We are sorry to record the passing of long-time Belgravian Tony Fairclough, a loyal member for over 60 years.

He had been fighting illness for some time but, recently, complex and specialist treatment had given great hope. Sadly, a spell in hospital during this treatment resulted in a sudden setback and he passed away in the first few days of February.

Fairclough, Anthony C., 1943-2022, obituary

By Alan Mead, author of the history of Belgrave Harriers

Tony entered the club’s senior ranks at a time when, along with Coventry Godiva AC and Portsmouth AC, Belgrave was rated among the three top Harrier teams in the country. But far from simply taking his place among a squad that boasted internationals in the North brothers, John Thresher and Bill Kerr, Tony’s fiercely competitive streak meant that these and others could never rest on their laurels, and occasionally they felt the sting of his aggressive running on the race for the tape.

Born on 28 February 1943 in the region of Camberwell, Tony attended William Penn School in Dulwich, and it was there, when soccer was called off due to a flooded pitch, that it was discovered that he could ‘run a bit’ when he placed second to the South London Schools champion in a hastily improvised race around the pitches. Selection for the school’s cross-country team followed, and in the area championships, he ran to the bronze medal position. When Belgravian Terry Newell, a working colleague of Tony’s mother, got to hear of this success, his immediate reaction was to encourage Tony to enrol with the Bels and join up with Tom Carter’s young crew.

Tony became a Belgravian on 14th August 1960, and within two months, the unknown Fairclough, newly clad in a Belgrave vest, was offered a first stage slot in the ‘B’ team entered for the Belgrave Youths Open 4 x 2½ miles Road Relay, an event which attracted around 100 entries from right across the country. Onlookers were startled to see this unknown attempting to knock spots off future international Allan Rushmer. He eventually ran through the first take-over in 5th place in a time which stood up as our second fastest of the day. The ‘A’ team was 19th at that point! Tony Fairclough was an unknown no more.

Regular training with Tom and his lads on Wimbledon Common inexorably brought success. Within a couple of months, the lean and long-striding Tony was our second scorer in the Bels’ Surrey Youths County squad, and a year on he did likewise for the Juniors. Then in 1962 he led the Belgrave Juniors to a team victory with an individual 3rd place. 

1964 was a fabulous year for Tony. The Belgrave Juniors were 2nd in the Southern, with Tony the bronze medallist, and he was 5th individual in the National. In fact, it was a great year for the Harriers right across the age-groups as at the ‘Southern’ the Club took the trophy for the lowest aggregate placings in Senior, Junior, and Youth races, and at the ‘National’ was second only to Coventry Godiva Harriers; our Youths were led home by John Bicourt 7th, the Juniors by Tony and the Seniors by Gerry North 6th. What days!

A Senior English Cross-Country Union vest was awarded to Tony, still a Junior, in 1964. But outings in the older age group were nothing to Tony for he had already represented the Club in the ‘National’ London to Brighton Relay in April 1963, setting the fastest time for stage 6, Horley to Povey Cross, only 9 seconds outside the Club’s record. In October, in the ‘Southern’ event, he went faster still on that same stretch, smashed that record, and took the team to within 10 seconds of the leaders – Portsmouth AC. The Bels went on to win.

Tony and Gill were married in 1965 and in ’66 they moved to Gillingham in Kent, where Tony later ran second-claim for Medway AC. He always remained close to Belgrave, however, and maintained his Surrey County athletics affiliation. Right through the ‘60s and halfway through the ‘70s he was a regular in the Club’s championships and Road & Country teams. Among stellar colleagues, he was ten times in our scoring ‘National’ squads and a Club Champion on the track and at Cross-Country.

For many years Tony worked for British Petroleum on the Isle of Grain and in later years, through until retirement, at London Thamesport, a container seaport serving the North Sea.

When serious competitive days were behind him (although he still turned out in as many as 78 parkruns between 2014 and 2020), he embarked upon a second career as an athletic official along with his wife - Tony as a Track Judge and Gill as a Field Judge in Kent, Belgrave, and South of England circles. Both were regular and respected Referees at our home meetings. Tony was elected a Life Member in 2000 – after 40 years of service with the Club – and was made President two years later.

Our sincerest condolences go to Gillian, whom we have known almost as long as our esteemed colleague Tony, and their three daughters.