The Vale of Aylesbury Athletic Club - A brief history

The Vale of Aylesbury Athletic Club began life on the 28th March 1893 when the Vale of Aylesbury Bicycle Club (formed in 1880) altered its name to The Vale of Aylesbury Cycling and Amateur Athletic Club. Lord Rothschild (of the world famous banking family) was an active president of the club for 35 years until his death in 1915. The Hon. Walter Rothschild served as chairman for many years and other members of the family served on the committee.

The club had an excellent start in life but has had mixed fortunes over the intervening years. The South African war years (1900 to 1903) were unaffected by the conflict but 1914-18 and 1939-45 were more disruptive. The depression years also led to decline and a temporary cessation from 1933 to 1939 although there were still a number of athletes active in the town.

The immediate post war years and 1950's saw a strong revival of the club and the late Pat Sage (Mayor of Aylesbury and a prominent official within the AAA's and later Olympic Team Manager) made a major contribution to the Vale's athletics scene. Pat brought the English National Cross Country Championships to Aylesbury in 1950 and organised track meets with international runners and crowds of up to 14,400 people in those halcyon years. Television disrupted the spectator interests but the club has survived the era of open athletics and the jogging boom and flourishes as a full blown athletic club.

The building of the Stoke Mandeville six lane athletics track in the early 1980's was a boon to the club where it is now headquartered meeting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout the year. A full range of track and field equipment is available for people interested in competing or just trying their hand at javelin, shot, discus, high jump, long jump etc. The changing rooms house a weights room for strength based athletes. The track is to be rebuilt to a full eight lane facility this year with improved flood lighting.

A number of quite high class athletes are or have been members including twice times Olympic Pentathlon RAF athlete the late Don Cobley and ex British international Ron Gomez. As a youth Keith Miller came 5th in the English National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill Fields and Ester Evans represented Wales over 800 metres on the track. The last twenty years has seen the club very prominent in veterans' athletics at local, national and international level. Jean Cillard was 3rd Over 40 lady in the London Marathon in 1988 in 3.00.30.


VALE OF AYLESBURY ATHLETIC CLUB
MARATHON HISTORY ROUND - (40 points)

1.In what year was the Vale of Aylesbury A C formed and in what year did the Club celebrate its centenary year?
2.What was the Club’s original name?
3.Which local banking family has been associated with the Club with members serving as its President and Chairman?
4.Who is the current longest serving member of the Club?
5.What position does the current longest serving member hold in the Club and what is his current speciality?
6.Which Vale athlete won this year’s Thames Towpath 10 Mile Race?
7.What was exceptional about this win?
8.Who is the Club’s Men’s V40 Steeplechase record holder?
9.What position in the Club does he hold?
10.In which year was the Men’s Track & Field Team first promoted to Division 1 of the Southern League?
11.In which year was the Club’s inaugural Waddesdon Manor 5K Road Race held?
12.In 2004 the Club hosted the Bucks X C Champs and a Chiltern League X C fixture at RAF Halton but what links RAF Halton and Waddesdon Manor? (Not the A41!!)
13.Which Vale Athlete won the Kirk Clifford Shield at the Club’s 2004 Boxing Day Road Race? (“Me” is not the correct answer!)
14.Which Vale Athlete won the Ruth Allcock Shield at the Club’s 2004 Boxing Day Road Race?
15.Name the Club’s 2004 “Junior Athletes of the Year”?
16.Name the Club’s 2004 “Senior Athletes of the Year”?
17.What position did the Club finish “overall” in the 2004/05 Chiltern League?
18.How many nationally ranked “Young Athletes” did the Club have at the end of 2004?
19.One of these athletes was ranked GB’s No 1 in their age category.
Name the athlete and the event?
20.How many Club Records were set at the Club’s National Young Athletes League Meeting at Perivale on 5 June 2005
21.Who holds the Club’s Senior Men’s record for 100 Metres and what is the time?
22.Who holds the Club’s Senior Women’s record for 100 Metres and what is the time?
23. Who holds the Club’s Senior Men’s record for 800 Metres and what is the time?
24.Who holds the Club’s Senior Women’s record for 800 Metres, what is the time and what major honour did she achieve?
25.Who holds the Club’s Senior Men’s record for The Hammer and what is the distance?
26.Who holds the Club’s Senior Women’s record for The Javelin and what is the distance?


ANSWERS

1.1893 & 1993
2.Vale of Aylesbury “Cycling” and Amateur Athletic Club
3.Rothschild
4.Vic Phillips
5.President and Official Timekeeper
6.Paul Gregory
7.Men’s V50!!
8.Pat Ferguson
9.Vice President (2nd longest serving current Club Member)
10.2002
11.2004
12.Rothschild Family Houses (Halton House is the Officers’ Mess at RAF Halton)
13.Richard Taylor
14.Carolyn Boosey
15.Andrew Bleakley and Kathryn Forth
16.Nigel Kirk and Brenda Russell
17.4th
18.14
19.Kathryn Forth High Jump
20.7
21.The Club record is jointly held by 3 Men!!
J Stevens (1955), A Gibbon (1964) and D Johnson (1979): 10.9 seconds
22.L Williams (1995): 12.6
23.Declan Hamblin (1993): 1 Minute 54.3 seconds
24.Ester Evans (1992): 2 Minutes 11.5 seconds: Welsh International
25.T Angel (1978): 41.70 Metres
26.J Pittendrigh (1990): 26.86 Metres