The manxathletics.com forum

Welcome to the manxathletics.com forum. Please share information and your views on the sport in the Isle of Man with others.

The forum has been operating in its present form since April 2004 and I particularly welcome comments from new contributors, whether you live on or off the Isle of Man, if you have an interest in Manx athletics.

Many people have used the forum to give thanks to the officials or their own supporters when they have enjoyed an event. Contrustive criticism is always welcome as an additional means of communication, although it is not intended to replace formal communication between clubs and other bodies and their members.

If you are unable to find information about an event on any of the Manx websites, then the forum is the best place to ask for help from other people. Whilst you can email me at murray@manxathletics.com and I will do my best to point you in the right direction, the people who have the answer to your question are likely to visit the forum so it is better that you ask it here. manxathletics.com is an independent site and I do not hold office within any of the five Manx clubs.

There are a few rules. Firstly, you should always use your real name as, apart from making people accountable for what they say, one of the objectives of the website is to make the sport friendly and appealing so please do not hide behind a nickname (anonymous entries will be deleted). Secondly, (it should go without saying) you must not insult or offend anyone. Thirdly, pesistent abuse of rules 1 and 2 will result in the forum being withdrawn.

Thanks for being sensible and I hope you continue to enjoy the forum and the sport.

Murray Lambden

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Subject:		Re: 1979 picture from Tromode
Name:		David Griffiths
Date Posted:		Jan 20, 07 - 8:27 PM
IP Address:		213.137.10.184
Email:		griffmuss@manx.net
Message:		Wow, that really does bring back some fond memories - and also makes me realise how old I'm getting! I'm pretty sure I would have been in this race, although I can't say I recognise anyone on the photo. Although I was only 15 at the time, there were no restrictions on juniors running the full distance in those days and I always used to run the full 6 mile distance with the Senior Men. There was a club competition at that time for non athletic clubs, which was well supported by several local football clubs. I used to run for the Braddan Football Club team who won the competition one year (I think 1978/79 season). My team mates included Dave Southam, Tam MacLaren, Paul Hart, Mick Hannay (who went on to be a very fine athlete although he was a novice at that time) and Jimmy Simpson. The Braddan Football team were trained by a certain Graham Davies at that time - I would imagine it would have been Graham who encouraged members of the team to do the cross country league. Our arch-rivals were Rushen United, who were represented by the likes of Eric Nelson (Sarah's Dad), Mike Gellion, Gareth Jones, Neil Shimmin and Chris Oates. Braddan didn't used to beat Rushen at football very often (so nothing's changed there!) but I'm proud of the fact that I was the leading member of the squad that beat them at cross-country that winter!! It was a cracking course, my favourite of all the ones I've ever competed on. It used to start with a lap round the former Braddan football pitch, then headed out past the dam to a ford, where there was a river crossing (the one in the photo). The course then continued alongside the River Glass in the direction of Sir Georges Bridge before turning left and uphill towards Castleward Farm. There were a few muddly fields to cross and a couple of stiles to negotiate before descending to the abbatior. The course then turned sharply left and down a muddy path to another river crossing opposite Clucas' Laundry (this was so deep one year that a rope was put across to help the runners cross without risk of drowning!). Then it was back up to the football field to compete the lap. A lap was 2 miles, and we did 3 laps finishing with another complete lap of the football pitch. Steve Kelly and Dave Newton used to have some great battles on this course, although I remember one year Andrew Horne (who was still in the Junior Men) caused a major upset by beating them both. I can still see him crossing the line giving a double victory sign! Come to think of it, I must have missed that particular race as I saw the winner come in. As an aside, I loved that area so much (before it was turned into an industrial estate) that the last time I went down there was the day Braddan played their last-ever match on the ground in 1997. I have never been down there since, and will never go there again, preferring to remember it as it was!
Replies:
Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Chris Quine · Jan 21, 07 - 8:21 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by David Griffiths · Jan 21, 07 - 9:31 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Murray Lambden · Jan 21, 07 - 9:46 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Bob Dowty · Jan 22, 07 - 12:04 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by David Griffiths · Jan 22, 07 - 7:51 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by David Griffiths · Jan 22, 07 - 8:34 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Denise · Jan 23, 07 - 1:36 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Dave Capelen · Jan 28, 07 - 12:38 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Murray Lambden · Jan 28, 07 - 7:21 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Murray Lambden · Jan 28, 07 - 7:29 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Dave Capelen · Jan 28, 07 - 8:13 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by David Griffiths · Jan 28, 07 - 11:25 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Bob Dowty · Jan 29, 07 - 5:05 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by Chris Quine · Jan 29, 07 - 9:47 PM Re: 1979 picture from Tromode by David Griffiths · Jan 29, 07 - 10:42 PM

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