Harrier
Hall of Fame
Back
as far as we Go
A
brief history of the Club by Maurice Dean
It is interesting to
learn how athletic sports in
Preston
, particularly in Victorian England when the population in the town was growing
so rapidly through each decade. As
well as trying to cope with the developing social needs of the time, the
authorities were also struggling against poor sanitation, overcrowding and
devastating epidemics. Some how the vision of a few pioneers and promoters
established athletics in the town and later, in the twentieth century, the
Scandinavian Sport of Orienteering was started in
England
by a small group of sportsmen and climbers in
Preston
.
Foot race: The
earliest foot race recorded in
Preston
was in 1675, the course was four miles long and the prize, a fifteen pound
plate. The Patron was the Mayor and each contestant had to pay Ten shillings via
his footman, to enter.
Professional
events came to the Town in 1859, first with a Grand Highland Gathering at the
Borough
Gardens
, which was situated at the Tram Terminus, adjacent to the cemetery and within
Farington Hall grounds.
Prizes
were awarded for most of the traditional Scottish Sports and included a foot
race of half a mile for men in Kilts. This was followed a few days later by
another Promotion on the Moor Hall Estate. This seems to have been originated by
a number of gentlemen of the Town, and was a very well attended gathering with
temporary grandstands and refreshment Booths being built, making a profit of
over One Hundred Pounds. The year following the event moved onto the marsh area,
West of Strand Road, and continued to be held in this location until 1869, with
success and large attendances.
Amateur
Athletics came to the Town
in July 1870 with an Athletics Festival on Preston Marsh, with Mayoral
permission and organised by the newly formed Preston Gymnastic Club. Fifty
Medals were awarded for prizes for the various events, including Flat racing,
Jumping, Pole Leaping, Gymnastics, Pole Leaping, Boxing, Walking and Cycling.
Admission to the Ground was sixpence, with the Grandstand and occupants of
Carriages being charged half a crown. The following year the Athletics Festival
took place on the ground of the Preston Agricultural Show, Deepdale.
In
1875 a new Preston Gymnastic and Athletic Club was formed with the aim of
promoting Preston Athletic Sports meetings. Early in1876 an approach was made to
the Preston North End Cricket Club, based off
Deepdale Road
, to consider a temporary amalgamation and a fifty pound guarantee each. The two
clubs succeeded in promoting an event in the summer, 29th July, with
an attendance of up to five thousand spectators. Admission to the ground being
sixpence; grand stand, one shilling and two shillings, occupants of carriages
two shillings and sixpence.
The
following year was a greater success, with an attendance of seven thousand
spectators, this became an annual sporting event up to the turn of the century,
under the title of Preston Athletic Sports.
The
next milestone to be reached was the formation of
Preston
Harriers on the 15th
September 1881, at the White Horse Inn in Friargate,
some of these foundling
members were also members of the Gymnastic fraternity. This new club was to
figure prominently in the Preston Guild Sports events of 1882, around the same
era, the Preston Athletic Association was also formed.
In
the latter period of the nineteenth century there were several prominent amateur
and professional athletes, who turned in World Class performances in Preston, on
the
Preston
Nursery
Pleasure
Gardens
track of 600yds. In 1879, two meetings were held, the first, a race over
440yds, with the winner undecided, the second a fortnight later, a One mile
handicap, won by R Needham, beating W Cummings the Professional Champion of
Great Britain, In 1880 Walter George, running a mile in 4mins 23.2secs and
establishing a World Record for one and a half miles in 6mins 43.5secs in July,
being the fastest amateur at the time.
William
Jeffrey Cummings, Prestons professional based runner, broke the world record for
one mile, in a time of 4min 16.2secs in 1881, on the Preston Nursery Pleasure
Gardens Ground. Another milestone
was reached in September of that year with the formation of a Harriers Club, at
the White Horse Inn in Friargate, with some of the foundling members joining
from the Gymnastic Club. The Preston
Guild 0f 1882 surpassed all other Guilds for patronage, prestige, with
professional sporting events taking place on the Borough Race Grounds, with the
Preston Athletic Association Festival being held on the North End Cricket
Ground, Deepdale. Also Amatuer Athletic Sports being held on West Cliff.
Cross-country: Inter
club events were arranged against the leading clubs, prominent members being
Dickinson and Brown, who also ran for Salford
Harriers. In 1879 the N.C. A.A.A. the was founded at
Southport
from within local clubs, which controlled and steered the passage of a
turbulent period of athletics in the right direction, regarding rules and the
organisation of events and meetings.
In
1905 the Harriers regrouped under a general heading of Preston Harriers and
Athletic Club, possibly due to the influx of accomplished athletes (Wallach,Aspinall,
Calvert) from outside the Town and organised changes in athletic activities.
With C. J. Bryant winning the Northern Junior X.C.Champs: in 1911, also
finishing fourth in the
Windsor
Castle
to Stamford Bridge Marathon in1921.
