| How the Welsh Cup first started |
| Tuesday 27 April 2010 |
by Ian Garland WHAT'S that old saying about oaks and acorns? It’s doubtful if Llewelyn Kenrick back in August 1877 fully realised what he was setting in train when the FAW, at what is thought to be his instigation, decided that they “should offer a challenge cup to be competed for by clubs in the Principality.” Mind you, Kenrick was nothing if not an innovator, having been instrumental the previous year in setting up an association in Wales and gathering together a Welsh team to play their first ever international match against Scotland in Glasgow. Of course, these ideas were not new but Kenrick deserves full credit for recognising the benefit a Welsh Cup competition could have on the game in Wales and for individual players. Prior to the introduction of the competition, clubs were devoid of regular fixtures and were heavily dependent on an active secretary to arrange friendly matches. Kenrick’s motive was to provide players with a competition so they could hone their skills for the international matches. But the clubs also benefited by having attractive, revenue generating fixtures which it created It was Charles Alcock, Secretary of the English F.A. from 1870 to 1895 who supposedly conceived the idea of a knockout cup competition. This Sunderland-born son of a shipbroker was educated at Harrow School, where he had taken part in the Cock House competition, a system of House matches based on the knock‑out principle. It is said that Alcock took the competition he was familiar with from his schooldays and adapted it on a national scale. But it is known that other public schools also ran knockout competitions for example Clifton and Rugby, while the Sheffield Football Association offered a cup for the champion club but this was run more along league lines. This brilliant idea has been copied all over the world, first by Scotland in 1873 and then by Wales. Incidentally, Kenrick had played in the FA Cup, turning out for the Shropshire Wanderers team that reached the semi final in 1875 before losing to Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval. As now, this was the home of Surrey Cricket Club, whose secretary was Charles Alcock. A crucial aspect of the FAW following the English FA model was that they adopted the latter’s rules, at a time when the rules of the game had not been universally codified. The English Cup rules contained what would now be regarded as peculiarities – a drawn game did not mean a switch to the opponent’s ground, and the previous year’s winners were exempt to the final. The idea was that the other entrants played off for the right to challenge the holders. This was a short-lived rule and was never a feature of the Welsh Cup. The entrance fee for the Welsh Cup was set at 10/6d (half a guinea) and a “large number of entries was anticipated”. In fact, despite an extension of the closing date, only 19 clubs entered, 11 from the Wrexham area. As well as a cup the FAW decided to award medals and a certificate of victory to the winning club; the losers would get a certificate of commendation. The cup was expected to cost £50, it eventually cost £150. The English FA were more prudent, the first FA Cup cost £20! One of the biggest problems facing clubs was travel – the availability and the cost – so a regional draw made good sense. The very first match got underway on 13 October 1877 featuring two names still familiar today: Newtown v Druids. It ended in a 1-1- stalemate and the favourites from north Wales ran out 4-0 replay winners. And the competition for what is now the second oldest national trophy in the world, after the Scottish Cup, was up and running. Ian Garland is a founder member of the Welsh Football Data Archive and the author of three notable football books: |