When I first arrived there was no one else waiting other than a man with glasses, a toothbrush moustache and hair slicked back. We got talking and he was very friendly. As the weeks and months went by, I became quite friendly with Bertie Cox who was a good class road runner for Greenock Wellpark Harriers.
We also met up at the annual inter clubs between our two clubs and at Marathon Club presentations and socials. His son, Hammy, was to be a much better athlete than his father and known throughout Scotland from early on in his career.
No stranger to controversy, he was a very talented runner respected throughout the sport. He came into the sport as a boy and in as a Senior Boy Under 15 was 28th of the finishers in the National Championship. A year later and in the same age group he had moved up to sixth. As a Youth Under 17 in he was seventh, and then was back up to sixth in He had moved that year to the new club of Spango Valley AC.
He raced in more than the National of course but his progress as marked in these events was marked. Hamilton Cox was born on 27th May, He showed early talent with Spango Valley AC running Hammy ran in thirteen Edinburgh to Glasgow Relays between and for three different clubs — Spango Valley, Bellahouston Harriers and Greenock Glenpark — the club he had started out with and with which he ended his running career. Later in he made his debut in the Edinburgh to Glasgow eight stage road relay on Stage One.
He ran the same stage in and Stage Four in Then in Spango Valley finished seventh with Hammy on Stage Three and his team won the medals for the most meritorious unplaced performance ie the most improved team. By Hammy had switched to Bellahouston Harriers. In the Edinburgh to Glasgow, he was second fastest on Stage Three by only five seconds and moving from sixth to second with the team ending up fourth and out of the medals They put this right the following year.