Inter
Club competitions flourished, with track and cross-country championships
strongly contested, until the interruption of the world war one, which saw the
early and sad deaths of many local athletes. Towards the close of world war one,
a silver medal awarded by Preston Harriers Athletic Club to the winner of the
440yds race in 1912 championships was found on the body of an unknown British
soldier. The Imperial War Graves Commission made enquiries to trace the identity
of the soldier through the local press, apparently without success. Sadly, the
club records for the events in 1912 had been lost. In 1919 the Club reassembled,
from which a vibrant committee was elected with J Pickles as Secretary. There
were many inovative events, such as evening handicap races by moonlight between
Penwortham and Leyland Road bridges, inter club track and cross-country events
contested annually. In June 1923,the renowned Hop, Step and Jump Pioneer, Jack
Higginson won the A.A.A. championships, in September, Track championships took
place on the Brookfield Football Grounds. 1924 Jack Higginson represented G.B.
in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Medals were won by the junior cross-country
runners, being placed second in the West Lancs. Champs. On the 31st
March 1925, the First Annual Dinner and Smoking Concert was held at the Old
Black Bull Hotel in Friagate, which was reported as a resounding success, “
speeches, trophy presentations, toasts and harmonious singing with piano backing
” being the order of business, helped along with good ale, a tradition carried
out to good effect by the present day Fell running section.
In 1926 the club took a
pioneering move with the organization of the Longridge to Preston road walking
race, a distance of eight miles, from this event the club developing into one of
the strongest walking sections in the northern area. The race was promoted for a
period of five years. During the 20’s and 30’s saw many great athletic
meetings and outstanding performances in all disciplines by club members,
holding their own against top class opposition, some of them being held at
Preston North End Football Ground at Deepdale. Once again a World War was to
interrupt the world of sport, but again athletics was revived after the war
ended. Cross-country running and athletics were very popular with road walking
going from strength to strength, an influx of young apprentices from Leyland
Motors, changed clubs, joining the Harriers, in the late 1950’s, from this
core group came Manchester-Blackpool walkers, with two members qualifying for
Centurion Badges, (100mile plus). In the Guild of 1952, Preston Harriers were
given the honour of escorting the Guild Scrolls, in a ten-man relay from
Liverpool to the
Preston
, after its return from commonwealth countries by boat, this tradition has
continued at all subsequent Guilds. The apprentice’s contingent were once
again to the fore-front when the Lake Mountain District Trial was advertised in
the L.E.P. by A.H.Griffin, and organised by the Y.H.A. Lake District Group, on
the occasion of its 25th Anniversary. The
individual honour went to R Moore, leading the group to team victory and
repeating the result again the following year, the first two years, Boots had to
be worn, the rule was amended in 1954. This race developed into an annual
Lakeland Classic event and has recently celebrated its fiftieth Anniversary. In
1961 winning the team event with G Barrow, Dave and Brian Clarke.
Club
members were also prominent in the organisation of many amateur fell races,
perhaps the most notable being the annual Three Peaks race, first organised by
Fred Bagley in 1954, and lately the Chipping Show Fell Race, re-starting in 2000
August as a new millennium event.
Tracks
and training grounds in Preston varied considerably over the years, marsh-land,
open spaces, cricket, football and rugby grounds, in the 1930’saw the influx
of athletes from local educational establishments and grounds, parklands were
used, and adjacent athletic club grounds. In1965 the Council built
London
road came into use, with a shale surface, many fine meetings and athletic
endevours were carried out till the turn of the century. In the 2000 Preston
Harriers reverted back to its original title to avoid any clash of identity with
Preston Athletic Club, which was formed in 1949/50 era, after a disagreement
with the committee. In November 1927 the idea of a running track was first
discussed, with the eventual funding of a new track, coming on stream in April
2000, after years of effort by club members with a new Track at the Preston
Sports Arena, based with the University Complex at Cottam. In 2003 the Harriers
membership varies between 4-500, and with a roll of honour of Preston Olympians,
which includes such notables Jack
Higginson (Hop, Step and Jump), Eric Turner (Javelin), Andrew Holden, John
Nuttal, Steve Tunstall and Helen Clitheroe, all middle distance athletes.
The
people of
Preston
have played their part in the development of
Pedestrianism and have lived up to its title of Proud Preston.
Orienteering:
Prestonian’s were also to the fore in bringing
Orienteering to
England
in 1963. The people involved were first drawn
together by a tragedy in March 1962, which befell the Smith family from Lostock
Hall, when two of their children died of exposure on the Bowland Fells, although
the police organised a diligent search and rescue attempt, it was felt that a
local mountain rescue team should be formed to give support at any future
mountain accident. Thus, because of the tragedy, by May 1962 the South Ribble
Fell Search and Rescue Team had been founded with its headquarters in Penwortham,
near
Preston
. About this time the Scandinavian sport of orienteering was taking root in
Scotland
, with members of the mountain rescue team attending many of their events, thus
becoming very keen to start the sport in
England
. They were also attending as a support team at many of the local amateur fell
races, such the
Three
Peaks
race. On the 24th November 1963 two
Preston
members of the team, Ken Turner and Gerry Charnley, organised the first English
orienteering event, which was held at Whitewell near Clitheroe. A few months
later on the 4th December 1964,
Englands
first Orienteering Club was founded, mainly from rescue team members, and named
South Ribble Orienteering Club. Sadly, Gerry Charnley was tragically killed in
an accident on Helvellyn in December 1982. The sport of orienteering flourished
in
England
with many more clubs and local associations being formed, and is now a vibrant
sport, enjoyed by many people from all walks of life.
Picture of Maurice at LDMT
in 1953
M Dean.
