Horsham Blue Star Harriers 1925 – 2025
100 Years in Athletics
“Athletics can only exist with the untiring help from many people, most of whom were not involved with athletic competition in their younger days"
Reg Hook 20 Oct 2020
This is short history of Horsham Blue Star Harriers complied from a number of sources. It is not yet complete; work is on-going in collating some of the more recent information on the club.
1894 -1914
There is no record of how the name Blue Star came about other than a reference by Laurie Ratley (Club President in 1976) on how he became aware of where the name originated. In the early 1900’s two young men used to go out for a social run and on soon being joined by others, they decided to form a club. They met and changed into their running kit at one of the members’ homes in Pirie’s Place, which is a little alley just off the Carfax going onto Park Street in Horsham. One evening when going out for a run it happened to be a clear starlit night with a blue sky and on the suggestion of one member the name Horsham Blue Star was adopted.
Subsequent records of Horsham Blue Star Harriers state that it was actually first formed in 1894, but little is known of the club or its performances at that time other than the outstanding running of Alfred Shrubb. Because of his talent for running, Alf competed for Horsham Blue Star Harriers winning many races countrywide before joining the bigger South London Harriers club. He went on to coach at Oxford University and then to America, but always remained a ‘second claim’ for Horsham Blue Star Harriers. Alf’s story is told in “The Little Wonder’ written by Rob Hadgraft in 2004. The book provides detail of not only Alf Shrubb’s life at that time but also his journey to be county, national and international champion setting records which remained unbeaten for half a century.
There were however other good runners in the club at the time, namely the Spence Brothers, and J Aldridge. One recorded meeting hosted by the Blue Stars, sometimes referred to as Horsham A.C. was a meeting on the August Bank Holiday Monday in 1871. This era of the Harriers ended when the club closed down at the start of the First World War.
1924
In 1924 Mr Ernie Gough who owned an Art Shop in West Street for many years and was a member of the Brighton and County Harriers tried to form a section of that club in Horsham. Apart from this being contrary to AAA rules this did not have any appeal to Horsham athletes and the idea was withdrawn.
1925 -1939
In 1925 Ernie Gough decided to reform the Horsham Blur Star Harriers and a meeting was held on February 4th at the home of Mr Sid Abbott at which 5 men attended. They were Ernie Gough, George Ethridge, Sid Abbott, Henry Abbott and Bert Charman. It was on this evening a ‘new’ star was born and Horsham Blue Star Harriers was reformed which of course is the club of today. Mr Gough was elected Secretary, a post he held for 43 years, George Etheridge was the captain and the Rev. Father Cassidy was made President. For many years Father Cassidy gave as the President’s prize a week’s holiday abroad. This was awarded to the club member who in the committee’s opinion had served the club the greatest during the year. Members at that time came from all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, the clergy etc. Blue Star members included Rev Harvey, Superintendent Beacher, Dr Hutchence, Dr Dew and Dr Bradford leading to one humorous young man to remark that the club was well provided for both spiritually and medically, and also with police protection.
In 1926 the club had notable some performances with Thomas Merchant coming 2nd in the Sussex Cross Country Championship and first in the Sussex 4-mile Track Championship. In the same year Vic Wheeler won the Sussex Youth’s Cross Country and Bert Amey was 7th in the South of the Thames Cross Country Championships. The club when from strength to strength with a usual sight of over 40 runners lining for club races both on the road and over the countryside on Saturday afternoons. As the membership swelled so did the club’s performances not only in Track and Field athletics but also in Cross Country and on the road, with many fine individual performances as well as team victories. This brought the club to the attention of the Southern Countries AAA who duly invited them to take part in the prestigious London to Brighton Road Relay which was one of the major highlights of the athletic year.
