Sefton Harriers A Centenary History
1889-1989
Norman Wilson

The year was 1889. newspapers and journals of the day carried the stories of world events in much the same way as they do now. News from Paris said that the Eiffel Tower was finished. In America the great John.L.Sullivan was regularly being arrested for illegal bear-fist fighting. In this country, the Victorian era was nearing it's end but we still had the Empire over which the sun did not set. Nearer to home the  port of Liverpool was a busy and prosperous place. Although there were still sailing ships to be seen on the Mersey, they had, in the main be overtaken by progress and steam power ruled the seas. For weeks on end the local papers were dominated by reports on the infamous Maybrick poison case. Readers were daily entertained by sordid details of the affair, as journalists extracted the maximum amount of sensation from it. Nothing much changes.
It is against this background that our story begins. Cross-country running was already an established pastime, and was rapidly growing in popularity. Liverpool and the surrounding district was a hot-bed of the sport, and boasted of several  established clubs. Liverpool Harriers who were originally known as All Saints (Liverpool) harriers, were the most powerful force and indeed won the Northern Counties Championships every year from 1883-1886. There were other clubs with the colourful names of Cheshire Tally Ho Hare and Hounds, Wirral Hare and Hounds.
Historical sources tell us that cross-country grew out a need for cyclists and other sportsmen to maintain a standard of fitness during the winter months. A hundred years ago, farmers did not plough up their land and re-sow it for the next years crop immediately after harvest. the field was left to lie fallow during the winter, and so it was possible to run over them without causing

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