938/39 event and finished twelfth for the team that was ninth.

He excelled not only on the track and country. but he was also a better than average road runner if his performances in the eight stage Edinburgh to Glasgow relay are an indicator. In the very first race in 1930, he was eighth on the first stage for the team that finished thirteenth. In 1931 he was third on the same stage for the team that finished fourth and out of the medals but in 1933 (there was no race in 1932) he was first on the opening leg of the race and the team picked up third place medals. In 1934 he moved to the seventh stage and moved the team up from third to second when he ran the fastest time of the day for the stage. He did not run again in the race. Nevertheless ‘winning’ the first leg and having fastest time in another represented good running.

Jackie Laidlaw’s career included medalson the track over 880 yards, Mile and Three Miles with an SAAA Championship and international recognition and the collection of many good ‘scalps’, over the country there were team and individual medals plus international honours and his running on the road has been noted. He was clearly a talented athlete running at a time when the standard in Scotland was possibly as high as in any other decade. He would have done well at any time.

Jimmy Campbell

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Admin

Jimmy Campbell Jimmy, centre with clipboard

Jimmy Campbell was a great character who had led a wonderfully varied life – even within athletics he was a grade 1 official, a mastercoach and a top-notch administrator. Always busy, always organised and always willing to help: on one occasion I decided that my middle distance squad needed some specialist speed input from specialist sprint coaches and Jimmy was one that I spoke to. He was very helpful, willing to take a session with a small group and during the session he was only interested in them and the session. On another occasion I mentioned speedball training and his enthusiasm was such that I received a full lecture – almost a master-class on the topic in the cafeteria at Crown Point! When coaches travel with athletes to championships all over the United Kingdom, they invariably become friends and I remember there were four of us having dinner in a Chinese restaurant in Bedford and Jimmy started talking about his footballing before and during the war – one of the company was all for getting his wife, a professional writer, to do his biography. Jimmy was having none of it. We could all learn something from watching him work with children at coaching sessions he was in his element. I , and I suspect that I am not alone in this, often used phrases that we had heard for the first time from Jimmy – “The baton lives in the midle of the lane” is one that GB Men’s 4 x 100 teams could well take to heart! At the other end of the scale, he could talk to international athletes and they would listen and take on board what he had to say: unlike many he would actually listen carefully to what they were saying, and address his reply to their remarks and concerns.

He was always active in the field of coach education: he had an article in the excellent but unfortunately short-lived magazine “Athletics in Scotland” explaining the coaching of sprinters with drills described, sessions given with their purposes clear which was a model of its kind. I had it re-printed and gave many copies to athletes and other coaches. Thre was apparently an introductory lecture to beginner athletics coaches at which he took the chalk broad-sided and wrote on the board DIVORCE and said that if they did their job properly, that was where it could lead! Coaching is very rewarding but not an easy option and he made that clear.

Jimmy became a Master Coach – a title awarded rather than studied and examined for – and I can think of no one better qualified. What follows is his obituary from the ‘Glasgow Herald’ on 24th November, 2011.

Jimmy Campbell who has died aged 92 was a dentist and sportsman for whom life was a continual process of betterment and a series of fresh challenges to be relished. Torn between dentistry and football, he successfully combined both, signing for Celtic on the eve of the Second World War, the advent of which saw him train the guerillas of the French Resistance for action behind enemy lines and act as bodyguard to Lt Colonel Hardy Amies, later to become the Queen’s couturier.

He went on to play for Leicester City, establish his own dental practice back home in Bothwell Street, join Glasgow Dental Hospital and take up marathon running as he retired while continuing to coach ghenerations of schoolchildren, runners and footballers. Throughout it all he was supported by his wife Maryin a partnership that endured for 70 years.

He was born in Bridgeton, in the East End of Glasgow, to Annie and James Campbell, a turner in an engineering works and a former professional footballer with Reading. Educated at Bernard Street School and Whitehill Academy – where his stammer was cured by an astute teacher who cast him as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – his schooldays came to halt when his father arranged for him to become an apprentice dental mechanic. Apparently he was given no choice in the matter: his family needed the income, 5/- a week initially, rising to 7/6d. His employer was his father’s friend, George Boreland, also a professional football player who had played for Hibernian and who understood his passion for the game.

