3 clubmen amongst '100 great harrier club servants'
Three of our members appeared on a list of "100 Great Harrier Club Servants 1986-2011" which resulted from a poll conducted by journalist Will Cockerell and which was published in Athletics Weekly today.
Bertie Powell was at number 20 in the list, Matt Shone at 39 and Kevin Murphy at 58.
Votes were invited for "harriers you have admired", with the criteria being a minimum of 8 years' service, a regular over both road and country, and above average ability.
Bertie Powell (20th) seems to be the youngest man on the list, and earned his remarkable 20th place due to the admiration won by racing through thick and thin, through injury, illness and lost shoes, in all conditions, in order to win our Ken Bray Trophy for Winter Consistency 6 years in a row, during the course of which he has run 39 consecutive Met League races. And not only racing, but racing with an intensity which never fails to impress his peers. The admiration Bertie has won certainly extends to those who have known him during his time at St Mary's University College, the place of study of many excellent athletes.
Matt Shone (39th) is best known as one of the club's great track men, with a marvellous record of representing the club at the highest level at 800m, 1500m and 4x400m relay. He went to two Commonwealth Games as a Welsh 800m representative. But his listing here is due to his achievements and loyalty on the road and country. Matt has 14 top 10 Met League finishes to his credit and holds many of the fastest times our men have run in the 6- and 12-stage road relays in the last decade. Part of his nomination was also due to his extremely no-nonsense running habits, e.g., running home late at night from Chigwell to Clapham in his formal clothing after the club's Annual Dinner Dance, which truly epitomise the "harrier spirit".
Kevin Murphy (58th) first raced a senior 12-stage relay when he was an (under-age) 16 year old, and he has been a constant in all of our teams for the last 20 years. Whether they were years of team glory or doldrums, Kevin has never failed to be there to lead us in league and championship races, not to mention representing our British League team at the steeplechase on many occasions. In the process he has won Met League races and Essex junior and senior cross country titles, and he delivered perhaps his best-ever run in an Essex vest in a televised Inter-Counties Championships in the late 90s. Always clad in pink shorts, Kevin has become one of the most recognisable athletes on the cross country circuit, and his jolly demeanour belies the grittiest of racing hearts.
It was a wonderful achievement for our three lads to make a list which included many Olympians and hardened warriors with dozens of titles and medals to their names. With 3 in the list, our club was one of the most-honoured. Other leading clubs included Leeds City (with 7), Shaftesbury and Tipton (5), Bedford, Bingley, Newham and Salford (4) and Belgrave, Coventry, Herne Hill, Morpeth and Thames Hare & Hounds (3).
Congratulations to our men.