With clubs struggling to carry through training owing to the adverse weather it is maybe worth pondering how some Glasgow players prepared for the first Inter City --- in fact they maybe even ran across what is now Jimmy Sinclair's garden


The Glasgow players gearing up for the double header against Edinburgh have undergone an arduous preparation that will have covered the bases --speed ,strength ,skill and stamina
It was the last listed however that preoccupied some of the Glasgow players preparing for the first encounter of 140 years ago when part of their training involved something like an 11 miles paper chase Hares and Hounds style but not over steeled roads but over cross country including ploughed fields, burns and pathways

They assembled at Bishopbriggs Station on the edge of the countryside as it was then where two runners (hares) set off carrying crescent shaped bags full of paper trimmings under their armpits and laid a trail, made up on the hoof, to be followed by the main pack (the hounds). The course finished at Burnbank where the first inter city was held and went as far as Balmore and Bardowie. Now largely built up, at that time it was clear country most of the way until they came back through Hillhead. The prime movers of this event were JW Arthur (hound )and Tom Chalmers (hares) who played rugby and cricket for Scotland and almost made it for football as well! The actual route was as follows: meet at Bishopbriggs station - Cadder - Balmore - Glenorchard - Milngavie Road - Bardowie Loch - Allander Toll - Killermont - Canniesburn - Garscube - Great Western Road - Hyndland Road - Dowanhill - Hillhead - Burnbank.
The winning time came in at 1hr 41min

This approach to developing stamina may not find favour with modern sports coaches as training has become specific and scientific to the targeted demands of particular sports however it does still have a basic and fundamental ring about it remembering the players of that generation had to play the full 80 in fact some games lasted several hours and-- no impact subs allowed

This article was originally posted on 11-Dec-2012, 18:11 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 12-Dec-2012, 07:56.