since 1868
Nearly a Century and a Half of Athletics in Leamington Spa
Leamington Cycling & Athletics Club has one of the longest and richest histories of any athletics club in the Midlands. Our roots stretch back to Leamington Harriers in 1868 — more than 155 years of athletics in this town — with the club as it exists today formed in September 1928 when the Leamington Cycling Club and Athletic Club formally amalgamated.
In that time we have produced world record holders, Paralympic Games athletes, Commonwealth Games representatives, national champions and England Athletics National Award winners — while remaining a club that welcomes athletes of every age and ability, from complete beginners to those competing at the highest level.
As we approach our centenary in 2028, our story is one of community, ambition and remarkable achievement.
1868
Leamington Harriers Founded
The Courier Library archives record the existence of Leamington Harriers in 1868 — one of the earliest athletics clubs in Warwickshire. The club was briefly dissolved in 1875 amid controversy over professional running before being reconstituted as Leamington Athletic Club with 26 ordinary members and 10 honorary members, and “a much improved status in the Amateur Athletic World.”
1881
Early Competition
Records show competitive athletics in Leamington as early as 1881 — including a memorable 100 yards race at the Old Cricket Field in Avenue Road that required three attempts to separate two dead-heating competitors, with the fastest time recorded at just under 10 seconds.
1905
Cross Country Begins
Leamington Athletics Club promoted the first of a series of cross-country runs from their headquarters at the Coach and Horses. The seven-mile course via Offchurch and Cubbington was won by ex-Midland Champion W B Law in 40 minutes 32 seconds.
1928
The Club is Formed
On 28th September 1928 a resolution to amalgamate the Leamington Cycling Club and the Athletic Club was passed at a meeting at the Bath Hotel. The new Leamington Cycling and Athletics Club was born — combining two clubs that had each been active since the late 19th century. Freddie Dale and Ted Clifford were among the founding members present at that historic meeting.
Between the
World Wars
National Championships
The joint club hosted National and International Cross-Country Championships on the Newbold Farm Estate between the wars, and the first National XC after the Second World War on land that would later become Newbold Comyn. In 1935 the club promoted the Jubilee Sports at Victoria Park, attended by 6,000 spectators.
1962
Edmondscote Investment
Warwick District Council invested £18,000 in a cinder track at Edmondscote — the beginning of a long partnership between the club and the council that would transform the venue over the following decades. Tom Buckingham won the Midlands Marathon this year and was part of the winning GB team at the 90km Comrades Marathon in South Africa.
1970
Women’s National Cycling Championship
The club hosted the Women’s National 100-mile Time Trial, won by the legendary Beryl Burton — one of the greatest cyclists Britain has ever produced.
1976
Cavin Woodward’s Historic Day
On 25th October 1976, LC&AC’s Cavin Woodward achieved something remarkable — setting three world records in a single day at a 100-mile track race in Tipton. He broke the world record for 50 miles, then 150km and finally 100 miles, never relinquishing the lead throughout. Just three weeks earlier he had won the London to Brighton road race. Cavin had already set a world best for 30 miles and featured in the medals at the Comrades Marathon. A street in Leamington Spa — Woodward Close in Whitnash — bears his name.
1986
All-Weather Track
Warwick District Council invested significantly more in Edmondscote, installing the all-weather surface and floodlighting that transformed training conditions for all club members.
1992
The Ted and Doris Trophy
The Ted and Doris Trophy was first presented in 1992 to commemorate the extraordinary contribution of Ted and Doris Clifford to the club. Ted had served as General Secretary from 1938 to 1957, Club President for 29 years from 1960 to 1989, and was honoured as a Life Vice President of both Midland Counties Amateur Athletics and Midland Counties Cycling Associations. Doris had served as President of the Warwickshire Womens AAA.
1996, 2000, 2004
Three Paralympic Games
Leamington C&AC’s Bob Matthews represented Great Britain at three consecutive Paralympic Games — Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 — in the T10/T11 classification. His achievement across three Games remains one of the most remarkable in the club’s history.
