No Quiver

Many a time I have stumbled upon the photo from an 80s marathon and wondered which year it was from. Tonight I have put it to the test as a front page feature. Who do you recognise?

One thing is for sure, it is Alistair Sutherland in the foreground. He might have only been an occasional runner but he was from a good pedigree - he features in the Douglas High School for Boys cross country team alongside the likes of Steve Kelly, Steve Higgins and Martin Lambden.  A Parish Walk finisher too.

His brothers were in the same four year cycle as our family. I went to school with Craig who I was delighted to see at Christmas time when he called at our home. Craig shared a house with me when as a student in Manchester he put up with me for my six months when I moved from Stoke (where I was studying) to Manchester where I did my industrial training, or as they would call it in these American infiltrated days, my internship. Craig did a few Manx Mountain Marathons among other things but as yet I haven't found any photos of him - they are yet to be scanned.. Craig is pretty keen on running again now and I have just looked him up. Among his finishes this year is the Manchester Marathon

http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=427425

And Alvin, in the photo, is the same age as my brother Mike. What is more, he is married to my cousin Ruth. Alvin played football for Braddan alongside former Parish Walk winner Derek Harrison who made his walking debut in the TT Relay Walk for a Braddan team.  I used to watch Ruth play in a band in the 70s at places like the Majestic Hotel covering Fleetwood Mac and Little Feat songs.

And there is a fourth brother too, the eldest. Timothy was a top motor cycle trials rider and car salesman who sold us our Toyota Avensis. He retired without much chance of us changing cars in his working life.

I've got a few records by the Sutherland Brothers too. One of them, wrote one of Rod Stewart's greatest hits "Sailing". They teamed up with another band to become Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. The only time I saw one of the Manx Sutherland brothers quiver was when, on New Year's Eve with a a drunken teenager in  the family home Alvin suggested: "Perhaps Murray could stay at your house Timothy." The Quiver ended with: "In that bloody state - no chance."