Anthony Marsh (Bog)

15 August 1959 – 2 June 2014

We are saddened to announce the death of Anthony Marsh (aged 54 years) a member of Holmfirth Harriers AC for almost 44 years who died at his home in Honley.

Anthony joined the Club at the age of 11 years on 8 October 1970 and has been a keen athlete for over 40 years. His father the late Geoffrey Marsh was an active member of the Club and a Vice President until his death in 1992. Anthony contested many of the club championships and his name appears on many of the trophies including Past Members Cup, Major Sykes Challenge Cup, Haigh Cup, Walter Greenwood Trophy, Arthur Booth Trophy, Philip Bradley Rose Bowl and the Ian Roberts Memorial Trophy. Anthony contested the annual “Tinker Cup” race on numerous occasions and won the prestigious Ian Roberts Memorial Trophy for running the fastest time on 5 consecutive occasions during 1983–87, a magnificent achievement.

Anthony was a well-respected man, a formidable athlete, having run sub-50 minutes for 10 miles and was elected Club Captain in 1982-83 and again in 1986-87. He was a key member of numerous Holmfirth teams throughout his running career and in 1982 won his first significant medal, a team gold at the Yorkshire 6 Stage Road Relay Championships along with other famous Harriers, Martyn Goodall, Clive Hollingworth, Graham Ellis, Alwyn Dewhirst and Robert Harbisher. In 1983 he won a team gold medal at the Yorkshire Cross Country Association Championships in Sheffield and probably his greatest achievement was when he was one of the six men to win team gold medals at the Northern Cross Country Championships in Burnley, the first and only time the Senior Men have won medals at the Northern Championships. Anthony was a member of the record breaking Pennine Way Relay teams of 1978 and 1986. On the second occasion the team knocked 31 minutes off the Bingley Harriers record to set a new mark of 29 hours 7 minutes 58 seconds, a superb time for this tough challenge.

We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Jeannette, children Katie and Ryan, granddaughter Daisy, mother Audrey, sister Debra and nephew/nieces Jordan, Georgia and Alannah, who have all been associated with the club for many years.

His funeral will take place at Huddersfield Crematorium on Thursday 12 June 2014 at 2pm, donations in lieu of flowers to the Brain Tumour Research & Support across Yorkshire and Kirkwood Hospice.