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John Luxford
Sixty Years of Athletics
Michael John Luxford was born in Horsham on 6th August 1933 and made his first steps into athletics when he joined the Horsham Blue Star Harriers in 1950 as a runner. His first training session did not turn out well as he failed to return and a search party had to be sent out to find him.
Not much happened for a few years as he was soon to be away on National Service for two years in the R.A.F. However, he made certain he was always at home for Christmas for the Sussex Senior Cross Championships which are always held on the first Saturday of the New Year, and he was determined to run.
He was able to join his fellow Blue Star runners and help them win the team event and take home the silver statuette of the god Mercury, that was presented to the Sussex County A.A.A in 1925 when they were at Camp near Crowborough. From 1946 till 1954 Horsham strung together 19 successive team championships.
In 1959 John chased home Brighton A. C’s Hugh Foord to take the silver medal ahead of his club mate, Maurice Baker, but they were not able to wrestle the title back to Horsham.
In 1962 it was John’s turn to take gold though not in the senior championship but in the ‘Intermediate’ (by standard, not age) 5-mile race which was always held in December.
This was John’s only cross-country gold medal until he moved into the Veterans Age group in 1973. But he was to make many appearances for the Sussex cross-country team at the Inter-counties’ championships, by the time that appeared and by then he had already taken on the mantle of responsibility of club Captain and indeed County team manager.
The bad winter of 1963 possibly saw John probably at his best, and he reminisced in 2010 with Steve Hollis of the Argus. The snow was knee-deep in Stanmer Park, on the first Saturday in January, for the Sussex Senior cross-country Championship and the course had been reduced to six miles.
The course had been prepared before the race and Vic Bratley, the county's leading officer and official, led a small team to pace out the course through the snow to make a path. I am probably the only one of that team still with us. It was a severe winter and my wife Pat and I moved into our first house at the end of February, and we had to get some builders to clear the snow from the front of the house before we could move in.
We had cleared a narrow path for the runners and Luxford said: “I sprinted away at the start, not my usual tactics and defied anyone to come past.
"Hugh Foord had retired at the end of 1962, and my club mate Maurice Baker had already won one Sussex Senior title, but I was determined to keep my nose in front.
“He was right behind at the finish and tried to sprint past me in the deep snow, but I was on hard trodden snow and managed to hold on to win for a few seconds. And we won the team race again.
“I ran in the Inter-counties’ championships a couple of weeks later, and it was even worse in Lancashire. There they had to get a local farmer to clear the course of large patches of solid ice”.
John was to win many Sussex Veterans (Master) titles and won more Sussex Veterans titles than any other runner until Brighton & Hove’s Keith Newton came along this century.
John was also a regular winner of the Sussex six-mile (10,000m) track championship and the odd 5,000m crown.
He became an active member of the Blue Star Management in 1956, and from 1960 – 1995 he was the Men’s captain and Team manager and from 1984 – 2011 became the Young Athletes and senior men’s team manager.
From the 1980s he was also a club coach and field and cross-country official, helping out throughout the county. He spent an amazing 25 years as a Sussex team manager.
And that was not all. When Denne Park was one of the major Sussex cross-country courses, it was John who would lead the team marking the course as well as helping out on other courses throughout the county, and he has undertaken this for more than forty years. Until the last couple of years, John was also responsible for measuring and marking the Road Relay championship course at Christ’s Hospital as well as marshalling on the day.
In 1987 John had become the President of the Sussex County Association, and in 1989 he was made a life member.
In 2003 he was the Sussex Sports Partnership “Coach of the Year”, and the following year he was back at annual Presentations to receive an award for “Outstanding contribution”.
In 2000 he received, from Chris Carter who was then the Secretary of the South of England Amateur Athletics Association his Long Service badge. John is a Life Vice President of his club Horsham Blue Star Harriers.
John passed away in 2023. The ‘entry music’ at his funeral was ‘Chariots of Fire’ and the family wreath was shaped as a star in white and blue flowers.
This article was originally compiled in 22 October, 2020 by Reg Hook for the Sussex Athletic Association website. It is replicated here but with some added text and pictures of John by Ron Shannon, HBSH.
MIKE CARRINGTON
Sussex and athletics in general have lost a loyal and dedicated servant in the death of Mike Carrington. Carrington, who it is believed had a heart attack while playing golf on Friday 23rd March, was 77 years old, writes Reg Hook (President of Sussex Schools and Life Member Sussex County A.A.) He grew up in Settle, West Yorkshire, the son of a headmaster, and attended Skipton Grammar School before going to Christ Church College, Oxford where he studied English and was joined by his younger brother C.D. (David) Carrington, who was an international high hurdler clocking 14.4sec for the 120 hurdles in 1957.
While playing cricket in 1954, he was also deeply involved in rugby he gave away his wicket so that he could make the short dash to Iffley Road to watch Roger Bannister become the first ‘Four minute Miler. He maintained his connection with Oxford University through the Achilles Club; regularly officiating at the Varsity match and other University meetings over the past 10 years.
After teaching at Leeds Grammar School for a short while, he obtained a post at Christ Hospital near Horsham, where he taught for more than thirty years and, after retiring from teaching, continued to be involved with the school for many years. While at Christ Hospital, Mike coached rugby and cricket as well as athletics and as a team manager he took teams around the world. He was soon involved with Sussex Schools’ athletics serving as Sussex Schools’ Secretary, Championship Secretary and Team Manager for more than a quarter of a century. He was a ‘Life Vice President’ of the Sussex Schools Athletic Association. Mike, when most people would think of sitting back and taking life easy was for many years as the Officials’ Secretary for Sussex County Association for which he was currently President and was also the Hon Secretary and President of the Horsham Blue Star Harriers. Mike was also President of the Sussex Schools’ Rugby Association.
These however were not badges of honor for whatever he did, he was always hands-on. Ever willing to keep up to date and eager to help, Mike was also a founder member of the Sussex Athletics Network and very supportive of the first England Athletics Hall of Fame and Volunteer Awards. Thousands of athletes throughout the South would also know ‘The Big Man’ as a thoughtful, competent and fair field judge at many of the top athletics events in the South of England. He was however a twelve month of the year official helping out at many Sussex and Sussex Schools Cross-country events during the winter months. The South of England Athletics Association (SEAA) presented him with a 30+ year long service award recently. Early responses to this sad news was that Mike was a big, gentle and caring man who was always eager to help anyone and who never had a bad word for anyone.
Officials will miss him and remember him as a lovely man, good to work with and always at athletics matches with a big smile and friendly face, and a great supporter of schools events. Mike lost his wife Shelagh – who had suffered from M.S for many years – a decade ago and leaves a daughter Mary and son John and three grandsons. Athletics, particularly in Sussex will not be the same without him.