Author: The Author

Graham’s Programmes

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Graham MacIndoe is very fortunate that his Dad, who lives in Bathgate, keps an eye out for athletics memorabilia – there have been several wonderful ‘finds’ in the past such as old E-G programmes and then there was the collection of Andy Forbes programmes, not to mention the items that may well have belonged to Alastair Wood.   This latest collection of porgrammes and magazines, of which we only have the covers here, includes the 1952 English national programme, that was the year that Victoria Park won, plus the back page with the signatures of all the VP men who ran that day including all the non-scoring runners.  Have a look and enjoy them.

AAA’s Championships 1952

1952: With Victoria Park AAC team

 

 

 

 

 

Walter McCaskey

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Walter (M80) heading for 2016 British Masters 5k gold

That fine Scottish sports journalist, Doug Gillon, wrote an article about Walter in January 2015; and here are several excerpts.

In the Scottish Masters Cross-Country Championships at Kilmarnock, one of the “hardy stalwarts is Walter McCaskey, making his first appearance in the over-80 age group for which three men line up.

He began by accident, running the 1982 Edinburgh Marathon to help raise funds for an exercise pool. ‘I trained for four months,’ he recalls, ‘and finished in four hours four minutes.’

‘I didn’t think 26 miles sounded a lot, but it was a long way on a wet, cold day and there was no chance of stopping. You just kept going. But I enjoyed it and got the bug.’

‘I have now run more than 50 marathons, but none for the last few years. I was advised not to because of osteoarthritis in my left knee. I did Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow, with just a fortnight between each. It was just about having fun.’

‘I only started pushing it at 70, started training with a pal. We did the 10k together and had a real tussle. I managed to win the Scottish Veterans Championship, and then the British. I’m amazed. I never thought I was any good at running.’

His best marathon time was in Glasgow aged 53 (2.59). ‘But now I focus on cross country and shorter stuff.’

Today he defends the Scottish Masters title he won 12 months ago at Hawick, and he completed the 12k course of the Scottish National at Falkirk last year (first in his age group) in a very creditable 67.12.

He was sixth in the British and Irish Masters International cross country at Nottingham in November, second Scot as they won team bronze.

He says he has no sporting pedigree or history. ‘I played a little football when I was younger, in the street, up the park, and perhaps a wee bit in the Army in Hong Kong.’

He tried bowl, but in a reversal of the perceived norm, chucked it for running. ‘I am really hooked on it. I only do about 20 miles a week now since I have stopped marathons, but I go down to the gym and I swim a bit.’

‘If anyone tells me I’m getting on a bit, I just ignore it. Obviously you know you’re getting older – you’re not running as fast – but I don’t dwell on the subject. Get on with life, enjoy yourself.’

The mud threatens to be difficult today, but having spent a chunk of his life working with bulldozers and other plant machinery, Walter says he is prepared.”

(Ed. An inspection of sporting records reveals that Walter won Scottish Masters XC medals at M60: bronze in 1996 and silver in 1998. He won his first titles at M65 in 2001 and 2003, plus a silver medal in 2004 and bronze in 2000. There ensued four successive M70 golds between 2005 and 2008; and he was second in 2009. In the M75 category, he won in 2010, 2011 and 2014; and was second in 2013. Naturally he won the M80 titles in 2015 and 2016! Walter is an inspiration to all SVHC members!)

QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS:

Walter McCaskey (born 11th August 1934).

Club: City of Edinburgh A.C.

I began running in 1982. It was at my daughter’s wedding and, after a few drinks, I promised to raise some money for charity by joining my brothers, who were training for the Edinburgh Youngers Tartan Marathon. Little did I know what I had let myself in for.

After marathons at Aberdeen and Glasgow, in the 1984 Black Isle Marathon I came first M50. After setting my fastest time in the 1986 Glasgow event I did not improve, probably because I was doing so many races and using them as social events, just going away for long weekends. It was about this time that I joined EAC and started doing cross country. Alex McEwan got me thinking about how I was running. He told me that I had too much energy left at the finish of races! The next event I tried much harder and won gold at Aberdeen.

It was Bert McFall that got me to join the Scottish Veteran Harriers and it was the start of a great friendship. We had some really good training sessions and the rest is history. I made it into the Scottish Masters team, thanks to Bert and, along with the rest of the age-group team, we had several good races. I really enjoy running. It has given me the chance to make so many good friends and has really helped me to get on with my life

[Ed. In the annual British and Irish Masters International XC, Walter has represented Scotland at least nine times since 2004, winning individual M70 silver in 2005 to improve on bronze the previous year. His M70 team won silver medals four times, including one loss to the Auld Enemy by a single point. Then in 2014, aged 80, he contributed to M70 team bronze!  In M75 contests Walter’s team won silver medals in both 2015 and 2016 (when he was 82). Amazing!]

I can say that the best races that come to mind are firstly the 2005 Scottish Masters XC Championships at Bellahouston Park, when I came in first M70 only two seconds in front of Bert McFall. It was a great contest and Bill McBrinn reckoned it was the finest contest of the day. The only thing I did not like about it was having to beat my friend Bert! Secondly, the following week I travelled to Bangor and came in first M70 in the British Masters XC Championships. The worst race was rushing to catch the bus in Glasgow to join the Scottish team! By the time I reached it I was really done in. I have only one ambition and that is to keep on running.

As for my other activities, I bike to the gym and do some work on the rowing machine and the cross trainer. I do some speedwork on the treadmill and then finish with a little swim. My training is a mixture of road and grass running. I do hill reps in the park. Each week I run 15 to 20 miles and probably a little bit more when building up for a race. Running has made me a more responsible person, and given me time to think about other people and the good they do. By joining SVHC I gained one big family of friends.

George Sim

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NAME George Sim

CLUBs Moray Roadrunners/Scottish Veteran Harriers Club

DATE OF BIRTH 23 January 1950

OCCUPATION Retired

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT?

There was a local 3 mile race taking part in a nearby village and myself and my brother in law decided to give it go. I went for 3 training runs before the race and won it with my brother in law coming 2nd. I then heard about a running group that the council had set up trying to get the community active so went along. This is where my enjoyment of running through the woods started at the age of 35 and Moray Roadrunners were formed.

HAS ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP HAD A MARKED INFLUENCE ON YOUR ATTITUDE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE?

No, I just enjoyed the company and started to enjoy the improvement of my own running.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET OUT OF THE SPORT?

The feeling of fitness, racing and the camaraderie of other runners and supporters. I then started coaching juniors and this helped improve my own performances and gave a great sense of satisfaction.

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

My most memorable best performances are winning 3 British Track Masters Golds in MV50 one weekend in July 2000 in Bedford. The first gold came in the Saturday in the 1500m in a time of 4.27 followed by the 5k in 16.20. Then the 10,000m on the Sunday winning in 33.18.

Also in 28 degrees in Riccione Italy, in the World Vets Track in September 2007, I was 5th in the MV55 5k in a time of 16.57, 4 days after I took the Silver medal in the 10,000m in a time of 35.10.

All my Scottish and British Masters X Country medals but always behind Mike Hager (England).

I was also pleased that in September 2006 at the age of 56 I ran 33.37 in the Dyke 10k and a week later did 75.44 in the Great North run.

Personal Best performances:

5k 15.32 aged 45

10k 31.45 aged 45

10mile 52.06 aged 45

Half Marathon 69.53 aged 41

Marathon 2.32 aged 40

 

YOUR WORST?

I cannot remember ever having a really bad race. I only get out of the racing what I have put into the training.

WHAT UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?

I don’t really have any. I just want to be able to keep running and remain injury free.

OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES?

I thoroughly enjoy my golf now that I have retired, trying to reduce my handicap which is currently 16. I also enjoy a bit of coaching, travelling and gardening.

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

Lots of lasting friendships, fitness and enjoying watching friends/athletes in various competitions.

CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF YOUR TRAINING?

 

Typical training week aged 40 – 45
Monday. – 1hour steady in woods
Tuesday – track, 4x4x 400m in 70 sec, 50sec recovery. 3min between sets
Wednesday – steady wood run 50/60 mins
Thursday – 6x 1000m in 3.10, 200m jog rec
Friday – rest/golf
Saturday – 3x4x400m in 66sec, 1 min rec, 3 mins between sets
Sunday – steady 14-16 miles.
(Week before my 31.45 I did 20 mile run on Saturday and GTVLeague on Sunday – 3000m in 9.20!)

Typical week aged 50 before BMVTrack – 3 golds
Monday – steady wood run 60 mins
Tuesday – 8x400s in 70, going every 2 mins. 6min jog x 2 sets
Wednesday – club run usually eyeballs out with great training group
Thursday – 16x200s in 31/32sec walk back rec
Friday – rest/golf
Saturday – steady wood run 60mins
Sunday – 12/14 miles steady

Typical week training aged 55
Monday – steady 45/60 mins
Tuesday – 2×4 600s in 1.52 4mins rec, 8mins between sets
Wednesday – club night usually hard run 50/60 mins
Thursday – steady 59 min wood run
Friday – rest / golf
Saturday – rest
Sunday – Tom Scott 10 mile race 1st M55 vet, 4th vet overall – 55.36

Nowadays I’m happy if I can get out and just run! Injury has prevented me from proper training over the last 3 years so training is not as serious as it was 10 years ago. The body is not quite willing any more.

There is no set pattern to my training now. These days it consists of runs in the local woods that I have run in for 33 years. Usually 6/7miles steady.

Fartlek and speed sessions with the MRR.

I also try to fit in dreaded hills reps that I know have to be done!

The Editor added the following.

George Sim is renowned for being an elegant, graceful athlete who makes nearly all of the rest of us look bad by comparison! He has a great deal of talent and, as his training above shows, worked hard and intelligently to carve out a very successful running career. In addition, he has always been modest and extremely casual about his many successes.

When we first met in 1990, before the Scottish Veterans Cross Country Championships in Dumfries, I knew that my Aberdeen AAC clubmate Graham Milne (a former Scottish marathon international) had been training with George and rated him as extremely promising. Graham lived in Elgin and had convinced George, a near neighbour, to join AAAC since we had a good veteran team. George made an immediate impact by finishing 7th and we won team gold medals for the third year in a row.

George had just turned 40, having started running five years earlier. I was running quite well by 15 and so for a while, due to more background, had the edge on my new clubmate, who is more than two years less old. However his improvement was rapid – in fact it took him little more than three years to relegate me to the also-rans.

A few significant races illustrate this process: a ‘Veterans’ Mile’ in July 1991 on the posh Aberdeen track, when George was right behind me with half a lap to go but I tried extra hard while he glided in just behind my 4.38.8; a month later he thumped me in the Aberdeen Half Marathon; then the 1992 Scottish Vets Cross Country in Troon when I got some revenge by finishing second to his fourth and AAAC won the team title again; the 1992 Alloa to Twechar 8-Man Relay when team victory was almost assured because George rolled right away from Fife AC on Stage Six (the great Don Macgregor was impressed, saying ‘A classy runner’); in late 1992 I finished a couple of places ahead in the Forres 6. The last time I managed to beat him was in August 1993 when I almost gave myself a heart attack in the Aberdeen Half Marathon, eventually finishing five seconds ahead of George, with Shetland’s Bill Adams another seven seconds down. This three-way battle was for the SAF veteran gold medal at that distance. By 1994 the contest was over for me: George Sim was different class. I could only admire the stylish supremacy of such an athlete and make the most of races when he was in a younger age group or running elsewhere!

In his answers to the questionnaire, George did not mention title successes in the Scottish Masters XC: gold medals at M45 (1996), M50 (2003), M55 (2007) and M60 (2010). He did not run the British and Irish International until 1995 in Dublin, when he was 5th M45. By 2016 he had run for Scotland nine times in this most prestigious of events; winning many team medals (including M55 gold in Belfast 2007); plus individual M50 bronze in 2002; three silver (M50 in 2000, M55 in 2005 and 2007) and two fourth places as well. Yes, England’s Mike Hager (a frequent record-breaking World Veteran champion, after all) often had a slight edge on him but justice was served when, in Falkirk 2006, George Sim won the M55 age group.

It was good that, despite many injuries, George was fit enough to be part of our M65 outfit in the 2016 Glasgow International, contributing to team bronze. Hopefully he will regain full fitness and go on to further fully-deserved successes.

 

 

1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games: Jamaica

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The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica from 4th to 13th August.   It was the first time  that they had been held outside one of the ‘white dominions’ and were followed by the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games.   Thirty four nations, including Aden and Saudi Arabia, competed sending a total of 1316 athletes and officials.   The nine sports were the same as had been on the programme for Perth, Australia, in 1962.   

Athletics won only two medals (a gold and a bronze) but as had been the case in Perth both were won by one man.   In Perth Mike Lindsay took two silvers in the throws events while in Jamaica Jim Alder won his two in the marathon and six miles.   Looking forward to the Games, one of the athletics highlights would be the 3 miles battle between Ron Clarke and Kip Keino.   Each was thought to have a chance for a double – Keino the three miles and theMile, Clarke the three and six miles races.   Alder did not figure in the calculations.   In the sprints the battle was anticipated to be between Harry Jerome (Canada) and Tom Robinson (Bahamas).   The ‘Glasgow Herald’ reporting was the best that they had provided for any Games so far and it is worth reproducing.  The first day’s events featured several Scots – the six miles, the steeplechase and he high jump were contested by team members.

“RW Clarke (Australia), the world’s greatest distance runner, by the stopwatch at least,  is still awaiting his first major title.   For here last night in the athletics stadium Clarke again met an athlete “he had never heard of” and the Australian was beaten into second place in the Commonwealth Games six miles.   The man who did the damage was Kenyan Naftali Temu who ironically enough was one of those straggling runners that Clarke had to wade through in the Olympic 10,000m final and on that occasion another unknown Mohammed Gammoudi pushed Clarke back into third place.

The humidity was such that everyone visiting here from some of the more moderate climes was dripping with sweat as the runners lined up.   Clarke seemed unaware of the strength-sapping closeness as he and Temu set out on their own after about half a mile.   The first mile, in about 4:25 brought that pair clear with another group containing J Alder (Scotland) content to suffer a less painful death than Clarke.   Six or sven times after the three mile mark the Australian exploded away, and each time Temu hauled in the slack, persistent, game, and more than that – capable of shaking the great man beside him.   

Temu has obviously never been pulled out to anything like his best on previous occasions for at three miles his time of 13 min 24 sec was more than 20 seconds faster than he had ever done over that distance  and there were still three more miles to go.   Round about the four mile mark Clarke must have been feeling the pace troubling him, for he cut the lap times down to 72 seconds, followed by one at 75.   Not slow to notice what was happening ahead of him, the small, determined Alder began to bring himself clear of those around him but the effort was telling on him.   

The explosion came: Temu simply roared away from Clarke with a mile to go, glancing back only to check on a desiccated, disappointed Clarke, and after a blistering 62 second lap, ran the last three laps magnificently for a victory in 27 min 14 sec, 150 yards ahead.   In seventh place AF Murray (Scotland) ran as well as expected in such conditions; rather than consider his performance as ordinary we should instead think of Alder’s bronze medal as a remarkable achievement.”

John Linaker  was seventh in the steeplechase in 8 min 41.5 sec, Crawford Fairbrother fourth in the high jump with a clearance of 6′ 6″and Norrie Foster in the decathlon was fourth overall with 6728 points after running the fastest 1500 metres in the final discipline.   It was a good day for the country’s athletes.   On 8th August the heats of the 220 yards took place.

