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Last updated 09 September 2018
 
This is probably one of the oldest Cross-Country Cup's in the world.  First run for in 1880 when the winner was C Cattlin.  more past winners...
First published in the Blackheath Harriers Gazette, No 629, Vol 100, Summer1997/Winter 1997/8

The Blackheath Harriers
Cross-Country Challenge Cup
A little bit of history

On several occasions over the last few years, when the incumbent President has presented the trophy to the winner of the Club '5', he has commented that the Cup, first competed for in 1880, is probably one of the oldest in the country, or even the world.

As Trophies Secretary, I have spent a considerable amount of time cleaning the Club's silverware, including the '5' Cup and, it was whilst on one of these polishing sessions that I decided to establish if there was any basis of fact behind these comments.

After a few enquiries made through Athletics Weekly I was put in touch with Wilfred Morgan, the archivist of Birchfield Harriers, who is an authority on athletics trophies.

From a series of letters and articles that he has sent to me it can be established that our trophy is certainly one of the oldest in the country.

The first National Cross Country was held in 1876 and the first USA Cross Country Championship was held in 1890; none of the European countries started their athletics organisations before the mid-1880s. There are Track and Field trophies that go back earlier than 1880. The ones belonging to the AAA once in fact belonged to the old Amateur Athletic Club and were given to the AAA in 1880; they are:-

400m Kenelm Thomas Digby 1868
5000m Earl of Jersey 1868
11OH Viscount Southwell 1870
100m Prince Hassan 1871
10,000 Walk J G Chambers 1871
1500 Lawes-Wittewronge c1873
HJ Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny 1875
800 PM Thornton c1876
Steeplechase James & W Waddell c1880

 Wilfred adds a rider to the effect that although London AC (1863) is the oldest existing club, in their early years and for most of their recent years, they have been exclusively Track and Field, and their early trophies were not perpetual but awarded to people who won them three times in succession. In a later letter, Wilfred went on to say that he hated disappointing us but Thames Hare and Hounds have two trophies which pre-date our '5' Trophy and are also for cross-country; they were evidently bought in 1874.

I have made enquiries of the Thames Hare and Hounds Secretary and he informs me that Wilfred is correct in his information and in fact the two trophies - the "Short", which was purchased on the 20th May 1874 and the "Long", purchased on the 29th July 1874, were both stolen some 15 years ago. They have been replaced and are competed for annually, the "Short" over five miles and the "Long" seven and a half miles.

Wilfred has contacts at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Although CUAC Mile Championship Trophy was presented in 1864 and is still taken out of the safe once a year, Oxford do not have anything older than that. He added: "You may have noticed that the area south of the Thames is rich in history, with Thames, Blackheath and SLH. But you have to bear in mind that there were 'clubs and clubs' in the early years and Thames was closed to anyone who was not a 'gentleman amateur' for a long time.

London AC was much the same, a closed club for many years, like schools and universities, not open clubs such as Blackheath and Birchfield. That's got nothing to do with trophies but I thought I'd get it off my chest.

I've been casting my mind to other sports but I think athletics has some of the oldest trophies in existence. I know the FA cup is the third one; the first was given to an official of the FA for services rendered and the second was stolen from a shop in Birmingham and was replaced with a new one in 1895.

The one for the Open golf championship goes back to the early 1870s. I don't think cricket or rugby has anything of any great age, maybe horse-racing has, I don't know."

So when our President next presents the '5' trophy and remarks that it may well be the oldest in the country, he may not be far off the mark.

B.S.

The Blackheath Harriers
Cross-Country Challenge Cup
Past Winners

Dates from Nov 13 1880 to 21st Oct 1972 are engraved on the cup and dates from the 20th Oct 1973 to the present are engraved on the plinth. (All dates shown above are as engraved).

