Border - x- Country Series

Looking Back

1988-2008

Twenty Years ago in the autumn 1988 members from Berwick Harriers Club

decided that the club needed more competition for the junior and senior members.

Just by chance a local newspaper was running an article by the Mcvities Biscuit Company to promote sport in the area by giving grants of money to sports clubs who could come up with a plan of action.

So this is how the idea of having a series of cross country events was formed. The idea was accepted and we received a grant of five hundred pounds from Mcvities. The series was to be called the "Mcvitie's Gold Challenge."

Norham running club was invited to take part hosting three of the six races.

Berwick Harriers at Cocklawburn beach and Norhams at Galagate farm.

The first series of six races was ran as a handicap event in January 1988 over the next few years two more local clubs joined the series A.C. Eyemouth and Duns Running Club, the four clubs now hosting rounds each.

The handicap event was replaced by a new name to be called "Border Cross Country Series" and the present points system we now use.

The four cross country courses had unique challenging features, Berwick battling with high winds and sand dunes, at Norham the famous rope climb, and muddy valley at Duns the horse jumps and the notorious Bog and at Eyemouth the big hill climbs over St Abbs Head tested many a good runner.

With Eyemouth and Duns no longer involved in the series the event has move on with more clubs coming from the border areas, this has created a friendly rivaily between English and Scottish clubs.

Looking back over the last twenty years as a club we have successfully promoted sport in this area, my only concern now is that we don't make this event too big by adding more host clubs to the series, the six host clubs that we now have is adequate. The way forward is to encourage more local junior and senior runners to compete in the series.

  Yours in sport Peter Learmonth club coach Berwick Harriers A.C.