Derbyshire C.G.B.A 2025

Derbyshire County Cup – A potted history

 

In 1911, the year after the founding of the County Association, T Wright Esq. JP of Darley Dale presented the Wright Championship Cup

to be presented annually to the winners of the Derbyshire County Team Championship.

The first champions were Compstall (Spring Gardens) who were to win a hat trick of titles in 1924 –26.

In 1928 the County Association was restructured into sections, North – Buxton, South – Derby and East – Chesterfield.

Most clubs North of Buxton ceasing their affiliation to the County.

The team championship was played to a winner within the three sections with a rota for the section receiving a bye to the final.

In 1937 Derbyshire Miners’ Welfare Association affiliated to the County Association as a separate section with the result a bye was no longer required.

In 1931 the final was contested by the two most successful clubs to have played in the Championship, Rolls Royce & Fairfield.

This resulted in the first tie with both teams scoring 216 points each. The final was replayed the following week at Robinson’s Works, Chesterfield

with Fairfield winning by 24 points. Rubbing salt in the wounds, both clubs met in the final again the following year with Fairfield again the victors, by 35 points.

Ind Coope & Allsop Ltd presented a new Cup to the County Association in 1939 that is still awarded annually to the County Cup winning team.

The Wright Cup continued to be awarded but to the losing finalist until 1993 when it became evident the recipients didn’t wish to receive a runners-up Cup.

The Wright Cup has been mothballed ever since.

The County Cup was suspended during WW2. In 1947 Chesterfield & District Association resigned their position as East section and with their withdrawal

this would again leave three teams in the semi-final of the County Cup, rather than resort to reintroducing the rota it was agreed to award the section

with the most entries, usually South Derbyshire, two teams in the semi-finals.

Derbyshire Miners’ Welfare resigned from the County Association in 1950, resulting in only three teams in the semi-finals of the County Cup that year,

two from the South & one from the North.

In 1955 match days changed from Saturdays to Sundays.

The format of the County Cup competition was changed in 1965 to an open draw rather than regional knockouts.

A further refinement was made in 1969 when teams were reduced to ten players instead of twelve.

The County Cup rules were amended in 1978 to reduce the number of dates required to run the competition and to save on travel expenses.

The first round (proper) & all subsequent rounds to be played in groups of four teams playing on the same neutral green.

Travel restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the competition being played in 2020.

It returned the following year but was played on a five at home & five away basis rather than using neutral greens.

The competition returned to the previous format from 2024.

In 1991 a Repechage (Len Dawson Trophy) competition was introduced for teams that had competed in the County cup and had been defeated in their first match.

The competition followed a similar format as the County cup.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the competition not being played in 2020 & 2021, resuming the following year.