Wolverhampton & Bilston AC

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Wolverhampton & Bilston AC (WBAC)
Founded1924
GroundAldersley Stadium
LocationAldersley Road, Wolverhampton WV6 9NW, England
Coordinates52°36′17″N 2°09′01″W / 52.60472°N 2.15028°W / 52.60472; -2.15028
Websiteofficial website

Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club was formed in 1967 and has its home ground at Aldersley Leisure Village, formally Aldersley Stadium in Aldersley, Wolverhampton, England.

History

Aldersley Leisure Village Sports centre in 2011
The track in 2006
Tessa Sanderson

In 1924 the Harriers Athletic Club which would formally be called the Wolverhampton Athletics Club was founded.[1] In 1943 the club merged with Penn Harriers to form the Wolverhampton Harriers.[2]

In February 1967 after a local government reorganisation the two local athletic clubs, Wolverhampton Harriers and Bilston Town Athletic Club merged to form the Wolverhampton and Bilston Athletic Club. [3][4]

The club won the Men's National League Division One from 1975 to 1982 and the Men's National Cup 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1980.

Honours

Senior Men:

  • British Athletics League
    • First Place: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
    • Second Place: 1974, 1984, 1985
    • Third Place: 1972, 1973, 1986, 1987

Notable athletes

Olympians

Athlete Events Games Medals/Ref
Ralph Banthorpe200 metres, 4 × 100 m relay1968
Maureen Tranter200 metres1968[5]
Don Halliday100 m, 4 × 100 m1972
Sonia Lannaman100 metres, 200 m, 4 × 100 m relay1972, 1980
Rosemary Stirling800 metres1972
Verona Elder-Barnard400 metres, 4 × 400 m relay1972, 1976
Denise Brownhigh jump1976
Glen Cohen400 m, 4 × 400 m relay1976, 1980
Tessa Sandersonjavelin throw1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996
Keith Connortriple jump1980, 1984
Kathy Smallwood-Cook100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 4 × 100 m relay1980, 1984
Joan Baptiste200 m1984
Phil Beattie400 m hurdles1984
Garry Cook4 × 400 m relay1984
Martin Girvanhammer throw1984
Pat Beckford400 m1988
John Kinglong jump1988
Paul Mardlediscus1988
Joanne Mullinerheptathlon1988
Vernon Samuelstriple jump1988
Steve Heard800 m1992
Lisa Langford-Kehler10/20km walk1992, 2000
Denise Lewisheptathlon1996, 2000, 2004

Other

  • Mike Bull, gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games

References

  1. "New Harriers' Club". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 28 August 1924. Retrieved 27 March 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "W'ton Harriers' Successes". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 20 December 1943. Retrieved 27 March 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "He knew everything about athletics - tributes paid as Ken dies at 85". Express & Star. Express & Star. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  4. "W'ton-Bilston merger goes through with high hope for future". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 14 January 1967. Retrieved 27 March 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. Maureen Tranter at Power of 10 (archived)