| Chapter 1 1889-1914 (page 2)
damage.
In those early days, Cycling and Harriers clubs would be affiliated to
both Cycling and Running Associations because of the inter-relatedness
of the two activities within the same club. It was from one such club
that Sefton Harriers emerged.
The Sefton and dingle Bicycle Club had been established for many years
in the south end of Liverpool. It is know that some members of the
famous Anfield Bicycle Club, founded in 1879, came from the Sefton and
Dingle. In 1889 some members of the Sefton and Dingle Bicycle Club were
drawn towards the running discipline began to pursue their particular
more exclusively, and so Sefton Harriers came into existence. It was
more a "growing away from" . Good relations continued to exist
between the two clubs. In the Liverpool Echo dated Saturday 28th
September 1889 it was reported that "H.P Ellis, the well-known
handicapper, had been elected the President of Sefton and Dingle Bicycle
Club". In our own Club records, at the General Meeting held
on the 5th April 1892, the same gentleman is shown as being elected
Vice-President of Sefton Harriers.
In those early years, Club records show that the majority of our
membership came from dingle, and the south end of Liverpool in
general. Membership grew at a healthy rate, and by the mid 1890s
we seemed to be casting our net wider as runners the Everton, Wavertree
and Edge Hill districts joined us. Membership seemed to rise and fall in
quite large numbers at a time. As many as 15 members would be elected at
one time; but on the 20th March 1893, 27 members were expelled for
non-payment of subs.
Sefton Harriers as a separate entity, had not long emerged when they
began to make their presence felt on the cross-country running scene. In
1893 they won the first of many victories in the Liverpool and District
Championships, and in the same season went on to finish 2nd team in the
Northern Counties Championship. The team representing the Club that
season was; C.Bluett (Capt) A.Geddes (Vice Capt) A.J Allen, J.Barlow,
S.Henderson, H.Pulford, W.Collett, W.Shone, W.Sephton, H.Cross, J.Walker,
T.Walsh, H.Coole and T.Ballam. If you persued the Club records, you
would see many of these names associted with Sefton for many years to
come. Bluett, Henderson, Collett, and Pulford were still shown as
Life-members in the 1920s. Pulford and Collett
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