The International of 1911 was on 16th July at Ball’s Bridge in Dublin and the Irish team was hopeful of victory after the big defeat of 1910. The cartoon above was in the “Scottish Referee” on the day before the match. The “Glasgow Herald” report after the match began as follows: “The seventeenth annual amateur athletic contest took place in lovely weather but the attendance of barely 1500 was extremely disappointing, and the apathy as regards amateur athletics would seem to have spread to the Sister Isle. It was anticipated by experts that whichever side won should only do so by the narrowest of margins but Scotland gained an unexpectedly easy victory by seven points to four, this being their first success in Dublin, their second in Ireland and their seventh in all, as against Ireland’s ten.”
Results:
100 yards: 1. WA Stewart (S) 10.2 seconds; 2. JH McVea (I); 220 yards: 1. RC Duncan (S) 23.6; 2. WR Sutherland (S)
440 Yards: 1. RA Lindsay (S) 53.4 sec; 2. R Burton (S); 880 yards: 1. JT Soutter (S) 1:59.4; 2. R Burton (S)
Mile: 1. DF McNicol (S) 4:25; 2. JT Soutter (S); Four Miles: 1. GCL Wallach (S) 20:27; 2. FJ Ryder (I)
120 yards hurdles: 1. E O’ Brien (I) 16.5 seconds; 2. P Kirwan (I)
High Jump: 1. D Campbell (S) 5′ 8 1/4″; 2. MJ Creede (I); Broad Jump: 1. P Kirwan (I) 23′; 2. WF Watt (I)
Putting the Weight: 1. J Barrett (I) 44′ 4″; 2. TR Nicolson (S); Throwing the Hammer: 1. JJ Flanagan (I) 170′ 5″; 2. TR Nicolson (S)
SCOTLAND 7 EVENTS : IRELAND 4 EVENTS
The cartoon from the Scottish Referee of 19th July, 1912
The match, held at Powderhall on 20th July, resulted in a five and a half points each draw. Not what either side was expecting as the athletes selected by both sides were all very good. Ireland in particular was looking for a victory to redeem themselves after the previous year’s contest. The Irish paper, the Sport of Saturday 27th July, commented as follows afterwards.
The “Scotsman” had a different take on the event and preceded its report with this.
Results:
100 yards: 1. RC Duncan (S) & S McComb (I) equal in 10.2 seconds; 220 yards: 1. RC Duncan (S) 23.4; 2. FRS Shaw (I)
440 yards: 1. J Gray (I) 52.0; 2. RA Lindsay (S); 880 yards: 1. R Burton (S) 2:05.2; 2. R Hales (I)
Mile: 1. R Hales (I) 4:27.4; 2. DF McNicol; Four Miles: 1. FJ Ryder (I) 20.40; 2. T Jack (S)
120 yards hurdles: 1. IA Clarke (S) 16.8 seconds; 2. P Kirwan (I)
High Jump: 1. T Carroll (I) 5′ 10 1/2″; 2. D Campbell (S) & J O’Donoghue (I); Broad Jump: 1. JHD Watson (S) 22’9″; 2. P Kirwan (I)
Putting the Shot: 1. P Quinn (I) 41′ 8 1/2″; 2. TR Nicolson (S); Throwing the Hammer: 1. TR Nicolson (S) 165′ 1″; 2. G Lindsay (S)
SCOTLAND 5 1/2 EVENTS; IRELAND 5 1/2 EVENTS
The 1913 meeting was held at Celtic Park in Belfast on 19th July and the Edinburgh Evening News looked forward to it with this.
So we were optimistic on our way to Dublin with logic on our side. But as so often, we were disappointed with the actual result. The Irish paper “The Weekly Freeman” reported with these words.
Results
100 yards: 1. FRS Shaw (I) 10.0 seconds; 2. WA Stewart (S); 220 yards: 1. WR Sutherland (S) 22.2 sec; 2. FRS Shaw
440 yards: 1. JM Hill (I) 53 sec; 2. RA Lindsay (S); 880 yards: 1. JM Hill (I) 2:01.4; 2. G Dallas (S)
Mile: 1. D McPhee (S) 4:34.4; 2. WM Crabbie (S); Four Miles: 1. P Flynn – only one competitor finished
120 yards hurdles: 1. WL Hunter (S) 16.4 seconds; 2. TH Darwell (I)
High Jump: 1. TJ Carroll (I) 6’1″; 2. D Campbell (S) & WL Hunter & AL Colquhoun;Broad Jump: 1. WF Bennett (I) 21’8″; 2. O Galbraith (I)
Putting the Weight: 1. P Quinn (I) 42′ 11″; 2. PF Ryan (I); Throwing the Hammer: 1. TR Nicolson 161′ 6″; 2. PF Ryan (I)
IRELAND 7 EVENTS ; SCOTLAND 4 EVENTS
This contest was the last of the series of Scottish-Ireland internationals – the War which followed made many changes to athletics and this was one of them. In 1914 the match became a Triangular with England being added to the mix. From 1920 the match became a regular triangular meeting until 1930 and thereafter there were two more Scotland-Ireland internationals in 1931 and 1932 when they finished altogether.