Racers with the ride stuff from 100 years ago
Exactly 100 years ago this month top cyclists came to Wellington for what had grown to become one of the most important sporting fixtures in the Midlands and one of the most lucrative meets in the whole country.
A local photographic studio, Cooper-Edmonds, was quick to produce this postcard of the One Mile Championship Final about to get under way. The "Athletic and Cycling Sports" had been held on Monday, August 5, 1907, and this postcard - it's from the collection of Bridgnorth collector Ray Farlow - was franked at Oakengates on August 12, and was addressed to what looks like "Miss Emmye, Hunter, Furnace Lane, Trench."
The sports festival held by Wellington Athletic Society was on the grounds of what was then called Wellington College - it was renamed Wrekin College later - and attracted a crowd of about 6,000.
The Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury News reported: "The whole arrangements were such as to merit the highest praise; splendid time was kept, the races were well filled, and there were no accidents beyond a few spills in the bicycle races, but no-one was injured."
The society president, Mr H Shepard, had given challenge cups to attract the best possible riders to compete in the bicycle races.
"The Wellington meeting has grown until it has now become one of the chief fixtures of the Midland season. The society was established in 1896, and has developed to such an extent that it has a prize list of over £160, an amount exceeded by very few athletic meetings in the country."
Among the competitors on the day was Ben Jones of Wigan, the one mile and 10 miles British Empire champion cyclist, who took part in, and won, the half-mile scratch race, defeating the previous year's winner, Harvey of Stoke, by a yard and a half.
Jones was 25, 5ft 7ins, and about 11 stone. He came to Wellington a couple of days after winning a race in Belfast. He was making quite a living out of racing as in recent results he had won between £900 and £1,000 in prizes - a small fortune at the time.
However the race depicted by the postcard is the One Mile Bicycle Race (Championship of Shropshire) in which the winner was W S Davies of Ludlow. Behind the riders, with a whistle to his lips, is obviously the starter, one Mr F Hughes, according to the newspaper report.
At the end of the sports the prizes were presented by Major Atcherley, the Chief Constable of Shropshire, from the terrace in front of one of the pavilions on the cricket ground.