“Over at the National Stadium the heats of the men’s 220 were held and they were less of a competitive occasion than a time to separate the men from the boys.    A headwind was gusting across the track and so, as in the 100 yards first round, no one put any stock on times.   Nevertheless the 21.4 sec by WM Campbell (Scotland) in winning his heat proved to be the second fastest of the morning and he had obviously recovered from a toe-stubbing received when he bumped into a fence at the end of last week.   From the outside lane he was well into his stride and some of his old majesty semed to have returned. At the same time let us not be fooled into thinking of his chances in terms of a medal.   here were a few wily men on this track today, among them H Jerome (Canada), T Robinson (Bahamas) and E Roberts (Trinidad and Tobago).   Jerome strolled the last 20 yards taking his heat in 21.7 sec, and Robinson allowed S Allotey (Ghana) to equal the Games record of 20.9 sesonds in his heat while he himself, observed from a distance of about eight yards, easily qualifying in second place.”

The 100 yards mentioned above had only one Scot competing in each event – in the men’s, Campbell who was fifth in his quarter final in 10.0; and in the women’s, Alex Stevenson who was fifth in her heat in 11.3 seconds.   Campbell made the semi-final in the 220 where he was fifth in 21.2, and Barbara Lyall was sixth in her heat in 25.1 seconds.

On 9th August in the three miles, Ian McCafferty had a spell in the lead but finished fifth in 13:12.2, a Scottish record by seven seconds and he still had the mile to come.   Lachie Stewart and Fergus Murray also ran in this race, finishing  twelfth and seventeenth in 13:40.0 and 14:32.4.  Ron Clarke was second to Keino.   Remember that Stewart had run a good race in the steeplechase (9th in 8:57.0) and Murray had run well in the six miles.   In the heat and, more important, humidity prevailing they had probably not had enough time to properly recover.   The half mile final was also on that day but there were no cots there – the only half miler taken was Graeme Grant from Dumbarton and he ran 1:53.4 finishing eighth in his semi-final.

There was for the first time a 440 yards race for women and Scotland had Barbara Lyall running in it.   She ran 57.0 seconds to be fourth in her heat and did not get through to the final.   There were no more Scots in any track events but there was still the marathon to come – and Jim Alder was in it.

“JNC Alder gave Scotland their first gold medal of the Commonwealth Games seven minutes after eight this sweaty morning.   No marathon is ever won without some kind of attendant drama  –  the 26 miles 385 yards would not seem the same if one did not cause headlines to be written about him  –  and this one today maintained the high reputation of its predecessors.   Alder, with a lead of 75 metres as he reached the perimeter of the stadium, was sent the wrong way, lost the lead, and in what in most marathons is the glory lap, he caught his rival and won by about a dozen yards.   

Seventeen men lined up in a deserted National Stadium at 5:30 with a moon and stars above them that looked grotesquely out of place; the romance of the sky was unappreciated by this grim body of men, handkerchiefs at neck, sweat already gathering at the top of singlets.   There was RW Clarke bobbing about pensively, trying not to think that his medal winning days were numbered – he was even considering going in tomorrow’s mile heats in a last gasp attempt for victory if he failed today – and beside him as he waited for the gun, M Ryan, a Scot by birth and for almost three years now, a New Zealander by choice.   We followed them out of the cathedral-like silence into the streets of the city; not a sleeping city, but one alive and lining the route so thickly that the cars, ambulances and anonymous supporting cohorts, had for a time to nudge their way through,  foot by foot.

Clarke was up with the leading group headed by Ryan, J Julien, also from New Zealand, and after five miles the order was R Wallingford (Canada), Ryan, Alder, K Graham, Jamaica – bidding for eternal glory? – and, in eighth place, Clarke.   For a time the Kenyan Nemesis appeared to be stalking Clarke once again – the defeats from Keino and Temu are not easily forgotten – when J Wahome’s dark figure drew within 30 yards of him at ten miles, but that threat came to naught.   The homeward turn put the sun’s rays into the athletes’ faces and as the temperature made its daily inexorable climb into the 80’s Clarke was being steadily overhauled by W Adcocks (England) and Alder.   At 16 miles Clarke’s lead was taken away and at 20 miles Adcocks and Alder shared the lead timed at 1 hour 47 min 53 sec, Ryan, third, clocked 1 hour 49 min 31 sec.   

Three miles from the stadium, Alder, only 5′ 5″ tall, had gone into a 30 yard lead over the Englishman, and from there to the area immediately surrounding the stadium he built up a lead on 70 yards.   Then the confusion began.   Well-meaning, misguided officials allowed him to go in what was originally meant to be the point of entry but because of the sloping nature of this tunnel, it was felt that a more level entry should be used.   Adcocks was sent in another way, and when the Scot came on the track he found the Englishman 20 yards in front of him.   All was not lost however.   The Scot obviously had more left in him than Adcocks and with 200 yards to go went past him briskly towards victory in 2:22:7.8.   Adcocks clocked 2:22:13, the closest finish to a major marathon anyone here can remember.   Ryan, who was sixth in the Scottish six miles championship three years ago at New Meadowbank in Edinburgh was third in 2:27:59.”

The report continued but the race was over.   Clarke dropped out at 20 miles, Brian Kilby, the reigning champion dropped out at 19 miles with a thigh strain.   In all there were seven who did not finish the race.    The main thing however was: it was Scotland’s first gold medal. 

Jim Alder winning the SAAA Marathon Championship

In the field events, there were no medals at all this time round.   Lawrie Bryce was fifth in the hammer and Mike Lindsay, hero four years earlier in Wales, was fourth in the shot putt and sixth in the discus.   In the women’s shot putt, Moira Kerr was tenth in the shot, while Rosemary Payne was fourth in the discus.   Fairbrother was fourth in the high jump, missing bronze by one inch, while David Stevenson was fourth in the pole vault after clearing 15′ 3″ –  the same height as third placed Moro of Canada.  Decathlete Norrie Foster was seventh in this very technical event.    Alex Stevenson was also fourth – in the women’s long jump.   There were no men in either long or triple jump.

No medals in field events but very good performances from many of the athletes – Norrie Foster’s fourth place in the decathlon after running the fastest 1500m at the end of a gruelling two days has to be highly rated; David Stevenson was only 6″ behind the gold medallist in the pole vault, Rosemary Payne would go from her very good fourth here to gold in Edinburgh four years later.   

There can however be no lack of respect for any performance by any of these athletes who competed in the heat and humidity of Jamaica.   It is possible to acclimatise to the heat but you can’t acclimatise to the humidity.   It was known at Jamaica that the next Games would be on home territory, in Edinburgh, and the lessons learned in Jamaica allied to the undeniable advantages of the home situation, would pay off handsomely.

Norrie Foster in 1966

 

Willie Drysdale

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(Willie, who has done a tremendous amount for SVHC, is well known to many Scottish Veteran Harriers Club members and still continues to battle round the annual Scottish Masters Cross Country Championship. While I was at Aberdeen University and he was near his peak, I remember racing him in the 1968 Tom Scott 10 miles – Willie beat me by over 20 seconds and received a treasured first class certificate. His longevity as a runner is amazing – at the end of September 2017 he will have been in Athletics for 70 years, 27 years with Monkland Harriers and 43 with Law & District AAC!

by Colin Youngson)

Willie Drysdale: Keep On Running

Willie is 81 years young, having been born on the 26th November 1935. He joined Monkland Harriers in October 1947.

He enjoyed football and swimming but took to running because he thought he could be good. He got involved in the sport because he saw an advert in a pub window to join Monkland Harriers. Competition began in 1951 when he was a Youth (under 17). This was the youngest age group at the time and very few events were available: only 100 yards handicap and the occasional 880 yards handicap. The minimum age to take part in road and cross country was 16.

