The OS Hunt Summer Report

Many Runners challenge themselves with new quests, taking on new training regimes, to make that ‘extra distance’ easier to conquer, or perhaps making changes to their running gear, to be more comfortable and efficient in their effort. 

Some will spend time comparing their experiences to glean and pass on tips, while others will seek professional advice for technique and physiotherapy.  These days, magazines and social media will report on all types of running, whether it is involvement in athletics, cross-country or perhaps variants of the marathon, presenting articles, photos and video clips of events, individuals and teams, enabling the media coverage of our sport to be worldwide. This concept is not extra-ordinary these days, but is it possible that this running phenomena that we know today could have turned out so very different if it had not been for a few Shrewsbury School boys starting a running club called ‘the Hunt’ way back in the early 1800s?  In fact, you can now look back at the early records of the Hunt, as they have been copied and digitised, making them available to be viewed on your screen. If you would like to buy the USB Memory Stick of ‘the Hunt Records’, then do get in touch with me at  [email protected].

In more recent times, the OSH met the RSSH on Saturday 2 December, 2017, for The Annual Run on the School Site. This turned out to be an excellent meeting of present and past members of the School Community, with a large OSH Team of 18 presenting themselves on the Start-Line, alongside 23 RSSH Runners, including six of Hunt Girls. Before the ‘throw-off’, all Huntsmen and Huntswomen present, were asked to line-up to create a photographic memory, comprising Monty Hardcastle (I), Immie Evans (G), Liv Papaioannou (EDH 2015-16), Oscar Dickins (R 2011-16), Cal Winwood (I 2006-11), Chris Vernon-Parry (O 1982-87), Oli Mott (Rb 1998-03), Adam Booth (PH 1995-00), Olly Laws (SH 1993-98) and Peter Birch (DB 1966-71). At 2.30pm, the Huntsman, Monty, yelled the familiar chant to start this large Pack off out of The Moss Gates, to progress around the outskirts of the School Site. 

The numerous spectators cheered on the runners traversing the top of the School Bank, before disappearing down Canonbury, to a very slippery field that leads to the crossing of the Radbrook. Some 20 minutes passed before Cal Winwood appeared beside the plinth of Sir Philip Sidney and killed in an impressive time of 20:31. The last time Cal had run and killed over a similar School course was in the Hunt Championships of March 2011, proving that six years absence had not diminished his ability!  With Olly Laws and Alex Morgan (G 1998-03) coming in close behind, it was then up to Peter Middleton, Ed Charlton-Weedy (O 1999-04) and Oscar Dickins to complete the ‘six-to-count’, who gave the OSH its Team Win for the second year running. 

After tea and presentations in the Hunt Gym, it was time for the OSH Committee Meeting and AGM in Kingsland House, where the photo here shows, from the left, Ian Haworth, David Thomas, Oli Mott, Anthony Hickson, Bob Parker, Monty Hardcastle, Liv Papaioannou, Ed Bolland, Tim Bedell, Olly Russell, Cliff Simpkin, Peter Birch and Gordon, up front with the David Loake Trophy. Among other items on the Agenda, we appointed Olivia Papaioannou as our very first ‘Honorary Young Members Secretary’. Liv has taken on this position with a view to trying to engage more of our younger members in more events. See Liv’s contact details on our website page, if any of you would like to get in touch with her. Two hours later, we gathered 15 guests for the Annual Dinner in the Hardy Room, to round off another successful OSH Day. 

Liv was also a member of our Team of Seven at the 65th Annual Alumni Race, at Roehampton, London, on Saturday 16 December, 2017, where 35 teams and 273 individuals lined up for this competitive cross-country run. This year, there was a move of the start-line into a nearby field, which increased the overall distance by a quarter of a mile. Undeterred, we set off through a good deal of mud, on this Wimbledon Common 5 mile course. Kris Blake (S 2009-11) was our first man home at 44th, followed by Ben Hebblethwaite (R 1986-91) at 45th, and then, at 62nd was last season’s Senior Whip, Will Hayward (R 2012-17). Rupert Lougee (SH 1988-93) returned to this event again to come 133rd and Liv came in at 156th. First timer, James Humpish (SH 2008-13) was 215th and then I (Peter Birch, DB 1966-71) was delayed by the extended course, to finish 224th. In the ‘Open’ Category, the OSH Team was 12th out of 35, which is a position that is still in the upper part of the results page. As usual, there is a full report and photos on our OSH Website Page. In addition, it is also certainly worth seeing the OSH Facebook page to see these events and many more.