    Min Sec
NOV 13 1880 C CATTLIN 33
APRIL 23 1881 G M NEHAN 27 59
JAN 14 1882 C M NEHAN 29
MAR 11 1882 W G GEORGE 28 25
NOV 11 1882 C CATTLIN 29 15
MAR 28 1883 W G GEORGE 28 0
JAN 5 1884 C CATTLIN W 0
MAR 22 1884 W G GEORGE 27  
NOV 22 1884 M HILL 30 48
MAR 14 1885 C CATTLIN 29 6
JAN 1886 C CATTLIN 31 20
MAR 27 1886 H C PRITCHARD 30 10
DEC 4th 1886 J B NASH 32 5
MAR 26th 1887 J F PONSFORD 29 46
DEC 3rd 1887 J F PONSFORD W 0
MAR 10th 1888 J F PONSFORD 30 13
DEC 1st 1888 H C SCARD 30 0
MAR 28th 1889 H C SCARD 28 52
NOV 30th 1889 A R COOPER 30 5
MAR 22nd 1890 H C SCARD 30 10
NOV 29th 1890 G M HARRIS 31 10
MAR 27th 1891 G M HARRIS 29 20
NOV 28th 1891 C M HARRIS 29 23
MAR 19th 1892 G M HARRIS W 0
DEC 10th 1892 H C SCARD 29 50
DEC 23rd 1893 G N HARRIS 30 8
MAR 11th 1893 G M HARRIS 29 11
MAR 10th 1894 G M HARRIS 30 6
DEC 1st 1894 G M HARRIS W 0
MAR 16th 1895 G M HARRIS 30 35
DEC 7th 1895 G M HARRIS 30 45
MAR 14th 1896 G M HARRIS 31 0
MAR 13th 1897 W G SUFFIELD 34 10
DEC 5th 1897 W G SUFFIELD 33 4
NOV 5th 1898 E RATCLIFF 32 35
NOV 4th 1899 E RATCLIFF 33 41
NOV 3rd 1900 E RATCLIFF 33 22
JAN 4th 1902 T C DAVIS 33 7
NOV 15th 1902 J E FISHER 33 7
JAN 9th 1904 T C DAVIS 33 28
DEC 17th 1904 T C DAVIS 33 37
DEC 16th 1905 M P S WHITE 33  
 8th DEC 1906 A C FRECKER 31 20
14th DEC 1907 H E J SOUTHWELL 34 23
12th DEC 1908 H F J SOUTHWELL 36 29
18th DEC 1909 H E J SOUTHWELL 32 52
29th OCT 1910 C H BAXTER 32 20
 2nd DEC 1911 C A GLAESER 31 38
26th OCT 1912 B H LYMBFRY 32 42
25th OCT 1913 B H LYMBERY 32 19
25th OCT 1919 B H LYMBERY 30 11
23rd OCT 1920 A C EDWARDS 30 24
29th OCT 1921 C H W O'BRIEN 30 50
21st OCT 1922 E J CASTELLO 40 18
20th OCT 1923 S H CLAYDON 35 56
25th OCT 1924 S H CLAYDON 33 21
24th OCT 1925 R D BELL 32 11
30th OCT 1926 R D BELL 32 26
29th OCT 1927 R D BELL 28 14
20th OCT 1928 A C V ALLEN 29 7
19th OCT 1929 N I BURT 28 21
18th OCT 1930 H SMITH 28 33
17th OCT 1931 J W M NORMAN 31 59
22nd OCT 1932 L T BROCKWAY 30 11
21st OCT 1933 H S SMITH 28 38
27th OCT 1934 L T BROCKWAY 26 31
19th OCT 1935 H S SMITH 28 27
24th OCT 1936 C H WILKINSON 27 25
16th OCT 1937 H S SMITH 28 22
15th OCT 1938 C H WILKINSON 28 43
20th OCT 1945 H NUNNS 28 50
19th OCT 1946 R R CHOAT 27 49
25th OCT 1947 H N NUNNS 27 1
27th OCT 1948 A J BRENT 27 41
22nd OCT 1949 C F MONSHALL 27 56
21st OCT 1950 R A MORLEY 29 13
20th OCT 1951 R A MORLEY 27 16
18th OCT 1952 R A MORLEY 28 16
17th OCT 1953 L F FLETCHER 31 35
16th OCT 1954 A J BRENT 28 35
15th OCT 1955 L F FLETCHER 27 55
20th OCT 1956 L F FLETCHER 28 19
9th NOV 1957 A J WEEKS-PEARSON 26 38
8th NOV 1958 L F FLETCHER 28 15
17th OCT 1959 J B HERRING 27 26
15th OCT 1960 J B HERRING 27 34
21st OCT 1961 J B HERRING 27 18
20th OCT 1962 B W HEAVER 27 37
19th OCT 1963 J B HERRING 26 49
31st OCT 1964 B W HEAVER 26 48
23rd OCT 1965 J B HERRING 26 34
5th NOV 1966 B W HEAVER 24 30
21st OCT 1967 J R BALDWIN 24 21
12th OCT 1968 J R BALDWIN 24 13
18th OCT 1969 R RICHARDSON 24 4
17th OCT 1970 R RICHARDSON 26 20
16th OCT 1971 R RICHARDSON 25 47
21st OCT 1972 R RICHARDSON 27 20
20th OCT 1973 R RICHARDSON 28 27
19th OCT 1974 P HAMILTON 29 9
18th OCT 1975 P HAMILTON 28 26
16th OCT 1976 R J COLES 27 46
15th OCT 1977 S J KNOWLES 28 2
21st OCT 1978 R J COLES 27 9
20th OCT 1979 C R HAINES 30 6
11th OCT 1980 R J COLES 29 53
17th OCT 1981 R J COLES 30 15
16th OCT 1982 W FOSTER 29 10
15th OCT 1983 R J COLES 23 32
20th OCT 1984 W O'DONNELL 28 7
19th OCT 1985 R J COLES 27 12
15th NOV 1986 T M NASH 28 43
17th OCT 1987 M A COLPUS 23 44
15th OCT 1988 M J TRINCA 25 48
21st OCT 1989 R J COLES 31 54
20th OCT 1990 N I L WATLING 31 23
19th OCT 1991 D W TAYLOR 29 53
17th OCT 1992 D J HEATH 28 46
16th OCT 1993 M I L WATLING 27 5
15th OCT 1994 M I L WATLING 26 29
14th OCT 1995 M I L WATLING 27 38
19th OCT 1996 M R STEINLE 27 15
11th OCT 1997 M I L WATLING 28 43
10th OCT 1998 M R STEINLE 28 22
23rd OCT 1999 R D SMITH 29 1
14th OCT 2000 A J DRAPER 28 50
13th OCT 2001 R D SMITH 27 49
12th OCT 2002 R D SMITH 29 01
11th Oct 2003 A RAYNER 27 58
16th Oct 2004 J Thorpe 30 56
15th Oct 2005 J Atkinson 29 25
14th Oct 2006 J Atkinson 28 37
13th Oct 2007 J Atkinson 28 07
11th Oct 2008 A Gibbins 28 54
10th Oct 2009 A Bruce-Littlewood 28 15
2nd Oct 2010 A Bruce-Littlewood 28 24
1ST Oct 2011 D Mckinlay 30 49
29 SEP 2012 A GIBBINS 29 29
29 SEP 2013 G EVANS 30 47
19 OCT 2014 A GIBBINS 30 16
18 OCT 2015 F PARKINSON 29 13
23 OCT 2016 J BARBER 28 31
22 OCT 2017 C ANDREWS 30 20
21 OCT 2018      

 

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