Athletics in the UK: The Rise and Fall of the BAF

12 The battle for BAF – the first steps would have to work hard if they wished them to become part of a new body .” The public reaction to the result of the meeting was overwhelmingly favourable with much positive press comment. A sour note was introduced by Ewan Murray, secretary of the Scottish AAA, who, in a typically withering comment, said that “the Scots would not sell their sovereignty in any deal” and “I assume that we will hear from the AAA about their meeting on Saturday and be invited to take part in the working party” . The AGM vote could not be ignored by the AAA General Committee which duly appointed the required working party and invited Dr Mike Turner to be its chairman. There was no place, however, for a Scottish representative nor, for that matter, any representative of any of the other governing bodies that would potentially be affected. Interestingly, the Women’s AAA, which had spurned all previous overtures of possible amalgamation with the AAA, made no public comment. Perhaps wily, long serving honorary secretary Marea Hartman could sense which way the wind was blowing. As Turner’s working party started its deliberations, the campaigners set their sights on the Women’s AAA, expected to be a hard nut to crack. Back in 1975, an attempt had been made by Folkestone AC (where journalist Cliff Temple was the driving force) to get the AGM of the Women’s AAA to consider the merits of amalgamation with the AAA. As we have also seen happen elsewhere, the motion was ruled out of order on a technicality but was, nevertheless, debated. Most of the speakers were aghast at the thought of a “ takeover by the men ” (one delegate, to great applause, asked why the women could not take over the men!) and there was great hilarity at the supposedly ludicrous suggestion that “ national championships for men and women could be staged together ”. Needless to say, the suggestion of amalgamation was roundly rejected. The 1983 AGM of the Women’s AAA was scheduled for 12 th March. This time it was Swindon AC (led by solicitor David Jeacock along with club secretary Mary Wall) that submitted identical motions to those passed so successfully at the AGM of the AAA only four months before. Proxy votes were not permitted at Women’s AAA meetings and, on a show of hands, the motions were defeated by 50 votes to 41, whereupon Swindon demanded an Extraordinary General Meeting to consider the