Timaru Harrier Club
The Squire Cup race is the oldest race still held by the club, with it first being held in 1937 - 73 years ago, and has been completed for every year since. The race used to be held on and around the Squire family farm in Maungati - a tough hilly course, and was moved in 1985 to the current Fairview course we run now.
The cup was donated to the club by Tom Squire who went on to become the president and later the patron of the Timaru Harrier Club during the 1950's. Duncan Squire (Tom Squire's son) also became Patron of the club during the 1970's (and also won a Canterbury Cross Country senior men's title) and moved the race to its present location when he retired from the family farm. The Squire Cup has been hosted & supported by 3 generations of the Squire family (Tom, Duncan & now Alister Squire & his sister Annthea Copland) and is one of the club's most prestigious races.
The races in Maungati were supported by the entire community with the marking out the course, social events after the race and even several trophies being donated by them - the Maungati Residents Cup (senior colts/under 16 & under 18 boys) and the Silverstream Cup (under 14 boys) - presented in the 1960's and is named after the Squire's family farm 'Silverstream'. Alister Squire even has a trophy in his name - the AT Squire trophy for under 12 Boys
The Squire Cup race has always been a well contested and difficult race to win - especially more than once. Angus Dellow has been the most successful person in winning the trophy, having won it 4 times (1948, 1950, 1981 & 1998) - although it did take over 50 years to achieve this feat.
Other current club members who have won the Squire Cup are - Kevin O'Sullivan (1967), Ian Clarkson (1972), Mark Peters (1982, 1988), Alister Lester (1984), John Souter (1985), Roger Tackney (1989, 2001), Steve Stringer (1991), Andrew Jamieson (1993), Craig Hayman (1994), Peter Gardner (2000, 2002), Michael Fox (2004), Mario Oostendorp (2005), Walter Hume (2006), Keegan Pullar (2008) and Dean McAlister (2009).
| For a list of the previous winners click here |
Many thanks to Leo & Noreen Hand, Angus Dellow and Eldon Moffatt for supplying names for some of the early cup winners