Wednesbury Charity Cup
| Founded | 1880 |
|---|---|
| Region | West Midlands |
| Current champions | n/a |
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[edit]
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[edit]
 |
| Date | Winner | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Attendance | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1880 | Stafford Road | 3–0 | Elwells | Wednesbury Athletic Grounds | 2,000 | [4] |
| 26 February 1881 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | 3–1 | Stafford Road | Wednesbury Oval | "an immense number" | [5] |
| 27 May 1882 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | 3–2 (after 2–2 draw)[6] | Aston Unity | Wednesbury Oval
(after original tie played at Aston Lower Grounds) |
"very meagre" | [7] |
| 19 May 1883 | Nottingham Forest | 5–3 | West Bromwich Albion | Perry Barr | 4,000 | [8] |
| 17 May 1884 | Wednesbury Town | 3–0 (after 2–2 draw) | Nottingham Forest | 1,400 | [9] | |
| 16 May 1885 | Birmingham Excelsior | 5–0 | Mitchell St George's | Wellington Road[10] | "several hundred" | [11] |
| 1886 | Walsall Town | |||||
| 1887 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | |||||
| 12 May 1888 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4–1 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | Wolverhampton | [12] | |
| 1889 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | |||||
| 1890 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | West Bromwich Albion reserves | [8] | |||
| 1891 | Wednesbury Old Athletic | |||||
| 1892 | Singers FC - Coventry | [3] | ||||
| 1894 | West Bromwich Albion reserves | 4–0 | Newport | Wellington | [8] | |
| 1913 | Walsall FC | [3] | ||||
| 1914-1918 | No competition due to World War I | [3] | ||||
| 1921 | Walsall FC | [3] | ||||
| 1922 | Walsall FC | [3] | ||||
| 1923 | Walsall FC | [3] | ||||
| 1969 | Pelsall Villa | [13] | ||||
| 1970 | Pelsall Villa | [13]
| ||||
| 1974 | Pelsall Villa | [13] | ||||
| 1980 | Tipton Town | [13] | ||||
| 1981 | Tipton Town | [13] | ||||
| 1982 | Bilston Town | [13] | ||||
| 1983 | Bilston Town | [13]
| ||||
| 1985 | Bilston Town | [13] | ||||
| 1989 | Pelsall Villa | [13]
| ||||
| 1991 | Cradley Town | [3] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Cup provides a silver lining for Wood Green". Express & Star. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Slice of Black Country football history to come under the hammer on 2nd December". Cuttlestones Auctioneers & Valuers. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Fine Art & Antique at Penkridge Auction Rooms - lot 236". Cuttlestones Auctioneers & Valuers. November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ Carr, Steve (2022). A History of the Wednesbury Football Charity Association 1880-2009. West Bromwich: Grorty Dick.
- ^ "Athletic Notes". Walsall Observer: 8. 5 March 1881.
- ^ "Football". Birmingham Mail: 3. 16 May 1882.
- ^ "Wednesbury". Lichfield Mercury: 8. 2 June 1882.
- ^ a b c Matthews, Tony; Mackenzie, Colin (1987). Albion! A Complete Record of West Bromwich Albion 1879-1987. Breedon Books. p. 209. ISBN 0-907969-23-2.
- ^ Smales, Ken (2006). Nottingham Forest The Official Statistical History. Pineapple Books.
- ^ Aston Villa's ground at the time
- ^ "Wednesbury Charity Cup". Birmingham Daily Post: 8. 18 May 1885.
- ^ "Wednesbury Charity Cup Final". Manchester Courier: 3. 14 May 1888.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "29/11/2016 — Evening News". Midlands Today. 29 November 2016. BBC West Midlands. Retrieved 29 November 2016.