As I write this, plans are being made for the Annual Hunt Presentations Evening, where I will be presenting OSH Memberships to 18 of this year’s School Leavers who have all been keen participants in Hunt activities during their time in the School. We hope that they will be able to come and join in with OSH events in the years ahead.

To some, the Tucks Run has been an event in the Hunt calendar that is so sacrosanct that it cannot be altered. The truth is that the Tucks has been honed and tuned over some 180 years, to accommodate the School. Before 1882, the Hunt used Farmer Tuck’s fields, situated to the north of The Town and it has changed course several times since I was Huntsman. On Friday 12 October, this year, the Tucks will be run within the boundary of Attingham Park, the beautiful National Trust property that is just six miles east of The School. I will be running once again in my OSH vest and would be pleased to see any of you joining me to run with some 800 others from the School.

One of our Club’s founders, Dr Nigel Miller (S 1947-52 and Senior Whip) has sent in a list of RSSH School Runs that were listed in the Fasti for his first term, Michaelmas 1947. The New Boys Race around the Common, on Saturday 27 September preceded the first of the traditional School Runs, which was ‘The Bog’, a 3½ mile run on Friday 3 October, followed by the Red Hill Run (4¾ miles), the Horton (7½ miles), the Bomere Pool (9¾ miles), the Tucks (5 miles) with 215½ Couples starting, The Newton Run (5½ miles) held on Tuesday 4 November, after which the Huntsman, D.P. Bion (Ch), noted in the Hound Book that ‘we are in quarantine for Infantile Paralysis’! Then on 14 November, the Shelton Run (4¾ miles) was taken in place of the Cruckton (a 10 miler) and the Hook-a-Gate (a  5 miler). The Ley Grange (5 miles) followed and then the Longden (8¾ miles) and the New (2½ miles) and the Long (6¾ miles) was on 16 December 1947. Paperchases (5 miles) was held in the Lent Term, this time, as was Steeplechases (2 miles). In addition to Nigel’s list, I do recall that from my time from 1966, there were also in the Michaelmas Term, runs such as the one that was named after the previous season’s Huntsman and then there was the Queen’s Run (4¼ miles), honouring HM The Queen’s visit, which took place on Friday 24 October 1952.  Neither forgetting weekly Benjys and doing a ‘Short Water Tower’!  Some years later, the Berwick and the Coton Hill were resurrected, which hark back to the runs that went out to the north of the Town when the School was situated on Castle Gates.  In fact, I have found a list of Runs that were taken in the 1880 season, before the move to Kingsland on 18th May 1882, showing the Bog, the Almond Pool, the Drayton, the Leaton, the New, the Haughmond, the Tucks, the Long, the Albrighton, the Battlefield and the Berwick. A hundred years later, I see that the Master-in-Charge, Bob Parker, who happens to celebrate his 80th birthday this winter, invented the Lawley Run to fill in a spare week in November 1983, taking Morty, Gents - Will Ramsbotham & Richard Milner, and one ‘Couple’ of Hounds, J. Mahon and H. Morgan-Owen. I am sure many of you will remember similar incidents.

My 1970 picture shows a dozen young Hounds, outside the Alibin, getting ready for the Throw-off of a Junior School Run. Unfortunately, there is no description, so I need some of you to let me know who is in this photo, apart from the Hillman Imp and Mr. Ken Spiby’s old grey ‘Fergie’ tractor. It could be this is the Junior Bicton, held at 2.45pm on Friday 2 October, because they are all wearing new looking ‘ripple-soled’ running shoes that we used to get from the School Shop, suggesting that it’s near the beginning of term. New boy, Julian Oxley (I 1970-75) killed on that run, and went on to become Huntsman in 1974.