Sprinter supreme is long forgotten hero

Were it not for Stewart Clarke he'd thereafter have been re-interred, just as his memory has been in his home town.

Willie Applegarth was a triple world record holder, double Olympic medal winner and may, Stewart suggests, have been one of history's greatest sprinters - but in Guisborough he's a forgotten hero.

"His name is almost unrecognised," says Stewart. "Even distant relatives just know of him as a runner."

Stewart Clarke, Guisborough man and proud of it, is secretary of the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League. As a boy he listened - "awestruck" - to the old men recounting tales of Applegarth's achievements and determined to discover more.

Running only into brick walls - sic transit gloria, as probably they say in Guisborough - he scoured old newspapers, corresponded with the Amateur Athletics Association and with Birmingham University library, picked brains in London, New York and Massachusetts.

He discovered a sprinter split seconds in front of his rivals but many years ahead of his time, a runner whose phenomenal performances were managed on grass and without starting blocks. What, wonders Stewart, might he have achieved today?

Applegarth, one of eight children, was born in Union Street, Guisborough, in May 1890. Henry, his father, was a journeyman grocer from Stockton, his mother Harriet a member of Guisborough's well known Bulmer family. During his early years in the east Cleveland town he was trained by a Mr Cummings, from Middlesbrough.

The family moved to London in 1906. Willie became a post office clerk, was invited to join Polytechnic Harriers and in 1910 was third in the AAA 100 yards at the White City.

In 1912 he won the AAA 220 yards and was again third in the 100, earning selection for the Stockholm Olympics alongside Middlesbrough swimmer Jack Hatfield, a sportsman altogether better remembered.

Applegarth was eliminated in the 100m semi-final, but took bronze in the 200m and anchored the British relay team to an Olympic record gold in the 4x100m.

In the local press, and among the Guisborough worthies, it merited barely a mention. "Perhaps the Olympics weren't important or running wasn't popular," muses Stewart.

Thereafter the Guisborough flier broke record after record - world best 19.8 for 200 yards and 21.2 for 220 yards, joint world 100m record of 10.6 and British records including a 9.8 100 yards that stood until 1958.

When in the north he'd still visit old friends in Guisborough and attracted large crowds to his training sessions - like the one in 1913 that was to prove historic.

Word had spread around the town ("it didn't take too much doing in those days," says Stewart) that he was to train on Peacock's field - free show, no appearance money in those days - where he twice clocked 9.8 for 100 yards.

Harold Abrahams, insists Stewart, modelled his style of running on Willie Applegarth and used Sam Mussabini, the same trainer.

In 1915 he turned professional, drawing large crowds. He married, emigrated to America, became track and soccer coach at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, played for Brooklyn in the American Soccer League and for 30 years until he was 65 was a welder for GEC. He died in 1958, the year that his record was finally broken.

Today, suggests his great admirer, Willie Applegarth would have been a very rich man.

Whether he would have beaten the 21st century's finest will never be known, but because Stewart Clarke went the extra mile there are again golden memories for the Backtrack column.

Friday's column, it may further be remembered, was centred on Philadelphia Cricket Club, near Houghton-le-Spring. We'd visited the warmly restored little police station, recalled James "Kellett" Kirtley and the latter day Battle of Bunker Hill.

It was 1912, the year that Willie Applegarth struck gold in Stockholm.

What may never have been known about the cantankerous Mr Kirtley, however - but may be revealed thanks to the Bearded Wonder - is his improbable passion for frogs legs.

A miner in Philly, he'd been Durham County wicketkeeper for ten years - "must have been really good for a pitman to get into the county team. It was a gentleman's game in those days," says the Wonder.

Kellett Kirtley, alas, wasn't always a gentleman. While playing away to Lancashire seconds he appeared in the bar in his long johns, claimed that he couldn't sleep and continued drinking in his next to nothings.

The frogs legs appeared on another hotel bill, queried (as well they might have been) by long-serving Durham secretary Thomas Bulmer and by a newspaper at the time.

"A strange mixture with the Nut Brown ale," the reporter wryly observed.

Thomas Bulmer agreed. After that, Kellett had chips like the rest of them.

Still with cricket and with the constabulary, Durham have won the Police Athletic Association championship for the first time - and not a wrong 'un in sight.

"All proper pollisses," insists team coach PC Graham Johnson, formerly with Durham, though three had first-class experience.

Gary Brown played once for Middlesex and four times for Durham in 1992, Martin Thursfield (stationed at Seaham your worships) played for both Middlesex and Hampshire and Paul Burn made one first-class appearance with the Minor Counties.

Other familiar names from North-East club cricket include Karl Brown, Steve Raine, Andy Holland, Brendan Jackson and Steve Murray.

They beat the Metropolitan Police, no less, in the final on the county ground in Northampton.

Karl Brown scored 71 and Steve Raine 66, with Brendan Jackson taking 3-28 and Paul Burn 3-25.

The chief constable got the beers in (several times, it's suggested), but the Metropolitan assistant commissioner may have paid the greatest compliment of all.

The Durham force, he reminded them, had only half the number of officers that the Met had vacancies.

PC Gavin Warboys, meanwhile, has been tackling an emergency. The former Darlington striker, now with South Yorkshire police, was on a course and hadn't trained all summer when called into action by struggling Eastwood Town of the Unibond League. He scored a hat-trick.

The wonderful Harry Whitton writes following our visit to Thirsk races a few weeks back, drops his usual quota of names - "Lord Howard de Walden once told me that his father dined on occasions whilst wearing a suit of armour" - and explains.

Harry, ageless but 82, had invited us as his guests. That we were wholly unable to find the owner's badges, however, was apparently because he'd left them with the top brass and we dealt with a "mere gateman".

"Ah well," sighs Harry, "I expect you know your place".

The usual place is the Albany Northern League, Murton v Eppleton on Saturday and a third team - from the BBC - also in attendance. For the moment they're not giving interviews, not proper ones, but something pretty exciting could be about to happen. Watch this space.

....and finally, the only footballer who scored in last season's Premiership and FA, Worthington and UEFA Cups (Backtrack September 22) was Steffen Iversen of Spurs.

The Bearded Wonder, aforesaid, today seeks the identity of the cricketer who has hit Durham's highest Benson and Hedges score - the same person, remarkably, who amassed the highest B&H total against Durham. Until Friday to smoke it out.

PS: Does anyone know of any other Olympic gold medallists from the North-East? If so please contact Mike Amos