Modern Athletics 1868

CHAPTER 11. THE MSB AND PEOGBESS OE MODEUN ATHLETICS. A PERIOD of many centuries is passed over before any revival ofthe Agonistic, aormateur branch otAthletics, is found inrecent times. The first instances otfhem, as far as they come within my purpose, occurred at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and at our great public schools. We have every reason to believe, from the testimony oaf n old cadet, thahtalf-yearly meetings were founded asannual institutions as tar back as 1812, thou n. unfortunately nreocord is extant of them at that early date. In 1837 the celebrated "Crick Run, so well de­ scribed in T"om Brown's SchoolDays, was founded at Eugby; and I find accounts of the Shrewsbury School Hunt since 1842. A i .ii,. In 1845, an annual steeplechase, scurrya,nd hurdle races were held at Eton; but I have *o certain knowledge thathis was the firstyear. _ These, however, did not constitute any regularly organizedmeeting, but were held at various periods of the year In 184b an annual steeplechase was inaugurated at Shrewsbury Royal School, followed by the May Raoes, the fiist record ofwhich I finidn 1852. In1849 the Royal Military Academy,Woolwich, held its mfiersetting, mamly through the exertions of Colonel Eardley Wilmot, R.A. These sports werecontinuous down to 1853, whena hreak was caused by the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny. In 1862 they were againrevived by Messrs. Awdry, Beaver, Ken­ nedy, andother Old Cheltomans who hadnot lost that love ofathletics so weflol stered at their schoHola. rrow, ever famed for its hurdle racers, started competitions of that naturein 1853, whichincluded races open either to thewhole school orestricted to boarding houses, the minor events sometimes extending over sever al weeks About this time Addiscombe and Haileybury were not