SS & Chas Greenbury Handicap. The Bradshaw cup presented by the Ashrafians

Saturday 4 July saw us race over 800m (880 yards) for an event that has been on the fixture list since 1946.  Sidney and Charlie Greenbury were two of the three Greenburg brothers that joined the club in 1909.  The other was Albert, club President 1935 to 1955, whose direct descendants present the Peter Pan cup each Christmas -  Albert took over from Sir James Barrie in 1933.  The original surname of Albert, Sidney and Charles was Greenburg.  Sadly due to rising antisemitism they chose to change the name to Greenbury in the 1930s.

Records show that the "Bradshaw challenge cup" appeared on our fixture list between 1961 and 1964.  It is not clear why the cup fell from the calendar.  The trophy came back  to the club in the late 2000s. Tommy Bradshaw was a contemporary of the three Greenbury brothers so it seemed most appropriate to use the cup for this long established race that had celebrated Sidney and Charlie since 1946.

Tommy Bradshaw of South Norwood was a club member for fifty years, having joined in the late19th century.  His journalist son managed to get the Serpentine SC competition results into the national daily newspapers alongside the Test Match score and latest football results.

Writing in 1963 Club Secrretary Alan Titmuss recorded that 'Tommy never missed his dip at 6.00 am in the morning, no matter what the weather.   “To swim and keep fit" was his motto. Club records show he recalled one member who was diagnosed by his doctors at the age of 14 years as “an incurable consumptive” yet was winning 55 yards handicaps at the age of 84, only to be found dead in his bath at home at the ripe "young" age of 96 years. Tommy could also tell of the freezing cold winters of 1894, 1895, 1905 and 1907, when the lake was frozen and covered with ice. Members would break the ice themselves before they could have a dip, having cut a path through the snow just to get lakeside.  Tommy started swimming when he was 9 years old, teaching himself to swim with the aid of some old stocking legs filled with corks, and went on to win a Peter Pan Cup in 1921.'

The 1910 Christmas Day start list shows Tom Bradshaw racing along with all three Greenburg brothers.  Possibly the first of a family tradition that is still upheld over a century and a quarter later by Lucy Harris, Albert's granddaughter. 

Leanne Ashrafian (nee Harling) joined the club in 2002, part of the "Imperial Medics mafia" coached by Norman Jones. Elected to the committee in 2017, she proved invaluable in her medical knowledge and sensible advice.  Leanne has sponsored this race since 2019.

Since joining us in 2002 the magic waters of the Serpentine have worked their wonders on Dr Leannes's career progression.  President Laure informed us that Leanne is now a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Guys and St Thomas' NHS Trust and Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) at King's College London.  She also holds an Honorary Lectureship position at Imperial College (no doubt encouraging another generation of fresh-faced Serpies).

Leanne was (is?) a very good water polo player, captaining Imperial College and University of London “back in the day”. An excellent club runner (Serpentine Running Club) in 2014 Leanne completed the London Marathon in a fantastic 02:54. Just after first born Persie arrived she clocked a hugely respectable 03:20. Leanne made a valiant attempt at the English Channel in 2009, but became unwell and had to come out after 15 hours 58 minutes, only ½ mile off the French coast. In 2014 Leanne swam the length of Lake Zurich and also completed the 24 miles in 24 hours challenge in Guildford Lido.

Hutan is also somewhat of a name in the medical world.  He has several eponymous medical signs named after him including the Ashrafian sign for aortic regurgitation and the Ashrafian Thoracotomy (please don't ask me to explain).

Hutan has a keen side interest/enthusiasm for Eygyptology.  In fact he proposed to Leanne whilst cruising on the River Nile when working as an advisor on a BBC documentary on King Tutankhamun, released in 2014.

I should also mention that Hutan's own sporting specialisation is karate and still comptetes at international masters competitions.