Here we continue the sporting theme from our recent articles on cricket, rugby league, rugby union and tennis, this episode looks at the origins of golf and athletics in Tamworth.
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Golf
Discussion on forming a golf club in Tamworth occurred as early as 1896, with Tamworth Golf Club being formed in 1899. Our first golf course was located in East Tamworth.
It was laid out on Crown land to the south and south-eastern edge of settlement in East Tamworth, with the first tee being at the northern corner of Murray and Upper streets.
Many current residents would have wondered why we have a Golf Street in that part of Tamworth. Caddy fees were sixpence a round. Solid rubber golf balls were used, occasionally needing to be reshaped after being first boiled in water.
In 1900 the first inter-town golf match was staged with Tamworth losing to the Maitland Club.
In 1901 a breakaway North Tamworth Golf Club formed, playing on part of the Permanent Common behind the present Tamworth Hospital.
Watering of the couch grass greens was done by hoses leading from water-filled "18 gallon beer kegs", transported by draught horses from the Royal Standard Brewery in Brewery Lane.
Around early 1904 the East Tamworth Golf Club decided to move its course to land between the West Tamworth Cemetery and Barnes Street, with a clubhouse being completed at a cost of 21 pounds.
The following year the East and North Tamworth Clubs decided to amalgamate, using the latter's course, despite the never-ending battle there with rabbits and long grass.
It wasn't until 1922 that the present Tamworth Golf Course got underway, initially with sand greens, with the Tamworth Golf Club paying 9 pounds per acre to obtain the "Resting Paddock" of the Peel River Land & Mineral Company.
The original clubhouse was built in 1929. We had to wait until 1993 before Tamworth had its current second golf course at the Longyard.
Athletics
One of Tamworth's first recording of an athletics performance came in the late 1870s when Alf Bevege, later the Cricketers' Arms Hotel publican, challenged Jack Shaw to a hop, step and jump (triple jump) competition, going on to win with a respectable distance, even by today's standards, of 45 feet 2 inches (13.78m).
One of Tamworth's first recording of an athletics performance came in the late 1870s when Alf Bevege, later the Cricketers' Arms Hotel publican, challenged Jack Shaw to a hop, step and jump (triple jump) competition, going on to win with a respectable distance, even by today's standards, of 45 feet 2 inches (13.78m).
Early agricultural Spring Shows in the early 1880s featured some athletics competitions.
Associated with the former was the formation of the first Tamworth Athletics Club on August 1, 1881.
The club presided over a successful sports day on May 27, 1882 to celebrate the Queen's Birthday.
This was held at Tamworth's second Showground, located to the east of today's Anzac Park. A big sporting frst for Tamworth came with the switching-on of electric street lighting, the first municipal undertaking of its kind in Australia.
Local citizens were invited to the running of the Second Grand Sheffield Handicap on the original oval, held under lights on the evening of Friday, November 9, 1888.
The 100 yards handicap race attracted 30 entries, the final placings going to Messrs Budd (8 yards), Bowang (11 yards) and West (12 yards).
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An estimated 4,000 people gathered at the oval to witness the event, amazingly Australia's first sporting event held under electric lighting.
The finish would have been near the current reproduction arc lights, behind the new toilet block at the bottom of Fitzroy Street.
Organised school sport came to the fore in 1893 with the establishment of the Tamworth & District Public School Athletic Association. A school sports day became an annual event, and by 1899 there were 27 schools participating.
Apart from the normal running and jumping events, there were also some unusual contests, including throwing a cricket bat, carry-your-chum race, girls' handicap hoop race and bicycle races.
An interesting short-lived promotion was the Tamworth Hundred, staged by the Tamworth Recreation and Athletics Club from around 1923 to 1925.
This was a handicap footrace of 100 yards with a prize of 100 pounds. It attracted very large entries, reputed at the time to be second only to the Stawell Gift.
In more recent years recreational fun-running got off to an early start in Tamworth, with the first Tamworth Ten getting underway in 1974 with 865 entries, courtesy of yours truly, Dallas Earsman and Ted Cross.
This was the 4th fun run to start in NSW, continuing for the next46 years, with the expanded 4-event Tamworth Running Festival taking place next Sunday.