County Cups

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

County Cups

St. Mirren's league cup win last weekend made me look up their trophy winning history on wiki, I was delighted to find they and Greenock Morton compete in the Renfrewshire Cup, which consists each year of them, plus two amateur sides who've come through a qualifying tournament to reach the last 4. The two league sides are seeded apart in the semis and have met in every final since 1991. The competition is, nonetheless, something like the 5th-oldest in British football, and overall St Mirren and Morton have won it something like 60 times each.

[Jobi1]

County Cups

Shocks galore in the North Riding Senior Cup this season as Marske United have disposed of both Middlesbrough and York on their way to the final where they will face Pickering Town on 30 April. The Pikes will probably still be slight favourites, but clearly Marske have their eyes on this trophy so who knows what will happen!

[Patrick Thistle]

County Cups

I love this thread.

[treibeis]

County Cups

Sam wrote: And Bristol was in fact part of Gloucestershire as recently as 1373.

More seriously, it is still (or rather, once again, given Avon's brief existence) part of the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, even though it's not part of the actual one.

Is it? Well, blow me down, I didn't know that. Do The Wurzels know about this?

I had to apply for a new birth certificate last year. Some eagle-eyed civil servant in Hamburg noticed that the place of birth stated in my passport wasn't the same as the place I was actually born in. And that the place I was actually born in doesn't officially exist any longer. And all of that, even though the original reason for the civil servant's protestations was that my parents' names and my father's occupation weren't on the birth certificate.

And when I received my new birth certificate, my father's occupation was given as "Warehouse".

Anyway, returning to the original topic:
The team I follow, Teutonia 05, are now in the last eight of the Hamburg Cup. They only need to win three more games and they could, theoretically, be facing Bayern Munich at home in August.

I'd love to see Arjen Robben and Manuel Neuer diving around on a surface that's only slightly less coarse than a gravel pit.

[Kevin S]

County Cups

I haven't reported back about the Norfolk and Suffolk cups for a while.

Norwich went to Cromer and won 4-0 to book their place in the final, where they will play Wroxham. I want to know the attendance but haven't found it anywhere: I hope Cromer got a big gate.

Ipswich were reinstated(!) in the Suffolk Premier Cup after Felixtowe and Walton's 2-1 Quarter Final win was overturned as they fielded an ineligible player. The Tractor Boys then duly lost their semi-final to Lowestoft.

Bury beat Leiston so the final at Portman Road will be a repeat of last year's, Bury v Lowestoft: Suffolk's two heavyweights of the Ryman Premier.

[mirko bolesan]

County Cups

El Tel wrote:

I think Bracknell are the only side in their division who play in the FA Cup. Their ground is suitable for Step 4 football, but they find themselves in Step 7 - they've just fallen on hard times a little recently. When I started watching them a few years ago it was £7 to get in (Southern League South Western division). It's now £4. There can't be many sides who've had almost a 50% reduction in match day prices in the last few years.

A lad I went to primary school with (Jamie Clarke) plays for Bracknell. Is he still getting his game?

Not really. He's played a few games at full-back a few weeks ago but not really seen him since.

[mirko bolesan]

County Cups

Drama in the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup as both Flackwell Heath and Windsor FC are thrown out of the competition for playing ineligible players against each other in the Cup Semi Final.

That leaves Aylesbury United as the default champions. Congratulations Aylsebury on the hollowest of all victories. Berks and Bucks Senior Cup Winners 2013.

[Furtho]

County Cups

Well, obviously, I think this farce gives the lie to the absolute nonsense that is a combined Berks and Bucks FA (with an HQ in Oxon). The sooner Bucks goes it alone the better.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

County Cups

I thought "Berks, Bucks and Oxen" always went together in these kinds of groupings, similar to "Herts and Beds"?

[Glass Half Empty]

County Cups

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/mar/02/football.features1

This is my favourite story about County cups.

[Furtho]

County Cups

Furtho wrote: The Berks and Bucks Intermediate Final between Aston Clinton and Pitstone & Ivinghoe, originally schedule for tomorrow, has already been postponed and rearranged for 4th May.

Evidently there was a further change of plan because they actually played last night. And get this: Pitstone & Ivinghoe pulled off a shock by beating Aston Clinton 3-2. In celebration, here's a small picture of their badge.

[Third rate Leszno]

County Cups

Southport withdrew from the Liverpool Senior Cup this week, giving Bootle a bye to their first final in over 100 years. They'll play the winners of AFC Liverpool or Everton v Skelmersdale.

