Trophies: NWCFL Challenge Cup
Thu 29th August 2019 | General | By Stewart Taylor
This really is the Big Daddy of all of our trophies. On this magnificent example of Victorian craftsmanship in silver we see hallmarks for Sheffield and 1893 along with the makers mark for the Fattorini & Sons silversmiths – see introductory article. A further inscription at the foot of the trophy shows that the trophy was made by the aforementioned Fattorini & Sons in their Bradford factory.
The inscription on the trophy gives an inauguration date of 1893 and an establishment date of 1889 whilst showing that the trophy was awarded as the Lancashire Football League Challenge Cup.
Other details show the officers of the League at the time being Alderman Bickerstaffe of Blackpool as President, J. H. Lightbown of Bury as Secretary and I. Smith Esq of Southport as Treasurer.
That these names are recorded for posterity is tremendous and is a form of paying tribute to the individuals responsible for the organisation of early Leagues in this country. Looking for detail relating to these individuals is difficult these days, even in the internet age, but there is reference to a Mr. J.H. Lightbown as one of the linesmen (well before the idea of assistant referees!) in a match between Liverpool and Derby County in the Football League First Division played at Anfield on October 7th 1899. With apologies to friends and colleagues from Merseyside I have to record that Derby County won the match 2-0. Was this the same J.H. Lightbown? We’d like to think so.
The reference to Alderman Bickerstaffe provides a gateway into the life and times of the town of Blackpool in the late Victorian era and beyond. That there were at least two “Alderman Bickerstaffes” – John and Tom – perhaps doesn’t help us here but the story of the Bickerstaffes, particularly John, is fascinating and recommended reading for those with a specific interest in the development of the town of Blackpool.
The Lancashire League was somewhat short lived being established in 1889 (see above) and lasting as an entity until 1903 at which point it became the Second Division of the Lancashire Combination. The original intention of the Lancashire League was to establish a regional competition which would act as a feeder to the recently formed Football League but, as we might imagine, that ambition was riddled by various politics and vested interests which were prevalent in football then as now.
Although the Lancashire Combination was founded in 1891 it did not absorb the Lancashire League until 1903 at which point, presumably, this trophy transferred to the Lancashire Combination in whose care it remained until being transferred to the NWCFL on the formation of the League in 1982.
From this information it might be expected that we could identify the first winners of the trophy but there are one or two questions which need to be answered before we can be definitive on this.
Firstly, the date. The hallmark indicates that the trophy was made in 1893. What that doesn’t tell us is if the trophy was presented at the end of the 1892/3 or the 1893/4 season.
Secondly, there is some uncertainty concerning the competition for which the trophy was used and that comes down to a couple of choices. Although the trophy clearly shows it to be a Challenge Cup it could easily have been used for either the League Champions or the winners of a knockout cup.
If we go into this just a little deeper then we see from the list of Champions that Liverpool FC were the winners in 1892/3 and Blackpool FC in 1893/4. Further, we can not readily find any reference to a knockout competition held by the Lancashire League during the period of its existence.
So on the face of it we are left with either Liverpool FC or Blackpool FC as the first recipients of this magnificent trophy but, as with much which may have been lost in the annals of time, this is far from conclusive.
To twist the story yet further, there is a note in the history of Liverpool FC which may give us additional information. Season 1892/93 was the first season of Liverpool FC. They won two trophies in that season of which the Champions of the Lancashire League was one, the other being the Liverpool Senior Cup. All well and good until we read that both trophies, whilst in the care of Liverpool FC, were stolen from a shop (pawnbroker?) in the Paddington area of Liverpool. The club were ordered by the authorities to replace the trophies and could it just be that the trophy we have today (hallmarked for 1893) was such a replacement trophy?
If there is anyone out there who can add to this story then please feel free to get in touch as we seek to be as definitive as we can be by adding to the canon of history of the glorious game in our part of the world.
The current holders of this trophy are 1874 Northwich who defeated City of Liverpool 1-0 in the final played at Altrincham FC on May 4th 2019. Previous holders whilst in the custody of the NWCFL tell something of the vicissitudes of life in the non-league pyramid as they include Colne Dynamoes and Rossendale United – both sadly no longer with us – alongside, most notably, Salford City who continued their relentless progress having been promoted to League Two at the end of last season.
