TROPHY ARTICLE SERIES: Lancashire Challenge Trophy
Wed 23rd October 2019 | General | By Stewart Taylor
The Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy is if you will, the second-ranked of the Lancashire County FA competitions. The first ranked is the Lancashire FA Senior Cup, a competition which has been running since the 1879/80 season when, incidentally, the first winners were Darwen (not the same club as AFC Darwen who we see competing in the NWCFL today). The Senior Cup is open to professional clubs from the National League upwards across Lancashire.
Not too far behind the Senior Cup historically is the Challenge Trophy which is the subject of this article. Currently sponsored by the Partners Foundation based in Wigan, the competition was originally known as the Lancashire Junior Cup and was established to cater for the rapidly growing number of football clubs established in the late 1870s and early 1880s. This rapid growth led to the Senior Cup being oversubscribed. The newer clubs were entered into the newly established Junior Cup which was first competed for in the 1885/86 season. The title of the competition was changed to the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1984/85.
The first winners back in 1886 were a club known as Bell’s Temperance based in Accrington. The more impish amongst us might wish to consider the juxtaposition involved in the naming of a club as “Temperance” whilst including the name of a well-known brand of blended whisky which was certainly around at the formation of the club. However, it turns out that the name of the football club came from a Mr William Bell, a temperance speaker of the time, and Bell’s Temperance was the name of a Working Men’s Club which didn’t serve ale! It is suggested that Bell’s Temperance FC did not survive past the end of the 19th century.
The competition has run continuously since that first final with a break for World War 1. The trophy was not competed for in the 1940/41 season but, unlike many football competitions, did run for the remainder of the Second World War.
Chorley FC is the most successful club in this competition having lifted the trophy on 18 occasions. Chorley FC has a history of competing in both leagues which were forerunners of the NWCFL – Lancashire Combination and Cheshire County League – but have never been a member of the NWCFL.
The interest for NWCFL clubs in this Trophy comes from the eligibility criteria in that clubs, under the auspices of the Lancashire FA, playing at Steps 3 to 6 inclusive in the National League System compete. The catchment area of the NWCFL would suggest that many of our member clubs fall within the eligibility criteria and, currently, no fewer than 16 NWCFL clubs compete in this competition covering quite a geographical spread from Holker Old Boys in the north to Wythenshawe Amateurs in the south.
If we look at the detail of the competition from the formation of the NWCFL in 1982 we see that member clubs have competed well but few have held the trophy. Of recent times we may recall a victory in the 2016/17 competition by Ashton Athletic who defeated the higher-ranked Radcliffe Borough in the final played at what was then named the Reebok Stadium – home of Bolton Wanderers FC and now known as the University of Bolton Stadium. Ashton had to come from behind to win 2-1 in this match with the winner coming courtesy of Lee Vaughan in the final minute of the match.
Several seasons earlier (2012/13), the final was competed for by AFC Fylde – previous NWCFL members – and current member club Bacup Borough in what was a memorable evening for Bacup Borough even though AFC Fylde took the trophy after winning the match 2-0 with a somewhat controversial penalty sealing the victory in the 77th minute.
This season’s competition started in September with several NWCFL clubs including Nelson, Prestwich Heys, AFC Darwen and Daisy Hill progressing to the next round where the remainder of the eligible clubs enter the competition.
No information is readily available about the trophy although it is quite stylish as the photo of the trophy shows. If you have any information concerning the trophy then please get in touch – we would be delighted to hear from you.
TROPHY ARTICLE SERIES: Lancashire Challenge Trophy
Wed 23rd October 2019 | General
By Stewart Taylor
The Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy is if you will, the second-ranked of the Lancashire County FA competitions. The first ranked is the Lancashire FA Senior Cup, a competition which has been running since the 1879/80 season when, incidentally, the first winners were Darwen (not the same club as AFC Darwen who we see competing in the NWCFL today). The Senior Cup is open to professional clubs from the National League upwards across Lancashire.
Not too far behind the Senior Cup historically is the Challenge Trophy which is the subject of this article. Currently sponsored by the Partners Foundation based in Wigan, the competition was originally known as the Lancashire Junior Cup and was established to cater for the rapidly growing number of football clubs established in the late 1870s and early 1880s. This rapid growth led to the Senior Cup being oversubscribed. The newer clubs were entered into the newly established Junior Cup which was first competed for in the 1885/86 season. The title of the competition was changed to the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1984/85.
The first winners back in 1886 were a club known as Bell’s Temperance based in Accrington. The more impish amongst us might wish to consider the juxtaposition involved in the naming of a club as “Temperance” whilst including the name of a well-known brand of blended whisky which was certainly around at the formation of the club. However, it turns out that the name of the football club came from a Mr William Bell, a temperance speaker of the time, and Bell’s Temperance was the name of a Working Men’s Club which didn’t serve ale! It is suggested that Bell’s Temperance FC did not survive past the end of the 19th century.
The competition has run continuously since that first final with a break for World War 1. The trophy was not competed for in the 1940/41 season but, unlike many football competitions, did run for the remainder of the Second World War.
Chorley FC is the most successful club in this competition having lifted the trophy on 18 occasions. Chorley FC has a history of competing in both leagues which were forerunners of the NWCFL – Lancashire Combination and Cheshire County League – but have never been a member of the NWCFL.
The interest for NWCFL clubs in this Trophy comes from the eligibility criteria in that clubs, under the auspices of the Lancashire FA, playing at Steps 3 to 6 inclusive in the National League System compete. The catchment area of the NWCFL would suggest that many of our member clubs fall within the eligibility criteria and, currently, no fewer than 16 NWCFL clubs compete in this competition covering quite a geographical spread from Holker Old Boys in the north to Wythenshawe Amateurs in the south.
If we look at the detail of the competition from the formation of the NWCFL in 1982 we see that member clubs have competed well but few have held the trophy. Of recent times we may recall a victory in the 2016/17 competition by Ashton Athletic who defeated the higher-ranked Radcliffe Borough in the final played at what was then named the Reebok Stadium – home of Bolton Wanderers FC and now known as the University of Bolton Stadium. Ashton had to come from behind to win 2-1 in this match with the winner coming courtesy of Lee Vaughan in the final minute of the match.
Several seasons earlier (2012/13), the final was competed for by AFC Fylde – previous NWCFL members – and current member club Bacup Borough in what was a memorable evening for Bacup Borough even though AFC Fylde took the trophy after winning the match 2-0 with a somewhat controversial penalty sealing the victory in the 77th minute.
This season’s competition started in September with several NWCFL clubs including Nelson, Prestwich Heys, AFC Darwen and Daisy Hill progressing to the next round where the remainder of the eligible clubs enter the competition.
No information is readily available about the trophy although it is quite stylish as the photo of the trophy shows. If you have any information concerning the trophy then please get in touch – we would be delighted to hear from you.
