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1111 - the Senior Cup : History and Records

The idea for a Durham Senior Cup came from the success of the Yorkshire Cup which had been introduced in 1877 and despite reservations by the R.F.U. it had proven very popular both on and off the field.

At a meeting held at the Three Tuns Hotel in Durham City in September of 1880, it was decided to introduce a Cup Competition among the Clubs which at that time comprised Sunderland, North Durham, Westoe, Houghton, Darlington, Durham [City], Bishop Auckland, Hartlepool and DurhamUniversity.

A sum of 50 guineas was agreed as the purchase price for the Cup, which is the one still being competed for among the Clubs, and Hartlepool Football Club holds the honour of being the first local club to play in the draw. They were drawn away to Sunderland Rovers in the preliminary Round on the 8th January 1881 and were defeated by one goal and one try to Nil! The balance has been redressed on many occasions since then. The draw in the first season ran as follows : -

Round 1              
HOME TEAM GOALS TRIES MINORS AWAY TEAM GOALS TRIES MINORS
Sunderland Rovers 1 1 0 Hartlepool 0 0 0
               
Round 2              
Houghton 0 1 3 North Durham 0 0 0
Darlington 3 0 4 Durham City 0 0 3
Sunderland W/O     Durham University      
Westoe W/O     Bishop Auckland      
               
Round 3              
Darlington 0 0 0 Sunderland 1 1 0
Houghton 1 0 5 Westoe 0 0 3
(Match played at Sunderland RFC, Chester Road, Cricket Ground, Sunderland)    
Sunderland Rovers       BYE      
               
Semi finals              
Houghton 2 0 9 Sunderland Rovers 0 0 0
Sunderland       BYE      
Final              
WINNERS GOALS TRIES MINORS RUNNERS-UP GOALS TRIES MINORS
Sunderland 0 3 2 Houghton 0 0 1

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