The young Campbell played for St Mungo Juniors and pined to get out on the pitch on Saturdays, which was a working day at the dentist’s. His boss eventually relented and as his apprentice moved through the amateur ranks he was spotted by Celtic. He also had offers from Aberdeen and Hearts but opted for Celtic with a signing on fee of £20 and a weekly wage of £5.

He had been encouraged by Boreland to go to nightschool and gain the qualifications required to study for the Licentiate in Dental Surgery. The studies deferred his army call-up but only until after Dunkirk in 1940 when he was enlisted into the Royal Army Dental Corps training school at Aldershot. He immediately won a place in the RADC football team and later made guest appearances with Aldershot, Folkeston Town, Leyton Orient and Chelsea. Within six months of joining the Corps he took a PE course and was promoted to Corporal. He tried to flunk his Laboratory Aptitude Test in a bid to be transferred to the Army Physical Training Corps but the move was resisted because there was a pressing need for dental technicians as many of the recruits had such appalling dental health that they needed dentures before being passed as fit for combat. He was eventually moved to the APTC in 1942 and became a Sergeant Instructor, posted to an artiullery regiment manning the South Coast defences where he organised morale-boosting inter-battery athletic and boxing competitions and met famous footballers including Denis Compton and Stan Cullis.

Ordered, unexpectedly, to report for an interview in Montague Mansions, Baker Street, London, one of the bases of the Special Operations Executive, he was recruited and sent to its training school in Berkshire. Having a knowledge of French he was attached to its Belgian group, under the command of Hardy Amies, and instructed members of the Maquis in parachuting and one-to-one combat. His final posting was to the Infantry Training Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, an experience he described as the best year of his Army career.

He had married his wife Mary whom he had met at a party in Dennistoun in 1943, and by the end of the War he was a father with responsibilities. He had set up terms to play for Leicester City, which had provided a means of earning, but he also wanted to pursue his studies and was accepted by Birmingham University on the strength of an interview. He graduated as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 1952 and returned to Glasgow, working initially as an assistant in Greenock before moving to Paisley. In 1954 he bought the practice in Bothwell Street and was supported by Mary as his receptionist, surgery assistant and book keeper. The practice moved to Douglas Street in 1965. He was appointed Assistant Dental Surgeon in the Glasgow Dental Hospital’s oral surgery department in 1970, initially on a part-time basis but became a full-time associate specialist in 1975.

Meanwhile he was coaching Bellahouston Harriers and was a key figure in the Maryhill Ladies Athletic Club, coaching runners to British and Olympic standard. He took up marathon running when he was 64 and in retirement coached footballers at Motherwell and St Johnstone, who allegedly had trouble keeping up with him on training runs.

His contribution to sports was marked with a special recognition award from the then Scottish Sports Council and even into his 90’s he still remained active. “He was never content to sit back,” said his elder daughter Mary. “He was always striving to move on to something bigger and better.” Campbell is survived by his wife Mary, daughters Mary and Anne, grandchildren Tracey, her brother, the US based actor Scott Speedman, Kate and Campbell and two great-grandchildren.

That’s the end of the obituary and it gives a full account of his life in every sense. The note about his active life style is well taken – someof us were talking at a West District Cross-Country Championhip at Rouken Glen in Glasgow and Jimmy had already told us that he was 77 years old at the time. Further through the conversation he spoke about the mini circuit that he was doing every day: he emphasised that the press-ups he did were not from the floor but from the side of the bath and on occasion from the wash basin “because you can make it more dynamic from the higher position!”

Jimmy was one of the very best coaches I have ever known. The very first issue of ‘PB’, the very glossy quarterly put out by Scottishathletics, in 2011 had some tributes from John Anderson, Frank Dick and Sandy Sutherland and they are reproduced below. The article was written by Sandy who incorporates John’s and Frank’s remarks into it.