Willie’s best times were as follows:

880 yards – 2.02.3 (1967); 1 Mile – 4.29 (1967); 6 Miles – 30.09 (1967); 10 Miles Track – 51.50 (1967).

Willie had a fine record in the Scottish 10 Miles Track Championship. He won a bronze medal in 1966 at Seedhill, Paisley, recorded his personal best a year later, and between 1966 and 1969 was high in the annual Scottish rankings: fourth followed by seventh three times.

In the Scottish Senior National Cross Country he was a very respectable 29th at Hamilton Racecourse in 1966; and 39th in 1967, when ten New Zealand team members were allowed to take part as guests.

In the Scottish Masters Cross Country, he was second M40 behind the great Bill Stoddart in 1978; second M70 in 2010; third M75 in 2011; and third M80 in 2016 and 2017.

Willie was known as a good road runner. He took part in several Edinburgh to Glasgow Relays between 1965 and 1980. For Monkland Harriers he took on the most competitive stages (2 and 6); and was in their best teams when they were ninth in 1971 and tenth in 1972, when his team mates included future SVHC stalwart Bill McBrinn and young stars like Jim Brown, Ron MacDonald and Ian Gilmour, who went on to run for Britain.

Between 1974 and 1980, Willie often ran Stage 8 in the E to G for Law and District. The club’s best position was tenth in 1974, when Willie’s fastest team mate was Scottish XC International XC John Myatt.

In November 1966 Willie won the handicap in the traditional Brampton to Carlisle 10 miler; and on the 1st January 1967 was second in the handicap in the even more famous Morpeth to Newcastle (at least half marathon distance) in a time of 71.51, a personal best by over four minutes. He ran the top Scottish event, the Tom Scott 10 (over the old Law to Motherwell course) in under 51 minutes, finishing 14th.

Willie is a hill walker and also liked hill races and his favourite was the long-established Carnethy event, which he ran twelve times.

Willie Drysdale reckons that his fastest years were between 1967 to 1975, when he was 32 to 40 years old.

Normally he trained once a day, 6 days a week, resting on Friday, since races used to be on Saturday. His weekly training distance, up to age fifty, was about 50 or 60 miles. He also used to do weights at Monklands.

As a Veteran and Masters athlete, since March 1997 he has trained off road, due to back and knee problems. However he can still run for 60 to 80 minutes and goes to the gym three days a week. Occasionally he does speedwork – some strides in the football park!

Willie used to train at Corkerhill Stadium (near Bellahouston Park) on Sundays between the early 1960s to mid 1975. The best thing that happened was that Ken, a Senior Lecturer at Jordanhill College, supervised Willie’s weight training between 1963 and 1965. After that, Willie started running personal bests.

His original work training, as a pre-apprentice engineer, was at Coatbridge Technical College; and then he went on to qualify as a turner and fitter.

National Service. Between 1957 and 1959 he served with the Royal Scots Greys. He had seven weeks of general and fourteen weeks specific training as a Centurion Tank driver, then stayed at Catterick in Yorkshire for one year. In 1958 the Greys were sent to Munster in West Germany, near the Dutch border.

In October 1957 Willie ran a North Yorkshire & South Durham Cross Country League race and finished well up and first home for the Greys. He was asked to run for the league in an inter-league match – but his officer said to the selectors that Willie was not good enough! The officer was proved wrong in February 1958 when the Northern Command XC championships were held at Catterick and Willie ran well to finish third; then he was 28th at the Army XC championships at Aldershot but writes that this was a bad run for him.

Between 1966 and 1979 Willie worked as a technician at Strathclyde University. In 1967, through S.U., he got treatment three times a week for a hamstring injury at Corunna Street physiotherapist. However the injury did not clear up properly until 1980. At lunchtimes he ran five to seven miles along Alexander Parade to the golf course and back.

Between 1979 and 1989 he worked as a technician at Wishaw High School – and trained by running five and a half miles there from his home; and back later on.

From 1989 to 1997 he worked as a technician at Carluke High School. Willie used the gym when at Carluke and, after retiring in 1997, continued to use the gym.

As for diet, Willie writes that he just eats normally. The GP has given him Adcal-D3 vitamin. He also takes Perindopril (blood pressure) Simvastin.

Willie was mostly self coached, although he was supervised at Corkerhill a little. He himself had a coaching qualification from the 1960s onwards. In addition he was Secretary and Treasurer at Monkland Harriers; and, when President, organised the club training.

Since joining Law & District AAC, Willie has been Secretary three times and has been a Life Member since 2009. He helps the club at league matches and compiles the results for the referee. He assists with the organisation of the Tom Scott 10 miles road race at Strathclyde Park.

Willie Drysdale was a member of The Scottish Marathon Club; and continues to belong to the Scottish Hill Runners and the Fell Runners Association.

He was President of the Scottish Veteran Harriers Club from 1999 to 2001; and was Secretary from 2001 to 2012. He still works for the club in a number of ways.

Willie writes that he has always liked to compete in races to find out if he can improve his performance. Nowadays he just wants to keep on running and intends to take part in the BMAF XC championships at Forres in 2018.

Running, he writes, is a great way to meet people and to see other parts of the country. He has competed all over Scotland, in some parts of England, in Spain, Portugal, the USA and Canada. Willie Drysdale has enjoyed it all.

 

Eddie Stewart

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Colin Youngson compiled the following profile of Eddie Stewart, a runner for whom all of Scottish athletics have a great respect.   Were there an award for the most consistent high-level runner on a year-round basis, Eddie would have been at the very top, or near the top, over many years.  A Scottish internationalist several times over he was a member of a really great bunch of Cambuslang Harriers runners.   You can read some more about Eddie at this link.

Eddie Stewart in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay in 1985

How did you get involved with the sport?

At the age of fourteen I started running at school, where they had a cross country club. The head music teacher, Bill Wright, was a keen runner and a member of Paisley Harriers. Like most boys I played a lot of football, not very well but I used to run all over the pitch chasing the ball, which annoyed the other lads but I did win my first medal in football when our primary school team won the local school league. So I liked running and, when I realised I would never be much of a football player, it seemed natural to take up running as a sport.

 Has any individual or group had a marked influence on your attitude or individual performance?

Probably the first person was Bill Wright who took the running club at school. We used to train on Tuesday and Thursday after school and on a Saturday morning if we didn’t have a race. We had 5 or 6 different routes of different lengths, ranging from 1mile to nearly 10miles. Most of the runs were like races and were all timed, so we could see how fast or slow we had run compared to the previous run over that route. Looking back, it wasn’t the most sophisticated type of training and probably coaches nowadays wouldn’t train young boys that way, but we enjoyed it, and it gave us plenty incentive to beat our own times or the times of the other lads.       

After I left school I joined West of Scotland Harriers but then I went to work for the Ordnance Survey in Southampton, where I half-heartedly trained and ran a few races for Southampton and Eastleigh. After 3 years I left the OS and came back to Glasgow. In the meantime West of Scotland Harriers had folded and I was thinking of joining Bellahouston when Robert Anderson arrived on the doorstep and asked if I wouldn’t like to join Cambuslang Harriers, since they had a young up-and-coming team.

The bus connection between Mearns and Cambuslang wasn’t very good so Robert, being the enthusiast that he was and still is, used to pick me up on a Tuesday night and take me to the club and then take me back again after training. So I was inaugurated into the Cambuslang Tuesday night ‘Hampden Park’ training run”: 71/2 miles of hell. It always started out at a reasonable tempo with perhaps 20 runners in the group but it was never an easy run, with the likes of Alec Gilmour, Colin Donnelly, Rod Stone and later Jim Orr and Charlie Thompson to name just a few. There was always someone who was feeling good on the night who wanted to push the pace, and if the infamous Jimmy Quinn was there he used to stick the boot in after half a mile. The Tuesday night run was harder than a lot of races although we never admitted it, saying only that it ‘wasn’t bad’ or ‘felt okay’.

