Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

No titles in closed or semi-closed competitions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    No titles in closed or semi-closed competitions

    The County Championship (cricket) has had 17 teams clubs since 1921, when Glamorgan were admitted, and 18 since 1992 when Durham came on board. Now there is a first and second division, but in practice it's a closed shop; no team has ever left the league. Of those 18 Gloucestershire, Northants and Somerset have never finished first.

    In La Copa América, of the ten countries who have usually played the tournament (we'll leave out guest nations for the purpose of this) only Ecuador (who I think have never even finished runners-up) and Venezuela are trophyless.

    What other competitions are there in domestic and world sport (in cups/leagues where there is no significant or possible relegation) in which teams who have been taking part for years and years still have no corresponding winners' title in their trophy room?

    (Queensland took 68 years to win their first Sheffield Shield but other examples of "at long last" winners would be interesting to hear about/remember as well.)

    #2
    In Gaelic games Neither Wicklow or Fermanagh have ever won anything in hurling or football.

    Comment


      #3
      Fermanagh, famously, have never won the nine-county Ulster Football Championship since the competition began in 1888. Wicklow have also failed to win the 12-team Leinster Championship, that even the Kilkenny footballers have won twice (although a club from Bray won provincial and All-Ireland titles representing Dublin).

      Comment


        #4
        As for "at long last", Westmeath were the last side to break their provincial duck, in 2004, while in 2015 they finally beat arch-rivals Meath at the 23rd attempt.

        Comment


          #5
          Each of the major North American leagues include clubs who have never won a title.

          The longest such droughts are:
          MLB: Texas Rangers - 58 years
          NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars - 24 years
          NBA: Phoenix Suns - 51 years
          NHL: Buffalo Sabres - 48 years

          In most cases, there are one or more clubs that once won at least one title, but are now in the midst of an even longer drought.

          The Cleveland Indians, for example, just "celebrated" the 70th anniversary of their last title.
          Last edited by ursus arctos; 29-06-2019, 16:48.

          Comment


            #6
            Does that include conferences and/or the American and National Leagues?

            Comment


              #7
              No, only "full" titles

              Comment


                #8
                Alderney in the Muratti Vase almost qualify for this. The Muratti Vase is an annual football competition involving Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey, with the first tournament held in 1905. Each year one team has a bye to the final, with the other two playing a semi final. Initially the side getting the bye to the final alternated between all three islands, but the format was changed following World War Two so that Alderney always participate in the semi.

                Alderney won the Muratti in 1920, beating Guernsey 1-0 in the final (this was a year that Alderney got the semi final bye). They have played 101 other games in the competition, losing every single one.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Southport Zeb View Post
                  Alderney in the Muratti Vase almost qualify for this. The Muratti Vase is an annual football competition involving Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey, with the first tournament held in 1905. Each year one team has a bye to the final, with the other two playing a semi final. Initially the side getting the bye to the final alternated between all three islands, but the format was changed following World War Two so that Alderney always participate in the semi.

                  Alderney won the Muratti in 1920, beating Guernsey 1-0 in the final (this was a year that Alderney got the semi final bye). They have played 101 other games in the competition, losing every single one.
                  Brilliant!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    To add on to Ursus's comment

                    The San Diego Padres MLB: 1969-present, have never won the world series. They have appeared in it twice and lost twice.

                    The San Diego Chargers NFL: 1970-2017, never won the Superbowl (they did win the AFL Championship in 1963, before the Superbowl existed), nor since they left San Diego

                    The San Diego Clippers NBA: 1978-84, didn't win a championship, and haven't since they left San Diego

                    The San Diego Rocket NBA: 1967-71, didn't win a championship. They are the only major sport pro team to have won a championship since even leaving San Diego.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                      No, only "full" titles
                      In that case, the Jags aren’t the longest drought. There are 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl.

                      I believe the Jags, Texans and the Browns the only teams never to win their conference or, therefore, appear in a Super Bowl. If you count the current Browns as an expansion team rather than a continuation of the original Browns, then the Jags are the oldest of those three expansion teams.

                      If you combine Super Bowls, AFL and old NFL titles, the longest drought is the NFL St Louis/Arizona Cardinals, 71 years.

                      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...ts?wprov=sfti1
                      Last edited by Hot Pepsi; 29-06-2019, 20:15.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        It's longest drought without ever winning a title. I consider the name of the title game to be irrelevant.

                        The Cardinals won a NFL Championship in Chicago.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          In the nineteen competitions since it took in Italy, neither Italy nor Scotland have won the Six Nations.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                            It's longest drought without ever winning a title. I consider the name of the title game to be irrelevant.

                            The Cardinals won a NFL Championship in Chicago.
                            "It's".

                            Shameful!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              You don't recognise the contraction?

                              Is that a British thing or a personal foible?
                              Last edited by ursus arctos; 29-06-2019, 20:30.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Only joking as you know!

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by Kevin S View Post
                                  In the nineteen competitions since it took in Italy, neither Italy nor Scotland have won the Six Nations.
                                  Good one.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Vanderbilt University has played gridiron football in the Southeastern Conference since it was formed in 1933.

                                    They have never won or shared the championship.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Cronulla's win in the 2016 NRL ended a 49 year duck since they were first admitted into the NSWRL first grade (the NRL's predecessor) in 1967 leaving New Zealand (nee Auckland) Warriors as the longest continuous duck (admitted in 1995) although there have been clubs on the Gold Coast on and off since 1988 and they've never won a title either.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                        It's longest drought without ever winning a title. I consider the name of the title game to be irrelevant.

                                        The Cardinals won a NFL Championship in Chicago.
                                        Oh, I see.

                                        But if the Super Bowl is the “full” title that counts in the Super Bowl era, the Jags don’t have the longest drought. The Bengals and Falcons are older and the Panthers are the same age.

                                        But if we count conference championships as “full” titles the same as NFL or AFL titles, then the Jags are the oldest among the teams never to win a conference or a league.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          You are right. My source misled me.

                                          It should be the Minnesota Vikings at 58 years.

                                          I give former AFL teams credit for AFL titles, so the Titans, Chargers and Bills don't count. The Vikings have an "NFL", but lost in the Super Bowl to Kansas City.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            There’s plenty of disappointment to go around.


                                            My alma mater’s basketball team has been eligible for every NCAA tournament and never made it to a single one. I think we’re alone in that category now.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                              Each of the major North American leagues include clubs who have never won a title.

                                              The longest such droughts are:
                                              MLB: Texas Rangers - 58 years
                                              NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars - 24 years
                                              NBA: Phoenix Suns - 51 years
                                              NHL: Buffalo Sabres - 48 years

                                              In most cases, there are one or more clubs that once won at least one title, but are now in the midst of an even longer drought.

                                              The Cleveland Indians, for example, just "celebrated" the 70th anniversary of their last title.
                                              The Nux joined the NHL the same year as the Sabres so they must be on the list too (assuming you mean the Stanley Cup rather than the President's Trophy.)

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                Yup

                                                And each club has at least one President's Trophy
                                                Last edited by ursus arctos; 01-07-2019, 01:29.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  Italy has never finished in the top half of the Six Nations and has become farther adrift in the last 6 years. I can't think of a team that is less likely to ever win its tier. Even the cricket counties at the foot of Div 2 seem to have greater hope of winning the CC than Italy do in 6 Nations.
                                                  Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 01-07-2019, 11:04.

                                                  Comment

                                                  Working...
                                                  X