1891 Scottish Athletics Championships

Fine weather drew a large crowd estimated to be around 4000 spectators, a huge improvement on former years, attributable in part to a recent decision by the Scottish Football Association to ban summer football. Two cycle championships, over 1 mile and 25 miles, were also decided at the meet under the auspices of the Scottish Cyclists Union, which proved to be a popular draw.

Bernard Green from Aberdeen, though competing for the London Scottish, adopted the unusual crouch start, what was referred to at the time as the "American style," start. Up to this point runners at all distances simply stood at the start line, with all parts of their body, including their head, behind the line. The crouch start originated with Charles Sherrill of Yale University, at the Rockaway Hunting Club Games, Cedarhurst, Long Island, on 12 May 1888. In 1891 it was still very unusual, even in the United States, and very rare anywhere else. Green may well have been the first person to employ it in Scotland.

In winning three events at the championship Green equalled the record of James Greig (Cambridge Un.) who won three events at the 1889 championship. They both paired the 120 yard hurdles with the long jump, while Greig added the high jump and Green the 100 yards.

David Duncan (Edinburgh H.), a former pupil of the Royal High School in Edinburgh, and a former President and Honorary Secretary of the Scottish AAA, won the mile for the fifth time, having won the event at the first four championships in succession. The high jump had to be declared void as none of those entered for the competition appeared on the day.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Portrait drawings of individual winners of Scottish athletics championship in 1891

The 10-mile championship took place at Hampden Park, Glasgow on Thursday 2 April. The cinder path was in excellent order, but a bitterly cold north east wind made it unpleasant both for the runners and the 150 spectators. There were just three starters, including David Duncan, Honorary Secretary of the Scottish AAA, who stopped just before three miles, leaving Andrew Hannah clearly in the lead. William Carment was lapped, twice, while Hannah set Scottish All-comers records at every mile from 5 miles to the finish, and won by "fully 1200 yards." The 10 miles record stood for exactly three years, to the day, until Hannah himself broke it on 2 April 1894. splits (Field) 1 mile: 5:04.2, 10:29.6 (5:25.4), 15:52.0 (5:22.4), 21:14.4 (5:22.4), 26:35.6 (5:21.2), 32:11.4 (5:35.8), 37:41.8 (5:30.4), 43:13.6 (5:31.8), 48:48.2 (5:34.6), 54:18.6 (5:30.4).[9] [10][11]

• Scottish Athletics
• Scottish Athletics Championships