So the whole squad of Cambuslang runners and officials had a big impact on my running – Robert, Dave Cooney, Des Yuill and Jim Scarborough who organised the club, along with all the runners who never made the first team, but who always kept the pressure on, waiting on a chance if we didn’t perform. None of us in the club were superstars – we were a bunch of lads with a bit of talent and a lot of hard grind, who made an impact on the cross country and road running scene in the 80’s and 90’s, but I doubt I would have had the same running success if it hadn’t been for the team spirit which the club had.

 What exactly do you get out of the sport?

I think, like most people who run, that the biggest thing is the feeling of being physically fit, of being able to get your training gear on and just run when and where you want, with no rules or regulations telling you that you must do this or that, and then the cameraderie of other runners. There is very little aggression in the sport because most of your energy is needed just to combat your own feelings of fatigue and tiredness and the battle is with your self.

What do you consider to be your best ever performance or performances?

I suppose my best performances were in the Scottish cross country championships in 82 and 84 when I was selected for the Scottish team for the World Cross in Rome and New York – not that I ran very well when I got there, but I gave it a go. Most of my best performances were associated with Cambuslang winning team titles, notably when we won the Scottish cross country relay championships for the first time in Inverness. Clyde Valley AC was the favourite team and, expecting to win again had decorated the cup handles with red and white ribbons, but that didn’t bother us, as Cambuslang also run in red and white. 

Another first was winning the Scottish cross country team title at Irvine and then winning gold in the E to G relay which, although I never felt I ran very  well in it, was always a great event , and it’s a pity it’s no longer in the race calendar.

Worst?       

My worst performance I think was going down to the English Inter-Counties cross country and running like an absolute donkey – the legs didn’t work, the lungs didn’t work, and only the brain was working, telling me to stop. But I carried on and ended up near the rear of the field. Horrible.

What unfulfilled ambitions have you?

I don’t think I’ve any unfullfilled running ambitions – just to keep running and enjoying it.

Other leisure activities?

I like walking, painting and drawing and generally watching nature.

What does running bring you that you would not have wanted to miss?

The main thing running brought me is my wife, who I met at a race in Bolzano in Italy. It was a New Year’s Eve race in 1987, and I was running in the Scottish team with Aidie Callan and Alastair Douglas. My wife-to-be was running for Czechoslovakia as it was then. We wrote letters to each other for about four years before I packed my bags,and I’ve been here in Prague ever since. In addition I’ve always liked the freedom and the feeling of being physically fit that running gives you. Also the friends I’ve made through the sport, both in Scotland and in the Czech Republic.

Can you give some details of your training?

I was never a big mileage man, due to my physical work as a gardener, but I always managed to get by with about 40 miles a week when I was running at my best. I always say that 8 hours gardening work is like steady circuit training – you’re using your whole body and not just your legs. so it gives you good general fitness.

I never had a coach for running. For about 2 years I did train with Brian McAusland’s squad on a Wednesday night at Coatbridge, and Brian gave me a few ideas about how I might improve. Just training with that squad improved my general speed, not that I was ever known for my sprinting ability!

My main running season was always September to March, usually with a break in April, and then some track and road running during the summer, but the cross country season was my main interest.

A typical week’s training for me in the autumn would have been as follows.

Mon. 2mile jog,10 x 200m hills slow jog down recovery, 2mile jog

Tues. Club 71/2 miles road hard

 Wed. Track i.e. 12 x 400 in 69 secs with a diminishing recovery – 45 secs, 30 secs, 15 secs.

Thur. Steady 5 miles run on country

Fri.    Rest

Sat. Race or 7 miles over country

Sun. Longer steady run over the country 10 miles

I wasn’t fanatical about my training. If I felt I was tired I would take 2 or 3 days off to rest before starting again. I tended to do most of my training at a fairly good pace, even my longer runs, since I never felt comfortable running at a slower pace than I felt I had the energy for.

During recent years, as a veteran, I try to get out 2 or 3 times a week, and this would include one longer run of say 9 or 10 miles, one interval session 8 x 500 on an undulating track in the woods, and a shorter 4 or 5 mile run on the country. I think that’s enough for me and it gives me a rest day or 2 in between my runs.

Edd

Eddie leading the field in the 1983 Nigel Barge Road Race

.. among others were   Steven Begen, Al Currie, Georghe Braidwood, Richie Barrie, Dave McShane, Tony Coyne …

 (During a long and distinguished running career, Eddie Stewart, such a strong, consistent athlete, produced track bests of: 800m – 1.59; 1500m – 3.55.4; 3000m – 8.16.5; 5000m – 14.11.7; 10,000m – 29.55. On the road he ran a half marathon in 65.14; and, as an afterthought, a marathon – 2.23.47 (aged 39) and 2.26.59 (aged 40). 

In his favourite Scottish National cross country championships, Eddie was in winning Cambuslang teams an amazing 10 times, between 1988 and 2000.

In the Scottish Masters cross country championships, he won the M40 title in 1998 (leading Cambuslang to team victory); M45 in 2004; M50 in 2007; M55 in 2012, 2015 and 2016; and M60 in 2017. The end for Eddie’s superb running is definitely not in sight!

In addition, his wife Miriam picked up a bronze medal in the W50 1500m in Korea this year at the World Masters Indoors; and both his son and his daughter Moira run well. In fact Moira has run several times for the Czech team in the European XC championships; and recently finished 7th in the 5000m at the European Under 23 championships in Poland.)

 

1970 CG Marathon

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As far as I know there have been no books written by athletes about the 5000m or 10000m races in the Games other than Ron Clarke’s autobiography while there have been several by competitors in the marathon.    Ron Hill’s Biography ‘The Long Hard Road,’ Jim Alder’s ‘Marathon and Chips, Bill Adcocks’ ‘The Road To Athens’ and Don Macgregor’s ‘Running My Life’.    It was certainly a fantastic race with a wonderful field of athletes contesting it but the attitudes revealed in the books could not be more different and extracts will be on a separate page which will be linked to this one.   I would urge anyone interested in marathon running generally to get their hands on copies of these books if at all possible, lay photo-copies of the sections on this one race side by side and just see how different the ways up the mountain were.   The official report read:

“The four fastest Marathon runners of all time competed in this race, run in good weather conditions over a fairly level course.   Right from the start, Derek Clayton, Australia, and Jerome Drayton, Canada, set a fast pace, passing five miles in 23:31, with Ron Hill, England, and Paul Ndoo, Kenya, close behind.   Jim Alder, the 1966 winner and Bill Adcocks, second in 1966, were running well, 200 yards farther back.   At ten miles, the leading positions were: Hill (47:45), 2nd Drayton (47:50), 3rd Ndoo (47:55), 4th Jim Alder, 5th Bill Adcocks and 6th Stephen (Tanzania) all at 48:40.   Ron Hill continued to push ahead and at 15 miles his time of 1:12:18 was actually better than his world record for that distance.   Clayton had dropped back, Drayton was still in second place. with Alder and Stephen closing on him.   Of the others, only Adcocks and Faircloth were within striking distance.    Drayton dropped out just before 16 miles and the race began to take shape.  

Hill kept on relentlessly, completing 20 miles in 1:37:02, 1 minute 20 seconds ahead of Alder and Stephen with Faircloth fourth in 1:30:17 and Adcocks fifth in 1:40:16.   Hill maintained his lead and finished with a brisk lap of the Stadium in the record-breaking time of 2:09.8.   Jim Alder came in doggedly two-and-a-half minutes later, and also 15 seconds behind was Don Faircloth.   Jackie Foster of New Zealand passed Stephen to finish fourth, pushing Stephen back into fifth place at the finish.   Nearly all the finishers improved on their best performances, several by large margins.”   