“Jimmy Campbell was one of those people I am glad to have known because he made me feel better about life every time Imet him; always cheery, witty, full of stories; yet such was his modesty that I never knew about his multitude of achievements, including courageous wartime service, which have been covered elsewhere far better than I could. Who knows where his football career might have taken him had not |World War II not intervened in 1939 just after he had signed for Celtic – he went on to play for Leicester City at the end of the War – but his war-time experience as a PTI during which time he organised athletics and boxing competitions must have contributed to his later heavy involvement with our sport. Much later, after he had moved back to Glasgow Jimmy began coaching at Bellahouston Harriers and even as late as 1994 he was assisting the Scottish men’s sprint relay squad, but it was through his involvement with Maryhill Ladies AC that he really made his mark. Two former Scottish National coaches who worked closely with him have paid these tributes:

John Anderson said: “I brought Jimmy into coaching at Maryhill Harriers when he took his daughter Mary (Speedman – a noted 800m runner who represented Scotland at the 1970 Commonwealth Games) to the club and he took over the running of the club when I moved south. I thought I knew him well but had no idea what a rich life he had enjoyed – he was a remarkable man.”

Frank Dick, who succeeded Anderson, said: “Jimmy Campbell may not have been a physical giant but my goodness he was a thinking colossus as a coach and an inspiration and role model for many other coaches. Countless young women achieved athletics success through his guidance at Maryhill AC head coach and there was not one sprints or middle distance coach in Scotland who did not benefit from his advice. My personal debt to him is giving me the chance o grow as a young national coach and keep me on track when I could often have got things wrong.”

Maley’s 100 yards and other footballers

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Admin

There is continuing interest in the athletic exploits of footballers. This has encouraged me to start printing reports of some of these exploits. I start with the Glasgow Herald report on Willie Maley’s victory in the SAAU 100 yards in June 1896. It reads: “The 100 yards was carried off by W Maley whose victory came as a surprise to many. A week ago we prepared ur readers for a turn-up in this event, and Maley’s name was mentioned as the one most likely to bring this about. The final was a close finish between Maley, Auld and Wilson who reached the post in that order. Wilson was not powerful enough to cope with the breeze, and it is the general feeling that he might have succeeded in retaining the title had the wind been in his favour and not against him.”

In 1893, Johnny Gow of Rangers and Clydesdale Harriers was a very good hurdler and won silver in 1889, bronze in 1890, silver again in 1891, nothing at all in 1892 before he won the SAAA 120 yards hurdles in 1893 and although praise was heaped on him by Andrew Hannah, all the ‘Glasgow Herald’ had to say was “JR Gow’s hurdles win was very popular.” He won silver again in 1894 (“In the 120 yards hurdles, last year’s champion JR Gow was beaten by Graham (1st LRV) who had the race won all the way.) making it one gold, three silvers and one bronze. Gow went on to become Secretary and then President of The Rangers. There is an interesting comment in the Herald report of June 1891 that the championships of athletics and cycling,“rid Glasgow of the reproach so often levelled against it of being wholly given up to the football worship.”

Charles Pennycook was a football player who became a runner. The following pen portrait appreared in the Scottish Referee of 9 June, 1890.

“C Pennycook: Vice Captain, Clydesdale Harriers

One Mile amateur champion of Scotland, he started as a half back in Strathmore FC, Dundee, before coming to Glasgow three years ago. There was no superior half back in Perthshire. At Our Boys FC Sports in Dundee he won the Mile off 50 yards. The handicapper predicted that he would be the best in Scotland. “Mr Pennycook knows that it is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success – they much oftener succeed by failure and knowing this he has always persevered until last year he gained highest honours and surprised himself and all his clubmates by winning the One Mile Championship in 4 minutes 29 and four fifth seconds. In Cross Country he takes a foremost position and has placed to his credit in this year’s SHU 10 miles Championships. 25 years old, 5’9” and 12½ stone he is of reticent disposition.”

At that point he had won the SAAA Mile in the time noted above which was the first Scot to run under 4:30 for the distance. In 1988, at Queens Park Sports he was timed at 4:31 and two fifths for the Mile and at Camelon Sports he ran the Mile in 4:32 3/5^th (both times were off 15 yards in handicap races). He won the SHU cross-country championship in 1890 despite losing a shoe two miles from the finish, and in 1891 he defeated Andrew Hannah for the SCCU title. He remained active in Clydesdale Harriers until after the 1914 – 18 war but retained his involvement in football and when he was President of the SAAA in 1907-8 he represented Arthurlie FC.

More about the footballers to come!