Page 25 - Thrapston Life August 2024

GLANCE AT THE PAST
Eric Franklin looks back
By the time you receive this issue of Thrapston Life the 33rd Modern Olympic Games will have begun in Paris.
One hundred and twelve years ago the games were held in London, which is where a member of Thrapston Harriers was a member of a gold medal winning team, whilst four years later at the Stockholm Games in 1912, Fred Hibbins from the Harriers gained a bronze
an aside to the Franco-British Exhibition with the athletic competitions held at the White City Stadium, shown above. To give an idea of how little interest was taken in the games, in one national newspaper just one column inch was devoted to them, whilst two full pages reported the results of a national scripture examination. Coales was a member of the Great Britain three
medal.
The Harriers, who only formed in
1907, were one of the foremost cross- country running teams nationally, often winning regional and national titles and representing England in international events. Their first international superstar was William Coales, shown above both on his own and with teammates, finishing the semi-final wearing the number 8 shirt. Known
The Harriers were one of the foremost cross-country running teams nationally
mile team who, in their semi-final, crossed the line first in a four-way dead heat. In the final the next day, the team had the first three finishers (Coales finishing in third place) and won the gold medal, the only other runners being five entrants from both France and the United States.
Four years later the games were held in Stockholm, Sweden, where Fred Hibbins, shown wearing shirt number 427 was the Thrapston competitor.
as ‘Buff ’, he came from Aldwincle and, with his brother Frank decided to leave Kettering Harriers and join the Thrapston club in 1907. This was to begin a halcyon era for the club, only terminated by the Great War in 1914. By then, two Thrapston men had participated in Olympic Games and returned with medals.
Unlike today, the games in 1908 were only 25
Living his whole life in Stamford, in 1890 he represented his country and joined Thrapston Harriers in 1910. In his first season of cross- country running, he finished second in the 1910 Midlands Junior Championship and just two weeks later won the Senior Championship. With such an impressive start to his cross-country running career, it came as no surprise that