RLGC CUGC
and the
THIS YEAR CHRIS MOORE, A MEMBER AND FORMER
SECRETARY OF ROYAL
LIVERPOOL, ASSUMED THE PRESIDENCY OF THE
CHESHIRE UNION OF GOLF CLUBS. HERE HE LOOKS BACK AT ITS FORMATION.
ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23 1920 the Manchester Guardian reported that “the scheme to form a Union of Cheshire Golf Clubs was successfully carried through yesterday at a meeting held in Manchester.” In the city’s Midland Hotel it had been announced that “36 clubs had given notice of willingness to join such a union, and as these include the Royal Liverpool, Wallasey, Leasowe and Bromborough, of the Wirral organisations, and most of those at the eastern end of the county, the
new combination starts with an
advantage over the Lancashire Union, from which some of the clubs on the coast have so far held aloof.” The meeting was said to have got off to
“an excellent start” with the election of “Mr Harold Janion, Secretary of Royal Liverpool, as the Union’s first President.” Harold Janion was a flamboyant and
well known figure in the golf world of a century ago. Known affectionately as ‘Jane’, in 1920
he had been Secretary of Royal Liverpool for two decades. His trademark check suits were the stuff of legend. In his 1933 history of Royal Liverpool,
Guy Farrar, the Club’s Secretary between 1944 and 1958, describes a straight talking and authoritative man who was
much loved but not without enemies: “It is impossible to set down in cold print anything that would give an adequate picture of his extraordinary personality. To repeat his remarks would merely sound rude, and yet few took offence at anything ‘Jane’ said. “His position at Hoylake was unique.
It is literally true to say that during his years of office he was the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.” Although his death in 1922 would
prematurely end his Presidency of the new Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs, Harold Janion’s presence and election at the 1920 meeting was crucial to its successful formation, for he was the incarnation
of the support of Royal
Liverpool. In Golf Illustrated, Mr R. E. Howard opined: “Five clubs will live in history as trustees of the game’s administration in its period of evolution - the Royal & Ancient,
Honourable RLGC PRESIDENTS
n 1929 – James ‘Bim’ Baxter. Olympic Silver medallist for 12m sailing in 1908; 3 appearances for England at rugby; Captain RLGC in 1926; President RFU in 1927; manager of British Lions tours to Argentina (1927) and Australia & New Zealand (1930) n 1933/5 – Kenneth Stoker. Captain RLGC in 1929; co-founder of Cheshire Union and Hittite GS; runner-up Welsh Championship in 1927; Captain Hittite GS in 1931, President 1938/1952; 48 appearances for Cheshire and County Captain for 5 years n 1952 - Charles Timmis. England golf international; County Champion on three occasions with 32 appearances for the county; winner of the Hittites’ John Ball Putter on four occasions; died prematurely aged 43 of Addison’s disease when Captain (Elect) of RLGC. His epitaph: ‘Noble in Play; Nobler in Character’. n 1969 – John Behrend. Winchester;
Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Oxford & Cambridge GS (President 1988); Hittite GS (Captain 1984, President 1997/2000, four times winner of John Ball Putter); Captain RLGC 1976; Captain R&A GC of St Andrews (1984); President British Golf Collectors’ Society (1996/2000); 35 appearances for Cheshire County; member Senior GS; author; artist. n 1987 – Roger Robinson. Westminster; Trinity College, Oxford; Oxford golf Blue; runner-up O&C President’s Putter; Captain RLGC 1982; Captain Hittite GS 1976, winner of John Ball Putter 1960; member Senior GS; R&A Rules & Championship Committees; CONGU; Chairman of STRI; 7 appearances for the County. n 1997 – Graham Brown. George Watson’s College, Edinburgh; Hittite GS Captain in 2006; two times winner of John Ball Putter; Captain RLGC 2004; R&A Championship Committee; 47 appearances for the County; County Captain 1997 and 1998.
ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB 2018–2019 MAGAZINE 37 Company,
Above: Harold Janion recording the scores in the Sphere and Tatler Professional Foursomes at Hoylake in May 1912
Prestwick, Royal Liverpool and Royal St. George’s...A Cheshire Union would have carried little weight if Royal Liverpool had held aloof.” In the years that followed, the Union
flourished and Royal Liverpool was asked to provide several Presidents with impressive golfing and sporting records: In addition are the RLGC members
who fulfilled the Presidency but from other Clubs, namely: Peter Dutton (1971), Stuart Cookson (1981), Howard Delany (1984), Frank Harkins (1990), Tony Jordan (1992), and John O’Neill (1999). I am honoured to have been elected
President of the CUGC. Unlike most of my Royal Liverpool predecessors I am a golfer of less elevated skills, but it comforts me to know that Harold Jannion also had little cause to trouble those who engraved the names of winners on trophies. n
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