 

Position Name Country Time Position Name Country Time
1. R Hill England 2:09:28 16. S Harnek India 2:23:12
2. J Alder Scotland 2:12:04 17. DH Davies Wales 2:23:29
3. D Faircloth England 2:12:19 18. JL Julian New Zealand 2:24:03
4. JC Foster New Zealand 2:14:44 19. YD Birdar India 2:29:18
5. J Stephen Tanzania 2:15:05 20. D Sinkala Zambia 2:30:02
6. W Adcocks England 2:15:10 21. F Rwabu Uganda 2:34:15
7. AF Murray Scotland 2:15:32 22. K Grant Gibraltar 2:35:55
8. D Macgregor Scotland 2:16:53 23. R Diamini Swaziland 2:49:33
9. M Teer Northern Ireland 2:17:24 24. S Alecio Gibraltar 2:50:39
10. A Boychuk Canada 2:18:45   S Jagbir India DNF
11. M Rowland Wales 2:19:08   A Parody Gibraltar DNF
12. CT Leigh Wales 2:19:53 . J Drayton Canada DNF
13. M Cranny Northern Ireland 2:20:23   D Kalusa Zambia DNF
14. R Moore Canada 2:20:47   DJ Clayton Australia DNF
15. P Ndoo Kenya 2:22:40   H Powell Guyana DNF

 

Five Mile Splits For The Leaders

Even the top men can misjudge the marathon: compare the top eight at five miles with the top eight at twenty miles.

      Five Miles                                      Ten Miles                                    Fifteen Miles                                  Twenty Miles                                 Twenty Five Miles

1,   Drayton, J     23:31                 1.   Hill, R             47:45            1.   Hill, R               1:12:18              1.   Hill, R          1:37:32                           1.   Hill, R             2:03:10

2.   Clayton, DJ   23:31                 2.   Drayton, J      47:50            2.   Drayton, J         1:13:17               2.   Alder, J        1:38:51                           2.   Alder, J          2:05:10

3.   Ndoo, P        23:31                 3.   Ndoo, P        47:55             3.  Alder, J              1:13:27               3.  Stephen, J     1:38:52                          3.   Faircloth, D     2:05:30

4.   Hill, R            23:31                  4.   Alder, J        48:40             4.   Stephen, J         1:13:27               4.   Faircloth, D   1:39:17                         4.   Stephen, J       2:06:35

5.   Harnek, S      23:57                  5.   Adcocks, W 48:40             5.   Adcocks, W     1:13:42               5.   Adcocks, W  1:40:16

6.   Stephen, J      24:07                  6.   Stephen, J    48:40              6.   Faircloth, D       1:13:42               6.   Foster, JC     1:41:21                             No More 25 Mile Splits

7.   Alder, J         24:09                   7.  Faircloth, D   48:45              7.   Clayton, D         1:14:39              7.   Macgregor, D 1:44:02                                  Available.

8.   Adcocks, W  24:09                   8.  Clayton, D     48:49             8.   Moore, R           1:14:39              8.   Murray, AF     1:44:02

 

 

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games: Perth

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The Scottish Games team

“The VII Commonwealth Games is remembered for its “heat, dust and glory”.   The day before the Perth Games opened the temperature was an expected 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but the heat was measured at 105 degrees at the Opening Ceremony in the new Perry Lakes Stadium the following day, and such extremes persisted throughout the Games duration.   In the previous 65 years, only ten 100 degree plus days had been recorded in Perth.   Australian soldiers were pressed into action, ferrying water to competing athletes.  

James Coote of the London Daily Telegraph describes “the VII Commonwealth Games have proved that it is possible for an area as basically devoid of sports interest  to stage the second most important sports meeting in the world – and to stage it successfully.   Perth has shown that these Games will continue for years to come.”

Thirty five countries sent a total of 863 athletes and 178 officials to Perth.   Jersey was amongst the medal winners for the first time, whilst British Honduras, Dominica, Papua New Guinea and St Lucia all made their inaugural Games appearances.   Aden also competed by special invitation.   Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya competed for the last time before taking part in 1966 under the Malaysian flag.  

Nine sports were featured at the Perth Games – athletics, boxing, cycling, fencing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving, weightlifting and wrestling.”

That comes from the Games website – www.thecgf.com – which is a real mine of information.   If you want any information about the Games, no matter how abstruse, you will get it there.

The notes about the temperatures in Perth made the advice given to the athletes beforehand very important.  Not as much information as we would get in the 21st century but really appropriate all the same, if only because it drew the importance of adjusting to the conditions to the attention of the athletes.    I quote from the double sided sheet of foolscap sized paper:

1.   Climatic Conditions.   Meteorological details in Perth for the period of the Games from 1930 – 1959 show

Shade Temperatures

The average maximum (c.)  78 degrees F

The average minimum (c.) 58 degrees F

The highest extreme    103 degrees F

The lowest extreme      47 degrees F

2. Training.   Should the weather be very hot, it is advised that the bulk of the training be carried out during the cooler periods of the day.   It may however be necessary for some more vigorous training to be done in the morning or early afternoon.   If this takes place, each period of exercise should be alternated with an equal period of rest in the shade.  

It is important that loss of body fluid due to sweating should be replaced as soon as possible by drinking water with added salt – up to a half teaspoon of salt to a glass of water.   Serious lack of salt, which is exuded from the body in sweat, will result in tiredness and cramp, and in its serious stages in a similar condition to a marathon runner at the end of his race.

3.   Cooling down.   The best method of cooling down in very hot weather is to take a tepid shower and if necessary to let the water n the body evaporate without towel drying.   Should a competitor get heat exhaustion (collapse) the immediate treatment is sponging with cold water, massage to maintain circulation and later drinks of salt water should be taken.   Ice packs (if available) should be used.  

4.   Diet.  

(a) Team members are strongly urged to preserve ‘diet discipline’.   The food at the ‘Commonwealth Games Village’ , from previous experiences, may well be plentiful and tempting.   Before competition is over, team members should use restraint and eat mainly the sort of food to which they are accustomed.   There will be scales in the Village and a check can be kept on any increase in weight.

(b) “Holiday Dysentry”.   It is unlikely that this complaint will be prevalent in Perth.   Nevertheless, supplies of ‘Streptotriad’ will be available as a preventative – dose two pils per day.   ‘Streptotriad’ has been tested by a famous London hospital, and is strongly recommended as a safe preventative by our Medical Advisory Committee, composed of high ranking medical men.   No side effects were reported by the Hospital concerned, by any Olympic athletes in Rome, nor by numerous teams which have used it.

Unless conditions warrant it, it is not suggested that Team Members should take these pills in Perth.   They may, however, be needed during the air trip to Perth, should the aircraft be delayed and an enforced stay be made in any country where dangers of ‘Holiday Dysentry’ prevail.

Team Members, at the first sign of diarrhoea, are strongly advised to report the fact to the team Medical Officer.

(c) To avoid stomach upsets, Team Members are advised not to take OUTSIDE the village any ice cream or unpeeled fruits; and INSIDE the Village to drink sparingly any iced fruit drinks or juices unless they are fully accustomed to them.”

Similar instructions covered sleeping conditions, and dealing with sunshine.   The team to which the instructions were issued was, as might be expected given the distance and expense of the location, small.   

The Games were held between 22nd November and 1st December, 1962, so the contrast between the climate at home and what was experienced in Perth could not have been greater

Crawford Fairbrother competing in Cardiff, 1958

The opening ceremony in the heat lasted four and a half hours and 200 spectators collapsed with exhaustion, fainting and sunburn.The temperature in the middle of the arena was estimated at 140 degrees Fahrenheit and in the shade at 92 degrees.  The Duke arrived in an open topped car, there was a 21 gun salute, a fly past of Vulcan aircraft and he inspected the guard of honour.   The Scottish standard bearer was Dick McTaggart and the team ‘received a rousing reception.’

