SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



FOOTBALL 



ASSOCIATION 



The modernized Association game is a 

 recent development in Cumberland. A 

 century or so ago the ' football play,' with 

 its rude rough-and-tumble tactics, existed 

 and flourished amongst the villagers in cer- 

 tain districts. Then, from the time the ball 

 was thrown down in the churchyard until it 

 reached its goal a distance of two or three 

 miles perhaps every inch of ground was 

 keenly contested by almost the entire male 

 population of the rural villages ; and in some 

 cases even by the other sex. 



About 1874 occasional games of Asso- 

 ciation football were played in the 'Border 

 City,' but no organization attempted ; ' the 

 real football,' as far as Cumberland is 

 concerned, dates from the late ' seven- 

 ties.' The Carlisle Club was the first 

 of its kind apart from school football, 

 and was formed on 8 September, 1880, 

 two years after the formation of the Den- 

 ton Holme Club in the same city. United 

 efforts at Carlisle were immediately followed 

 by the formation of Wigton Club in Sep- 

 tember 1880, and the Workington and 

 Distington Clubs a short time later. 



The organizations named were the ori- 

 ginal members of the Cumberland Football 

 Association, which was established at Wig- 

 ton in the year 1884. Progress was at 

 first slow. It took the novitiate clubs a 

 long time to persuade the hard-headed Cum- 

 brians that football was a health-giving game 

 to be admired and fostered. In January, 1886, 

 there were seven Association clubs in the 

 county, but only four affiliated. But the 

 game had come to stay, and it gradually 

 gained ground until in the season of 1899- 

 1900 the Cumberland Association had a 

 record membership of forty-two clubs. 



The season of 18856 saw the inaugura- 

 tion of the Cumberland Cup Competition, 

 which has done much to advance the game 

 locally. The Carlisle men were the first 

 winners, their victory over Workington being 

 challenged without avail by the losers on 

 the novel ground ' that the referee gave 

 his decision before being appealed to by the 

 umpires ! ' Workington 's revenge came later, 

 for, winning the much-coveted trophy the 

 following season, they retained possession un- 

 til 1891-2, when it was gained by the Moss 

 Bay Exchange, another Workington combina- 

 tion which held it for two years. In 1893-4 

 the cup again found a home in Carlisle, but 



was brought back the next year to Working - 

 ton by the Black Diamonds. From that period 

 the trophy remained in the Cumberland 

 ' Ironopolis,' until the season 19001, when 

 Shaddongate United, the then premier Carlisle 

 club, was successful. During this time 

 Workington has registered four more wins, 

 and the Black Diamonds one. Frizington 

 White Star were the holders in 19012. 



With a view to encouraging the rising 

 talent, the Cumberland Shield Competition 

 was inaugurated in 1889. It has fully 

 answered its purpose, thirty or more teams 

 competing annually for the coveted trophy. 

 So keen is the competition, that no club has 

 won the shield more than twice, as will be 

 seen from the following list of champions : 

 Season 1889-90, Arlecdon ; 18901, Moss 

 Bay Exchange; 18912, Black Diamonds; 

 1892-3, Imperial Rovers; 1893-4, Wigton 

 Harriers ; 1894-5, Workington ; 1895-6, 

 Black Diamonds ; 18967, Workington ; 

 1897-8, Frizington White Star; 1898-9, 

 Shaddongate United ; 1899-1900, Frizing- 

 ton White Star ; 1900-1, Cockermouth Cru- 

 saders ; 1901-2, Scalegill Rovers ; 1902-3, 

 Moss Bay Exchange. 



It is interesting to trace the development of 

 the league system in Cumberland. A ' West 

 Cumberland Association League ' was formed 

 about 1890, but had a brief and precarious 

 existence. At a meeting held at Cocker- 

 mouth 24 March, 1894, the league was 

 reformed under the title of ' The Cumber- 

 land League ' and its scope extended. The 

 following eight clubs claimed membership : 

 Imperial Rovers (Workington), Cockermouth 

 Crusaders, Black Diamonds, Carlisle City, 

 Moss Bay Exchange, Workington, Keswick 

 and Wigton Harriers. The league com- 

 menced working the following season. The 

 Workington men proved the champions, and 

 retained the position during the three fol- 

 lowing seasons. In the seasons of 1898-9 

 and 1899-1900, however, the seaport club 

 more than met their match in Frizington 

 White Star, an organization in the iron-ore 

 mining district which had been making bold 

 but unsuccessful bids for the cup. The 

 abstention of Keswick from league football in 

 recent years, and the limited number of 

 senior clubs, somewhat checked the interest 

 in the annual competitions ; but at the 

 meeting of 1900 a revival appeared to have 

 taken place, for four new clubs (three of 

 whom had been working under the auspices 

 of the Junior League) joined the senior 



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