| NORTHERN IRELAND MENS CHAMPIONS 1925 - 2006 |
| On the 25th July 1925 the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ reported on a meeting which had taken place the previous day in Messrs. Robsons, Chichester Street, Belfast at which Mr. Tom Murphy presided. The outcome of the meeting was the formation of a new governing body to control and administer athletics in Ulster (Northern Ireland) to be known as the Northern Ireland Amateur Athletics, Cycling and Cross Country Association. At the meeting it was proposed by Mr. Herbert Neill (Belfast Cycling Club) and seconded by Mr. Jim Stevenson (Cross Country Association) that: “henceforth all athletes and cyclists who participated in any meeting in Northern Ireland other than under the laws of the new Association would be liable to suspension” On the 6th August the same year the first meeting of the new Association took place at the same venue where the following officers were elected; PRESIDENT Rt. Hon. Thomas Moles CHAIRMAN Walter Marrs VICE-CHAIRMAN Herbert Neill SECRETARY Jack Ross TREASURER Samuel Hutchinson COMMITTEE J. Kerr Irish Road Club T. Murphy Glentoran J. Grant Mid Down F. Guy Belfast Cycling Club S. Hardy Belfast Trinity G. Bowman North Belfast Harriers A. Shaw Northern Cycling Club G. Strange King’s Moss Cycling Club plus representatives of City of Belfast Cycling Club and South Lurgan Harriers Nine days later at Ballydrain J. P. Clarke (Co. Antrim Harriers and R.U.C.) defeated C. Jamison and J. Holmes (both Trinity) to win the first Northern Ireland Mile Championship, a success which he followed up twelve days later by adding the half mile championship at the previously mentioned Glentoran Sports again defeating a Trinity athlete J. Jennings. Trinity was the name of a club and should not be confused with the Dublin University of the same name. These were the only two championships held that year. Indeed progress was slow and it was not until 1935, when the Championships took up residence at Dunmore Stadium, that what might be considered a full programme of Track and Field events was staged. |