Wednesbury Charity Cup

Wednesbury Charity Cup
Founded1879 (1879)
Abolished1991 (1991)
RegionWest Midlands
Last championsCradley Town

The Wednesbury Charity Cup was an early football competition held from 1880 - eight years before the foundation of the Football League - for teams from the West Midlands region of England.[1] The competition was conceived and initiated by Isaak Griffiths, a businessman and magistrate from Wednesbury.[2] Money raised from the competition went to local causes.[2]

Trophy

Winners were awarded a solid silver trophy,[2] on which the name of each year's winning team was engraved.[1] The cup was made by Walker and Hall of Birmingham and hallmarked in 1879, and is topped by a figure of Charity[3] It cost £100, paid for by public subscription.[2]

The trophy weighs nearly 7 kilograms (15 lb) and is 2 feet 4 inches (71 cm) tall.[2]

In 2016, a member of the public offered the trophy, in poor condition, to Bowjangles, a jewellery shop in Wednesbury, for scrap.[1] Bowjanges owner Aaron Sheldon recognised its provenance and arranged for the trophy to be restored by Crescent Silver in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, a process which took five months.[1] The newly-restored trophy was sold at auction by Cuttlestones Auctioneers and Valuers of Wolverhampton, on 2 December 2016,[1] for £7,250.[3]

The first name engraved on the trophy is "Stafford Road, Wolverhampton 1880" and the last "Cradley Town 1991".[3]

Winners

Key

Season Date Winners Result Runner-up Venue Att. & Notes Ref.
1879–8031 May 1880Stafford Road3–0ElwellsWednesbury Oval2,000[4]
1880–8126 February 1881Wednesbury Old Athletic3–1Stafford RoadWednesbury Oval"An immense number"[5]
1881–8227 May 1882Wednesbury Old Athletic3–2Aston UnityWednesbury Oval"Very meagre". Replay.[6]
Aston Lower GroundsOriginal tie 2–2.
1882–8319 May 1883Nottingham Forest5–3West Bromwich AlbionWellington Road4,000[7]
1883–8417 May 1884Wednesbury Town3–0Nottingham Forest1,400. Replay.[8]
Original tie 2–2.
1884–8516 May 1885Birmingham Excelsior5–0Birmingham St George'sWellington Road"Several hundreds."[9]
1885–8629 May 1886Walsall Town7–1Burton StrollersWednesbury Oval"large"[10] or "small"[11]
1886–871987Wednesbury Old Athletic
1887–8812 May 1888Wolverhampton Wanderers4–1Wednesbury Old AthleticMolineux Stadium[12]
1888–891889Wednesbury Old Athletic
1889–901890Wednesbury Old AthleticWest Bromwich Albion res.[7]
1890–911891Wednesbury Old Athletic
1891–921892Singers[3]
1893–941894West Bromwich Albion res.4–0NewportWellington[7]
1912–131913Walsall[3]
1914–181913No competition due to World War I.
1920–211921Walsall[3]
1921–221922Walsall[3]
1922–231923Walsall[3]
1968–691969Pelsall Villa[13]
1969–701970Pelsall Villa[13]
1973–741974Pelsall Villa[13]
1979–801980Tipton Town[13]
1980–811981Tipton Town[13]
1981–821982Bilston Town[13]
1982–831983Bilston Town[13]
1984–851985Bilston Town[13]
1988–891989Pelsall Villa[13]
1990–911991Cradley Town[3]
1990–911991Cradley Town[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Cup provides a silver lining for Wood Green". Express & Star. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Slice of Black Country football history to come under the hammer on 2nd December". Cuttlestones Auctioneers & Valuers. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Fine Art & Antique at Penkridge Auction Rooms - lot 236". Cuttlestones Auctioneers & Valuers. November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Carr, Steve (2022). A History of the Wednesbury Football Charity Association 1880-2009. West Bromwich: Grorty Dick.
  5. ↑ "Athletic Notes". Walsall Observer: 8. 5 March 1881.
  6. ↑ "Wednesbury". Lichfield Mercury: 8. 2 June 1882.
  7. 1 2 3 Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879-1987. Breedon Books. p. 209. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
  8. ↑ Smales, Ken (2006). Nottingham Forest The Official Statistical History. Pineapple Books.
  9. ↑ "Wednesbury Charity Cup". Birmingham Daily Post: 8. 18 May 1885.
  10. ↑ "Wednesbury Charity Cup - Final". Birmingham Post: 7. 31 May 1886.
  11. ↑ "Wednesbury Charity Cup". Lichfield Mercury: 8. 4 June 1886.
  12. ↑ "Wednesbury Charity Cup Final". Manchester Courier: 3. 14 May 1888.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "29/11/2016 — Evening News". Midlands Today. 29 November 2016. BBC West Midlands. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
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