WE ARE OVER TEN years into the 21st Century, and still no council in South Devon has provided anything more for its athletes than a grass running track — a telling comment on the level of commitment to their young people. Yet this year Torbay Athletic Club celebrates its 40th anniversary. And the occasion has prompted much longer memories of athletics in Torbay, going back well into the 19th Century. 'Foot racing', as it was known then, took place regularly in the 1870s. Clubs were established in Torquay, Paignton, Newton Abbot and Exmouth, with meetings between local athletes, who also travelled further afield. If there was a 'senior' club in the bay, it was almost certainly Paignton AC, which was formed in 1894. In Torquay, athletics took second place to rugby, cricket and football, until St, Marychurch Harriers were formed in 1909. Meetings were held for many years at 'Pollards Field' at Watcombe, Coombe Pafford and Plainmoor football ground, as well as the streets around St. Marychurch and Babbacombe. Before World War I races from five to 15 miles were popular, drawing large crowds especially for evening events. More than 40 members of the Harriers trained regularly and vied for places in the team. The Devon County AAA had already been formed and, in 1923, the Harriers' F. Lord won the one mile race at the county championships. Paignton AC had their headquarters at Queen's Park, home to the town's cricket and rugby clubs. And when Torquay Amateur Athletic Club was formed in 1946, they were also invited to share the Recreation Ground with the Torquay CC and Torquay Athletic RFC. Through the 1950s and 1960s Paignton forged on to become one of the strongest road, distance and cross-country clubs in England. Stars like Millie Gilbert, who ran 400 metres for England, the remarkable Dennis Crook, who was competitive nationally from a mile upwards, and club stalwart Trevor Honeychurch kept Paignton AC in the headlines. At the end of the 1960s Paignton was ranked seventh in the country for distance running. They even had a full-time professional administrator at one time. Paignton was able to field half-a-dozen different teams in Devon County cross-country championships. Honeychurch, whose enormous contribution spanned Paignton and Torbay ACs, recalled: "The great ambition for every distance club in those days was to get into the London-to-Brighton Relay race, restricted to only 15 clubs. "One of the qualifying races was the Bristol-Weston super Mare-Bristol race, when teams from all over the country would turn up, with busloads of supporters. "It was quite an occasion, and Paignton did get into the London-Brighton. "Unable to compete with Paignton over distances and cross-country, Torquay tended to concentrate on track athletes. But during the 1960s there was a growing trend towards club amalgamation. It was partly because of a desire to be competitive in the new league competitions, partly to tackle a decline in club numbers and, in Torbay, to strengthen the sport's hopes for a proper track.

So, on the stroke of midnight April 28, 1970, Torbay Athletic Club was born, after a sub-committee of eight members from the Paignton and Torquay clubs had thrashed out the details. 

Over the last 40 years the Torbay club — still with only the grass track at Torre Valley North to work with — has managed to produce a steady stream of talented athletes. Some moved across from Paignton, and among the newer names have been pole vaulter John White, sprinter Steve Morrall, who went on to play professional football for Torquay United, cross country and road specialist Barry Knight, discus thrower Lesley Mallin, middle-distance runners Martin Wilson and Helen Myers and long distance champion Andrea Wallace.

Mallin became British women's discus champion and team captain. Knight represented his country and conducted successful campaigns on the highly competitive European cross-country circuit. And, of course, Wallace reached the pinnacle of the sport, Andrea running in the women's 10,000 metres at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

In recent years runners like Martin Lake, Helen Dyke, who became world quadrathlon champion, Kairn Stone, Wendy Urban, Steve Waldron and Daniel Hyde have carried the flag for Torbay AC.

The club, which continues to nurture a group of juniors under coach Steve Cottle, also organises the popular Torbay Half Marathon, which resume in 2011 after a one-year break.

It's been a long, enjoyable but not always easy journey since those early days on the streets of St. Marychurch in the 1870s. A hundred and 40 years on, the athletes of South Devon still have no proper running track to call their own. If they want to progress in the sport, they have to move up the A380 to Exeter Arena. So in many ways it's quite an achievement in itself that Torbay Athletic Club is still going strong — and celebrating its 40th birthday this summer. Footnote: The club is holding a 40-mile Fun Track Relay at Torre Valley North on July 25 to raise money for Rowcroft Hospice.

The Annual General Meeting of the Torbay Athletic Club was opened by Marc Watts and Harry Drake, the Secretaries of the Paignton and Torquay clubs on the 2nd March 1970

Mr R K Cousins, (Paignton) was nominated unopposed as Chairman and duly elected. The Committee was elected and comprised seven Paignton and Seven Torquay former members. Rules were proposed for the formation of the new club and attendance for the meeting  showed that thirty members actually attended. At the 3rd Committee meeting on 24th April 1970, the General Secretary, Norma Drew delivered a report (as Chairman of the Torbay Sports Advisory Council) on progress being made to improve athletic facilities in Torbay. In retrospect this was a landmark for the embryonic club  and Torbay Council. The minutes stated: 'It was pointed out that the Sports Council had put forward a recommendation to the Local Authority that work starts as soon as possible on Athletic facilities at Clennon Valley in order that Torbay Athletic Club might have a hard surface track on which to hold inter-club and other meetings! Over 30 years later, the same uneven ruined grass at Torre Valley North, Torquay bears testament to the Local Authority's object failure to deliver. On December 5th, Norman Drew had already resigned as General Secretary (moved to Weymouth / Pressure of work) and no communication had been received from the Sports Council. It was agreed that the acting Secretary Marc Watts write to enquire why. Marc Watts raised the declining state of the new club affairs and put forward a novel scheme to the Committee which he had devised for a full time manager of the club. If ask he would be willing to undertake himself. The scheme allowed for this manager to organise and administrate existing and new club activities including coaching, officials, public relations, school liaison and fund raising activities out of which his salary would be paid. The scheme was 'reasonably well accepted in principle by the meeting' - the matter to be raised at the next meeting.

On the 11th January 1971 the secretary's suggestion was discussed at great length. Notable objector to the scheme for a paid manager was the most respected Mr Bill Davey however, the end result was that Dennis Crook proposed that the Committee recommend the appointment of a full or part-time manager on a professional basis, on a term to be agreed by the Committee. Jon Hassall seconded the proposed. The first AGM was held at the Oddfellows Hall, Paignton on March 26th 1971. It was decided that legal advise be sought over the appointment of manager. Mr Davey who had declined to stand again as president was unanimously elected as the first Vice-President and life member. On April 16th 1971, it was agreed that Marc Watts be appointed 'Administrator' of the Torbay Athletic Club, fees to be paid after a contract was signed.

NEARLY four decades on, the same lumpy field and changing rooms have hardly changed a lot, which is in itself a damming indictment, writes David Thomas