But the most important point in any Games is the performance of the team.    As far as medals were concerned, there were two silvers – both from Mike Lindsay  in shot and discus.   

100 yards men:   Mike Hildrey   10.1 sec   4th/Quarter Final;   Alistair McIlroy  9/9 sec   4th/semi-final

100 yards women:   Janette Neil   12.0  5th/Ht 1

220 yards men:   Mike Hildrey  21.7    5th/SF; Alistair McIlroy  22.4   5th/QF   

880 yards men:   J Wenk  1:51.2 1st in Ht 2;  1:52.3  6th in semi-final.  (event won by P Snell in 1:47.6)

Mile:  M Beresford  4:13.0  5th/Ht3  (event won by P Snell in 4:04.6)  [MBS Tulloh, late of Scotland, ran in the final for England, ninth]

 

  Shot putt men:   Mike Lindsay   59′ 2 1/2″     2nd

Discus men:         Mike Lindsay   172′ 6″           2nd

High Jump Men:   Crawford Fairbrother  6′ 7″  8th

Pole Vault Men:   DD Stevenson    13′ 0″    10th

Long Jump Women:  Janette Neil    17′ 10″   8th

Marathon:   AJ Wood  dnf

And there you have it.   Nine athletes, two medals.   The other disciplines picked up more hardware –

Bowlers had three silvers (Joseph Black, Thomas Hamill & Michael Purdon, and Rinks), boxers had one gold (Bobby Mallon), one silver (Dick McTaggart) and one bronze (Tom Menzies), cyclists had none at all, fencing had one gold (Sandy Leckie), rowing had none at all, swimming had onesilver (Bobby McGregor), weight lifting had one gold (Phil Caira) and one bronze (Jimmy Moir), and wrestling had one bronze (James Turnbull).

Back home the reports were read daily.   No internet and the television was scanty so other than over the radio Scots had to wait until the next day for the reports.  The temperature when the 100 metres men competed was 105 degrees and the report read:

“CW Fairbrother (Scotland) only jumped 6′ 7″ in the high jump and finished equal eighth.   G Miller (England) who jumped an inch higher was fourth.   A McIlroy, an Anglo-Scot, qualified for the 100m semi-finals – MG Hildrey, the other Scot went out in the second round, but was then eliminated, as were the other Britons, PF Radford (England), and R Jones and TB Jones (Wales).”

The tone of the articles gave the impression that they were agency reports rather than having been written by Scots.   Another example:     “Lindsay was well beaten for the discus gold medal by W Selvey (Australia) who set a Games record of 185′  3 1/2″, but the Scotsman’s best throw of 172′ 6″ was 6′ further than that of J Sheldrick (England) who won the bronze medal.   MG Hildrey (Scotland) went a stage further than his countryman A McIlroy in the 220 yards, reaching a semi-final, but he was only fifth in that in 21.5 sec and was eliminated.”

The Games were over,  the quality of competition was very high and the Scottish team was placed sxth of over 30 countries.   Athletes such as Antao in the sprints, George Kerr in the 440, Peter Snell and John Davies in the middle distances, Murray Halberg, Bruce Kidd, Dave Power and Ron Clarke in the long distances and Martyn Lucking and Howard Payne in the field events; Dorothy Hyman, Pam Kilborn and Val Young on the women’s side – were of the very highest calibre and helped justify the tag of the second most important meeting in the world.   It is perhaps not insignificant that most of Scotland’s medals were won indoors – boxing, swimming, weight lifting – with only the bowling, a relatively gentle sport, winning outdoors.   

However that may be, the next Games would be in another hot country – Jamaica in 1966 – and that would be another test for the Scottish sportsmen.

 

 

1954 Empire and Commonwealth Games

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The 1954 version of the British Empire Games was the first to be titled the ‘British Empire and Commonwealth Games’ and contained two of the most remembered events in the history of the sport – Roger Bannister speeding past on the outside hile Landy looked over the ‘wrong’ shoulder to see where he was, and, for Scots especially Joe McGhee winning what has unjustly been called the ‘jim Peters’ marathon.   The remainder of the events have been largely forgotten although it was a very good Games.   

The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games  were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from 30 July–7 August 1954. These were the first games since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in committee in 1952.   It is a bit of a disgrace that Wikipedia continues to this day to omit the name of the winner of the marathon when it says:

“It was at these games that the “Miracle Mile” took place between Roger Bannister and John Landy at Empire Stadium. This was the first time these two (and at that time the only two) sub-four-minute mile runners appeared in the same race, and also the first time two runners broke four minutes in the same race. On the same afternoon, Jim Peters, the holder of the world best time for the marathon, entered the stadium 17 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, but collapsed on his final lap, and never completed the race.“

The games were attended by 24 nations and 662 competitors.    The nine sports on the programme were athletics, aquatics, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, rowing, weight-lifting and wrestling.   There were only two Scots who won medals at these Games and they were in the events where Scotland has traditionally done well – Joe McGhee in the marathon (gold) and Ewan Douglas in the Hammer (bronze)   We could look at the Scots performances within the event groups in which they were competing, starting with the sprints.

JV Paterson

There were no Scottish sprinters in either the men’s 100, 220 or 440 yards races.   On the women’s side Pat Devine ran in the 100 yards where she was fifth in the first heat in 11.1 seconds, and 220 yards where she was third in the second heat in 25.7 seconds.   We had no competitors in either of the hurdles races or teams in the relays.

In the absence of any races above 220 for the women, and no men selected for the Mile, the men’s 880 yards had the only Scots middle distance competitor, James V Paterson who was sixth in the final in 1:52.7 seconds.   Paterson was superb athlete with a very wide range of distances at which he was very highly rated who had emigrated to C anada shortly before the Games.   

The only Scot in the three miles was Ian Binnie who had performed below expectations in the six miles was nevertheless seventh in the good time of 13:59.6.   He had been one position higher in the six miles where he was sixth in 30:15.2.   In the marathon of course, Joe McGhee won in 2:39:36. 

In the field events, there were two men in the hammer throw with Ewan Douglas third with 173′ 3″ and Alex Valentine sixth with 169′ 0″.   Douglas was also entered in the discus where he did not compete.   That was it as far as the throws were concerned  with no one entered in either men’s or women’s discus or javelin.   No men in pole vault, high jump,long jump or triple jump, and only one woman entered at all in the jumps – Pat Devine in the long jump where she did not take part.   

The team has been laid out as above to show how poor the allocation of Games places to athletics actually was – there were sprinters, middle and long distance runners, and certainly field events exponents who could have represented the country with honour had they been given the chance.  One sprinter, one middle distance man, two long distance men and two throwers was not a fair reflection of the sport’s health at the time.  

How were the results received back home?   The link to Joe McGhee above takes you via a further link to the voluminous correspondence in the pages of ‘The Scots Athlete’ and the tale has been well recounted elsewhere so I will go straight to Emmet Farrell’s comments on some of the other performances.   “Dr Douglas got a third place in the Hammer and A Valentine was placed sixth, but their respective throws of 173′ 3″ and 169′ 1/2” were well behind their best.   Ian Binnie ran poorly in the six miles but despite finishing only sixth in the three miles could not be faulted here as his time of 13 min 59.6 secs was one of his best, and only the tremendously high standard relegated him to a minor position.   

Jim Hamilton, a new resident in Canada, reached the final of the 880 yards and showed great form to finish sixth and put up the fastest time of his career.   His time of 1:52.9 is faster than Hamish Stothart’s time of 1:53.4,  but of course a Scottish record must be made on home territory.”

  This was the second consecutive Games where the Press commented on the fact that the fastest times ever recorded by Scotsmen could not be regarded as Scots records simply because the runner was performing outside the country.   Given that the Olympic, European and Empire Games wera virtually always held out of Scotland, and that these were meetings in which best performances were drawn out of the competitors under intense scrutiny, then it was a rather harsh rule – but it continued for many years hereafter.  