If Everton were to be the opponents, it would be a repeat of the original Merseyside derby (1880), which pre-dates the first meeting between Liverpool and Everton by some 14 years.

[mirko bolesan]

County Cups

Furtho wrote:

The Berks and Bucks Intermediate Final between Aston Clinton and Pitstone & Ivinghoe, originally schedule for tomorrow, has already been postponed and rearranged for 4th May.

Evidently there was a further change of plan because they actually played last night. And get this: Pitstone & Ivinghoe pulled off a shock by beating Aston Clinton 3-2. In celebration, here's a small picture of their badge.

Ah, sensibly moved from deepest, darkest Berkshire to a more convenient location for the Bucks clubs!

[Viktor Boskovic]

County Cups

Well, Chester duly won the Cheshire Senior Cup for the first time in 81 years at Wincham Park on Wednesday night, beating Stalybridge Celtic 2-1. The rather strong wind made it a bit of a disappointing game, but the cup itself is a satisfactorily 19th Century looking thing. The programme was worth a read as well for those such as me who always enjoy the history of the Game, containing a list of previous winners lost to the mists of time, such as Sale Holmfield and Ellesmere Port Town.

[Southport Zeb]

County Cups

Third rate Leszno wrote: Southport withdrew from the Liverpool Senior Cup this week, giving Bootle a bye to their first final in over 100 years. They'll play the winners of AFC Liverpool or Everton v Skelmersdale.

If Everton were to be the opponents, it would be a repeat of the original Merseyside derby (1880), which pre-dates the first meeting between Liverpool and Everton by some 14 years.

Bootle - same name but a different club. The original Bootle club folded in the 1890s. The current side formed in the 1950s as a works team and only adopted their current name in 1973. To be fair the current side don't claim to be the same club that were Everton's early rivals, but do try and maintain the memory of that club, and other Bootle clubs that played in the first half of the 20th century.

[Mumpo]

County Cups

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: I thought "Berks, Bucks and Oxen" always went together in these kinds of groupings, similar to "Herts and Beds"?

"Berks, Bucks and Oxen" sounds like the name of a Young Tory Farmers' bachelor dance.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

County Cups

We're in the final of the London Cup. I can hardly contain my excitement.

[Ray de Galles]

County Cups

Ooooh, five minutes from my house. I may come along to support you.

[Harbinger of Hope]

County Cups

This week Forest Ladies won the Ladies County Cup by beating Notts County 16-1 in the final.

[Jobi1]

County Cups

Meanwhile in the North Riding Ladies Cup, the 'big girls' (can you say that?!) have safely made it through to the final. Middlesbrough v York is tomorrow afternoon.

York somewhat improbably overcame California in the semi final. Now that's REALLY stretching county boundaries.

[Furtho]

County Cups

mirko bolesan wrote: Drama in the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup as both Flackwell Heath and Windsor FC are thrown out of the competition for playing ineligible players against each other in the Cup Semi Final.

That leaves Aylesbury United as the default champions. Congratulations Aylsebury on the hollowest of all victories. Berks and Bucks Senior Cup Winners 2013.

I'm hearing that things have got that bit hollower. Despite the fact that both ties were played in the first week of March, it's apparently only just been discovered that Aylesbury United also fielded an ineligible player in their semi-final against Ascot United (which Aylesbury won 2-0, leading them to be declared Cup winners by default). No news yet as to whether Ascot, losing semi-finalists but a team that at least used their own players, will now be awarded the Cup.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

County Cups

Us and Tooting did that a few years ago in a Surrey Cup semi. They let the defeated quarter finalists play off for a place in the final, one of whom eventually won the thing.

[Kowalski]

County Cups

Bangor City were due to play Rhyl in the semi-final "North Wales Coast FA Challenge Cup" on Wednesday. A couple of hours ago the following message appeared on the Rhyl website.

"The North Wales Coast FA have called off Wednesday nights match vs Bangor City. News regarding the fixture will be revealed tomorrow at 5pm."

This is the thing with Welsh FAs, every announcement has multiple parts.

[Furtho]

County Cups

"Revealed" is kind of an interesting choice of words, too.

[sw2borshch]

County Cups

York somewhat improbably overcame California in the semi final. Now that's REALLY stretching county boundaries.

Assuming it's the same one, California is a district of Middlesbrough (well, Eston), so named as the Ironstone Rush was a pound shop version of what was happening out West.

Bit of a swizz this County Cup lark, I've just been having a look at previous winners of the men's version, and there's a load of County Durham sides in there - Stockton, Billingham Synthonia & Portrack Shamrocks, for starters. And Darlington, which is barely even Teesside.