SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



79 matches were played, 53 won and 9 lost. 

 Its place in the east division is now taken 

 by the Cheshunt Club, which was formed 

 by many of the old Hoddesdon players. Since 

 its formation in 1889 this club has been the 

 means of obtaining a large sum of money for 

 charities. A rather interesting fact is that 

 F. Holford has played for the club during the 

 whole eleven seasons of its existence. 



St. Albans has played good football from 

 the earliest days, the club always being one 

 of the strongest in the county. Professionalism 

 was adopted and met with much success for 

 a short time, but financial troubles ensued 

 and the paid player was abandoned. The 

 Town Club is now called St. Albans Amateurs. 

 In 19001, its first season, it was most suc- 

 cessful, winning the County Cup, the County 

 League, Mid Herts League and the Bingham 

 Cox Cup. Some of the best known St. 

 Albans men were S. F. P. Moore, the finest 

 dribbler in the county, the Rev. S. M. 

 Stanley, J. W. Sharpe, E. N. Sharpe, J. 

 W. Dickerson and C. Miskin. 



The County Association was formed in 

 1886, Boxmoor United, Hoddesdon, Bishop 

 Stortford, Wheathampstead, Hitchin, Watford 

 Rovers, Aldenham School, Silesia College, 

 Hertford, Hemel Hempsted and St. Albans 

 forming the members for the first season. 

 Mr. R. Cook of St. Albans and Mr. W. A. 

 Sargent of Watford were the first joint hon. 

 sees. The County Cup was first won by 

 Hoddesdon. The following is a complete list 

 of the winners : 1886-7, Hoddesdon ; 1887 

 8, Hoddesdon; 1888-9, Watford Rovers; 

 1889-90, Hoddesdon ; 1890-1, Watford 

 Rovers; 1891 2, Watford Rovers ; 18923, 

 St. Albans; 1893-4, West Herts; 1894-5, 

 Hitchin; 1895-6, Hitchin; 1896-7, West 

 Herts; 1897-8, Hitchin; 1898-9, Ware; 

 1899-1900; Hitchin; 1900-1; St. Albans 

 Amateurs. 



In recent years the Association, which now 

 affiliates upwards of eighty clubs, has instituted 

 and carried out competitions for a County 

 League, Junior Cup and lastly a Charity 

 Cup. 



St. Mary's Cup Competition was started in 

 1889. Open to all players in West Herts ex- 

 cept the eleven members of the Watford 

 Rovers, who won the County Cup, it has 

 excited keen competition. It was first won 

 by the Watford Grove, and presented to the 

 winners on the Watford Recreation Ground 

 by the Earl of Clarendon. 



In 1891 a great impetus was given to 

 football in the district by the formation of 

 the West Herts Association and the West 

 Herts League. This League was the first 



to be formed in the south of England. 

 The Association took over the management 

 of the St. Mary's Cup Competition and 

 organized a band of excellent local referees, 

 whose reputations and services extended to 

 the neighbouring divisions. Teams were 

 entered for the County Cup by this Associ- 

 ation in 18923 and 1893-4,1116 Association 

 each time running into the final round. 



The St. Mary's Cup Competition, West 

 Herts Association and League Competition 

 were initiated by Mr. A. J. Millar, who was 

 hon. sec. from 1891 to 1899, when he re- 

 signed on his election as hon. sec. of the 

 County Association. 



District associations were afterwards formed 

 in the remaining parliamentary divisions of 

 the county, with a League Competition in 

 each. A large amount of interest has been 

 aroused in Mid Herts by the competition for 

 a cup presented by Mr. Bingham Cox. 



From 1886 the Apsley Club has won many 

 trophies, including the County League, West 

 Herts League, St. Mary's Cup, County Junior 

 Cup and the local Charity Cup. The Charity 

 Festival promoted by this club has handed 

 200 to local charities during the last few 

 seasons. 



Other prominent clubs are Berkhampstead, 

 Hemel Hempsted, Rickmansworth, Hertford, 

 Ware, Stevenage Town, Hitchin Blue Cross 

 Brigade, St. Albans Stanville. 



The Watford and District Elementary 

 Schools Football Association was formed in 

 1899 and instituted a League Competition 

 which has been won by Callow Land School, 

 Watford, in 1899-1900 and 1900-1. This 

 school was also successful in winning the cup 

 presented in 1900 by Mr. E. N. Wix, H.M. 

 Inspector, for competition by the elementary 

 schools of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and 

 Huntingdonshire. 



RUGBY 



Hertfordshire being easily accessible from 

 London and possessing such a famous nursery 

 of the game as it does at Haileybury College in 

 the ordinary course of events ought to have 

 taken a prominent position as a Rugby playing 

 county. But if we except Haileybury, the 

 carrying game has never gained a firm footing in 

 any part of Hertfordshire. From time to time 

 Rugby clubs have existed in different districts, 

 but only to go over, the majority of them, to 

 the Association code with its additional attrac- 

 tions of cups and leagues. In a record of 

 Rugby Union football in Hertfordshire Hailey- 

 bury claims precedence, first because the game 

 was there introduced into the county, and 



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