The 1888 Scottish Athletics Championships were the sixth national athletics championships to be held in Scotland. They were held under the auspices of the Scottish Amateur Athletic Association at
Powderhall Grounds
Powderhall is an area lying between Broughton Road and Warriston Road in the north of Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. Until recently it was best known for Powderhall Stadium, a greyhound racing track, which has now closed. The stadium also pl ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, on Saturday 23 June 1888. The meet was held in "splendid" weather, and the track was reported to be "in first rate order," but a slight easterly wind affected performances.
Ernest Stones (Ulverston AC) set a Scottish All-comers record in defending his
pole vault
Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...
title. Three days after finishing second in the 4 miles at the championship Andrew Hannah set a Scottish All-comers record at the event running 21:02 2/5 at
Ibrox Park
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of .
O ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. This was the first in a long list of almost three dozen records Hannah will set over the next seven years at all distances from 2 miles to 10 miles, becoming the dominant Scottish distance runner of the decade. For the first time the 10 miles championship was held separately, being held at the Powderhall Grounds on Saturday 7 April, and with twice as many entrants as any previous year the experiment was continued in the future. It didn't, however, affect the result with Alex Findlay (Ayr FC) easily retaining his title shortly before emigrating to the United States. The chief judge at the championships, in his year as President of the association, was M. P. Fraser of
Glasgow University AC.
Results summary
10 miles (track)
The 10-mile championship took place at the same venue on Saturday 7 April. There were eight entries and seven starters. A. Graham (Edinburgh H.) took the lead but before the first mile had been completed Findlay took over and was never headed. Duncan stopped at one point but was persuaded to carry on.
["Motherwell Times", Sat 14 Apr 1888 p. 3]
See also
*
Scottish Athletics
Scottish Athletics, stylised as scottishathletics, is the Sport governing body, governing body for the sport of Athletics (sport), athletics in Scotland. Established as a limited company on 1 April 2001, it succeeded the Scottish Athletics Federat ...
*
Scottish Athletics Championships
References
{{Scottish Athletics Championships
1888 in Scottish sport
1888 in British sport
Athletics competitions in Scotland
Sports competitions in Edinburgh
Scottish Athletics Championships
Scottish Athletics
Scottish Athletics, stylised as scottishathletics, is the Sport governing body, governing body for the sport of Athletics (sport), athletics in Scotland. Established as a limited company on 1 April 2001, it succeeded the Scottish Athletics Federat ...