Interclub matches were very much the order of the day, including paper chases and Cross-Country events. The Drill Hall in Horsham was used for changing giving easy access to the countryside at Denne Park and there was just enough room to mark out a six-lap track at the back of the Drill Hall. Although a rather bumpy surface Olympic Gold medallist Lord Burghley competed on the Drill Hall track and the Harriers enjoyed many fixtures there but not without effort. Before these events took place a club member had to collect a horse and a 12” Ramsome push mower from the Grammar School (Collyer’s) to mow the track and flatten the surface, with special attention given to the 100 yard straight so the sprinters could do their training. The horse was returned before the meeting got under way.
Reg Charman and Bob Blake were instrumental laying exciting paper trails over the beautiful Vale of Sussex and farmers and landowners welcomed the runners over their land. Dick Tidey, Jimmy Edwards and Herby Martin were great ‘thrusters’ and could take any reasonable fence in their stride; the five Barred gates at the bottom of the Barrack Fields (next to Horsham Cricket Ground) were never climbed but just jumped straight over.
Changing facilities were at the Drill Hall, where the caretaker did much to support their endeavors. After returning from a wonderful chase, Mr Wakefield would provide a sumptuous spread for tea and many a time a visitor would lament “can we have another one next week?”. In Christmas week the club would run a Christmas handicap Cross Country race, each member bringing a small prize which would not exceed one shilling in value.
Horsham Cricket field was used for training for a short period, but with cricket being played at the same time this was unsustainable due to the potential for being hit by a cricket ball!
The club did eventually manage to hire a few rooms over the top of Agate’s the Corn Merchants (The old Grain Store which are now offices) in Denne Road. Much work was done by the club to make the rooms habitable for changing and as a social center with a small canteen.
During this period a lady’s club was formed which was entirely separate from the men with its own identity. Although some notable performances were achieved, membership dwindled until this part of the club eventually petered out.
The men’s club continued to succeed as one of the foremost clubs in Sussex. However, due to a lack of finances the club was forced to relinquish the club rooms and was homeless once more.
As in 1914 the club ceased to operate during the 2nd World War. Many of its members joined the Armed Forces, unfortunately some never to return. Some felt the strain of 6 years of war, with some experiencing prisoner of war camps. However, in 1945 Lawrie Ratley and Bob Grosse reformed the club in the autumn of that year with an opening run at Horsham Cricket ground.
1946 -1980
The Sussex Cross Country Championships were held in Horsham in early 1946 and with a team of only 6, all of whom had to score, the club won the coveted trophy of the silver winged Mercury. The club then won the coveted trophy from 1947 until 1954, for 9 years running.
The years that followed from 1950 until the late 1960s saw six senior Cross Country Champions and three winners of the South of Thames Cross Country Championships. In the Southern Cross-Country Championships, the club finished 8th team and were awarded the Joe Turner Memorial Trophy, and in the same year were 15th in the English National Cross-Country Championships both very high honours for a small country club.
Blue Stars next victory was in the bad winter of 1963 where the course at Stanmer Park Brighton had to be cleared of snow by officials. John Luxford who led from the start holding of team mate Maurice Baker won the race for Horsham.
1970s
During the 1970s Graham Jackson was the club first international representative, running for Great Britain juniors at 3000m, followed by Ian Beauchamp representing GB in the marathon.
The 330-yard track in Horsham Park, which had become a regular training venue became unsuitable for use, but the offer to train on the cinder track at Christ’s Hospital was gratefully received.
In an extraordinary AGM in November 11th 1977 a Ladies section was formed and since then Blue Stars has been a mixed club. The first recorded female results came in the following year in Inter club events, and females were included in the annual club ranking list from then on.
1980's
In March 1980 the Blue Stars introduced Sportshall Athletics to the south of England. A further trial a year later resulted in the Sussex Indoor league being formed and led by John Linfield.
The Parkland Races was another club promotion which attracted a large entry for all age groups, organised by Fred Jordan (who was also a graded starter and much in demand throughout the Southern Counties).
The festival 10-mile road race ran for 32 years with very large field’s taking part. This was sponsored by the West Sussex Country Times and by Sussex County Building Society organised by Ken Elliott.
To be Completed