2002
National Cycling Championship
The club hosted the Men’s National 10-mile Cycling Championships and the women’s team of Pam Styles, Chris Walker and Tina Mullins won the National Women’s 10-mile Team Time Trial.
2003
75th Anniversary
The club celebrated its 75th anniversary with a dinner at The Pump Rooms, attended by many local dignitaries and long-standing members. Among the remarkable guests was 92-year-old Freddie Dale — who had been present at the founding meeting in 1928. Warwick District Council had by this point invested £500,000 in the expansion and refurbishment of Edmondscote Athletics Track and its facilities.
2020-2022
England Athletics National Awards
Three club members won England Athletics National Awards in consecutive years — Mary Hodges for National Official of the Year 2020, Les Barnett for Services to Athletics 2021, and Mary Carter for Coach of the Year 2022. Winning three national awards across three consecutive years is an extraordinary achievement for a single club.
2024
Midlands League Inclusion
Leamington C&AC successfully lobbied the Midland Counties Athletics Association to introduce scored disability athletics events into the Midlands Senior League — a first for the region. Since then multiple clubs have entered disabled athletes into league competition for the first time, with Joshua Bain representing Leamington C&AC at para-athlete level.
2025
Highest Ever League Finish
In the most significant competitive achievement in the club’s 97-year history, Leamington C&AC finished second in the Midlands Senior Track & Field League — their best-ever placing. The achievement was all the more remarkable given the club’s rise from Division 4 just three seasons earlier. As the club approaches its centenary in 2028, the future has never looked brighter.
roll of honour
Athletes Who Have Represented the Club at the Highest Level
Over nearly a century of competition, Leamington C&AC has produced more than 20 athletes who have represented England, Great Britain or competed at Paralympic level. Below are some of the names who have made the club proud — a full Roll of Honour is available on the dedicated Roll of Honour pages.
Cavin Woodward – World record holder, 50 miles, 150km and 100 miles (1976)
Bob Matthews — Paralympic Games athlete, T10/T11, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004
Tom Buckingham — Midlands Marathon winner 1962, GB team Comrades Marathon
Jeff Christie — International representative
Jenny Christie — International representative
Jonny Aires — National representative
Sara McGreavy — National representative
James Walsh — National representative
The Wurr brothers — National representatives
Noel Edwards — National representative
Andy Hart — National representative
Sue Harrison — National representative
Susie Tawney — International Veteran athlete, double European Masters medallist
[View the full Roll of Honour →]
our home
Edmondscote Athletics Track
Edmondscote Athletics Track has been the home of LC&AC athletics since well before its current form. What began as a cinder track in 1962, funded by Warwick District Council, has been transformed through successive investments into one of the best community athletics facilities in the Midlands — with an all-weather surface installed in 1986 and a £500,000 expansion completed in 2003.
It is unusual for a track of this quality to sit so close to a town centre, and its accessibility has been central to the club’s ability to welcome athletes from all backgrounds throughout its history.
Read the Full Club History
In 2019, club members spent many months gathering newspaper articles, photographs and interviews to produce a comprehensive 90-page history of the club. The document covers the club’s story from the late 1800s right through to 2019 and is a remarkable piece of Leamington sporting heritage.
looking ahead
The Centenary Approaches
As LC&AC approaches its centenary in 2028, the club is in its strongest position in decades — finishing second in the Midlands Senior League, producing British record holders, driving inclusion in para-athletics across the region, and welcoming a new generation of junior athletes at Edmondscote.
The club is also actively involved in proposals for a new athletics facility in Leamington Spa. LC&AC has contributed to the design and layout of the proposed new venue, putting forward recommendations aimed at making it suitable for hosting major regional and national meetings — a facility that would transform what’s possible for athletics in Warwickshire.
As the club approaches 100 years, the ambition that has defined it since 1928 remains very much alive.