Joe McGhee

The ‘Glasgow Herald coverage was scanty:

“Among the Scots who participated yesterday was I Binnie who finished sixth in the six miles, and Miss PY Devine who was eliminated from the 220 yards.  J Hamilton qualified for the final of the men’s 880 yards, being third in his heat.””

That was about the extent of the coverage on a good day – Paterson was not mentioned in his final (either report or even results) and Binnie was mentioned in the result of the three miles but not at all in the report.   By the standards of the coverage, the comments on the Hammer throw were rather prolix!

“ECK Douglas and A Valentine, the two Scots who reached the final of the hammer throw, finished third and sixth respectively on Saturday.   Douglas reached 173′ 3″ and Valentine 169′ 1/2”.     There was extensive coverage of the marathon – 40 lines about Peters, thre and a half about McGhee.

The Games had been successful witrh drama aplenty – but also with many very good performances from top class athletes.   The Scottish team had been a small one but with the next Games being in Wales, the team would be assuredly much bigger.

 

1958 Empire and Commonwealth Games

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1958 Programme cover

The sixth Games, now designated the British Empire & Commonwealth Games, was held in Cardiff, Wales, between 18 – 26 July, 1958.    It was the smallest country to have held the Games and, apart from London in 1934, the first British city to have the honour of hosting them.   It was a very good meeting indeed and the official report on the Games said:

“Never in these lands of Britain had there been a gathering of athlete ability of better class or proven accomplishment to surpass that now assembled.”   The thing is that it was no mere pompous, wing-baggery by a local politician.   It was just the truth.   Look at some of the athletes – Milka Singh, Herb Elliott, Murray Halberg, Dave Power, Gert Potgieter, Marlene Willard, Betty Cuthbert, Val Sloper and Mary Bignal.   The list is by no means complete – there were stars everywhere you looked.    Away from athletics Dick McTaggart won the trophy for the most stylish boxer as well as his gold medal, but he had competition for the country’s top man since Ian Black was doing great things in the swimming pool and Peter Heatly’s diving was always a source of pride.   Phil Caira won gold in weightlifting and two silvers were brought home by the wrestlers.   Scotland had a big team – after the small numbers in 1950 and 1954, it was good to see the efforts of so many Scottish athletes rewarded, even though not a single medal was brought home by any athlete.   The SAAA and SWAAA Championships had been held in June and the team chosen on 23rd June.   Extracts from the programme and the results of the two meetings can be found  at this link .

The meeting started with the Queens Baton Relay baton being delivered by Ken Jones with the message from Mayor of Vancouver to Price Phillip.   This was in itself a first – the relay had never been held before at any Empire Games.   The Scottish athletics team totalled 41 including Coach Tony Chapman plus RAB Foreman and Miss I Mustard.

Ken Jones hands the baton to Prince Philip

The performances were pretty well all that could be expected against the like of Elliott and Lincoln from Australia and all the rest of the top world athletes of the day.   In order of events we find:

100 yards men:   G Carragher  10.0 sec  2nd/ht 2; JG Edgar  10.5    5th/Ht 8;  AB Cockburn  10.2  5th/Ht 9,  A Dunbar  10.0  1st/ Ht 11

                                Second round:  Carragher  10.2  6th/Ht4,   Dunbar  10.0   5th/6

100 yards women:  Moira Campbell  11.3  5th/SF2;  Doris Tyndall  11.4  5th/3;  Mary Symon  11.5  3rd Ht 2; Louise Stevenson 11.5  5th/1

220 yards men:  R Cockburn  22.5   5th/Quarter Final4; 

220 yards women:  D Tyndall  25.2  3rd/2;  M Campbell  25.4   3rd/4;  L Stevenson 26.0  3rd/1

440 yards men:   JV McIsaac  48.9  6th;  JV Paterson  48.6  6th/QF 3; RH Thomson  48.8  4th/QF 1  (Winner Singh 46.6)

440 yards Hurdles men:  A Hannah  53.9   4th/SF 1

880 yards (first two from round 1) :  D McDonald  1:54.6  4th/1; JV Paterson  1:54.4  4th/2; G Everett  1:55.1  3rd/3; L Locke  1:55.0  2nd /4

                                                                   Final:   Locke  1:54.7   7th.   (won by Elliott in 1:49.3)

Mile:  (First 3 from round 1)   G Everett  4:10.8  4th/1; M Beresford 4:04.6  2nd/2; A Gordon  4:10.7  4th/3

                                                                Final:  Beresford 4:07.8  6th (Won by Elliott in 3:59.0)

Three Miles:   Ian Binnie 14th  No time given;  Joe Connolly  16th   ntg.   Alistair Wood  Did not run.

The quality in this reace was quite outstanding – in order of finishing we have Murray Halberg, Albie Thomas, Neville Scott, Gordon Pirie.  Ron Clarke, John Merriman, Dave Power,  plus Ibbotson at tenth, Bullivant at eleven, and Maiyoro at twelve. 21 finishers)

Six Miles:  Joe Connolly seventh  30:20.4.   Alastair Wood did not finish.   

(This was a very good run by Connolly – Barry Magee, Stan Eldon, Hugh Foord and Ray Puckett were all behind him at the finish.   The race was won by Dave Power from John Merriman and Arere Anentia.   13 finishers.)

Marathon:   Alex McDougall  7th  2:29:57.   Harry Fenion and Hugo Fox failed to finish.   

Splits for the Scottish runners : 

                                           McDougall           Fenion                    Fox

Five Miles                           26:57                   26:59  (13th)         28:33  (20th)

Ten Miles                            54:00 (5th)       57:09    (14th)       58:57   (17th)  

Fifteen                              1:20:51  (9th)     1:24:58  (15th)            –

Twenty                             1:50:30  (7th)           –

Twenty Five                    2:21:15   (7th

26+                                  2:29:57

4 x 110 yards relay women   Scotland 5th (Tyndall, Isabel Bond, Symon and Campbell) 48.5 sec

4 x 440 yards men:   Scotland 4th/Ht 1  (McDonald, Paterson, McIsaac, Thomson)   3:17.4

Shot Putt men:   MR Lindsay 6th  50′ 7″

Discus Men:  MR Lindsay  4th  161′ 0″

Discus Women:  Diana Will  8th  125′  4″;  Rosemary Payne  10th  114′ 8″;   Antonia Ireland  11th  108′ 8″

Hammer:  Ewan Douglas  9th 164′ 9″;   Robert Scott 115y   149′ 10″;   AR Valentine  No Mark

High Jump men:  7th  Crawford Fairbrother 6′ 6″   (NB  Cosmos Julien [VPAAC]  competing for Mauritius was 27th with 5′ 10″]

High Jump women:  Louise Stevenson  10th  4′ 10″

Crawford Fairbrother in action in Cardiff

The Games were a huge success.   The Scottish team did well but against the very best of world athletes – even the Americans had no one like Herb Elliott or Dave Power in the marathon for instance – the athletes won no medals at all.     The next Games would mean heading halfway round the world again – iy was to Perth in Western Australia that the team would travel.

A footnote: Security is such a big feature of any event organisation, that it might be instructive to read the Security section of the Games Report for 1958:

“Traffic control, security and entry to the Village were efficiently carried out by RAF police personnel under the command of Flight Lt. AB Morgan, RAF.   They also supervised the Car Parks, checked persons entering the competitors’ dining halls and Women’s section, looked after the flags in Flag Court, and with the RAF band paraded at each team’s flag breaking and Welcoming Committee.

To quote figures, the RAF Police checked over 10,000 vehicles entering the main gates, refused permission to over 3000 persons endeavouring to enter the Village on one pretext or another, checked 204 drivers for unauthorised parking in the Village, and were outwitted and lost three flags from the Flag Court.”