Trophies: NWCFL Challenge Cup
Thu 29th August 2019 | General
By Stewart Taylor
This really is the Big Daddy of all of our trophies. On this magnificent example of Victorian craftsmanship in silver we see hallmarks for Sheffield and 1893 along with the makers mark for the Fattorini & Sons silversmiths – see introductory article. A further inscription at the foot of the trophy shows that the trophy was made by the aforementioned Fattorini & Sons in their Bradford factory.
The inscription on the trophy gives an inauguration date of 1893 and an establishment date of 1889 whilst showing that the trophy was awarded as the Lancashire Football League Challenge Cup.
Other details show the officers of the League at the time being Alderman Bickerstaffe of Blackpool as President, J. H. Lightbown of Bury as Secretary and I. Smith Esq of Southport as Treasurer.
That these names are recorded for posterity is tremendous and is a form of paying tribute to the individuals responsible for the organisation of early Leagues in this country. Looking for detail relating to these individuals is difficult these days, even in the internet age, but there is reference to a Mr. J.H. Lightbown as one of the linesmen (well before the idea of assistant referees!) in a match between Liverpool and Derby County in the Football League First Division played at Anfield on October 7th 1899. With apologies to friends and colleagues from Merseyside I have to record that Derby County won the match 2-0. Was this the same J.H. Lightbown? We’d like to think so.
The reference to Alderman Bickerstaffe provides a gateway into the life and times of the town of Blackpool in the late Victorian era and beyond. That there were at least two “Alderman Bickerstaffes” – John and Tom – perhaps doesn’t help us here but the story of the Bickerstaffes, particularly John, is fascinating and recommended reading for those with a specific interest in the development of the town of Blackpool.
The Lancashire League was somewhat short lived being established in 1889 (see above) and lasting as an entity until 1903 at which point it became the Second Division of the Lancashire Combination. The original intention of the Lancashire League was to establish a regional competition which would act as a feeder to the recently formed Football League but, as we might imagine, that ambition was riddled by various politics and vested interests which were prevalent in football then as now.
Although the Lancashire Combination was founded in 1891 it did not absorb the Lancashire League until 1903 at which point, presumably, this trophy transferred to the Lancashire Combination in whose care it remained until being transferred to the NWCFL on the formation of the League in 1982.
From this information it might be expected that we could identify the first winners of the trophy but there are one or two questions which need to be answered before we can be definitive on this.
Firstly, the date. The hallmark indicates that the trophy was made in 1893. What that doesn’t tell us is if the trophy was presented at the end of the 1892/3 or the 1893/4 season.
Secondly, there is some uncertainty concerning the competition for which the trophy was used and that comes down to a couple of choices. Although the trophy clearly shows it to be a Challenge Cup it could easily have been used for either the League Champions or the winners of a knockout cup.
If we go into this just a little deeper then we see from the list of Champions that Liverpool FC were the winners in 1892/3 and Blackpool FC in 1893/4. Further, we can not readily find any reference to a knockout competition held by the Lancashire League during the period of its existence.
So on the face of it we are left with either Liverpool FC or Blackpool FC as the first recipients of this magnificent trophy but, as with much which may have been lost in the annals of time, this is far from conclusive.
To twist the story yet further, there is a note in the history of Liverpool FC which may give us additional information. Season 1892/93 was the first season of Liverpool FC. They won two trophies in that season of which the Champions of the Lancashire League was one, the other being the Liverpool Senior Cup. All well and good until we read that both trophies, whilst in the care of Liverpool FC, were stolen from a shop (pawnbroker?) in the Paddington area of Liverpool. The club were ordered by the authorities to replace the trophies and could it just be that the trophy we have today (hallmarked for 1893) was such a replacement trophy?
If there is anyone out there who can add to this story then please feel free to get in touch as we seek to be as definitive as we can be by adding to the canon of history of the glorious game in our part of the world.
The current holders of this trophy are 1874 Northwich who defeated City of Liverpool 1-0 in the final played at Altrincham FC on May 4th 2019. Previous holders whilst in the custody of the NWCFL tell something of the vicissitudes of life in the non-league pyramid as they include Colne Dynamoes and Rossendale United – both sadly no longer with us – alongside, most notably, Salford City who continued their relentless progress having been promoted to League Two at the end of last season.
