New book to shine light on proud history of the Mexborough Montagu Cup

Mexborough Montagu Cup. Picture by Mike Bayly

A BOOK is being released to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Mexborough Montagu Cup, thought to be the oldest football competition still played at its original venue

As well as a record of every “Mont” final result since the first one in 1897, the tome will tell the fascinating stories of some of the players who have competed in this traditional Easter Monday fixture.

Established football author Steve Penny, helped by the research of Chris Brook, has pulled all the history together in an A4 publication due out on Thursday, December 15.

That date will also see a launch night at Mexborough Athletic Club, New Oxford Road, starting at 7.30pm.

The book includes:

*The player who scored in the 1944 Montagu Cup final and went on to get the winning goal in the 1952 FA Cup final.

*The highest-attended Montagu Cup final was in 1944 when 5,704 went to watch many professionals who were allowed to ‘guest’ for amateur teams during the war years. One of those professionals managed to star in the evening Montagu final, despite completing a 2am shift as a fireman on a steam train AND playing in the afternoon for Rotherham United.

* The 1945 final was settled by a bizarre “next corner wins” rule.

* Family connections. The 1969 final had seven players from the Whitehouse family split between the two teams.

* The Bennetts featured in an early Montagu Cup final. The Mexborough family had four brothers who all went on to play elite football, amassing four FA Cup final medals and a League title between them.

* The clubs that have played in the Montagu Cup reflect the history of the area. Wombwell Main were the first of the winners linked to the coal mines. Mexborough Grand Central Loco were the first railway-based finalists in 1915.

*Winners soon after World War I were the Swinton Discharged Soldiers and Sailors and after World War II, Jump Home Guard. Since then, there have been victorious teams representing a variety of organisations such as churches, chemical works, steelworks, collieries, car manufacturers, clubs and pubs.

* The venue for the first Montagu Cup final was the Hampden Road ground. The very first final was played there on Easter Monday, 1897, as was the 125th anniversary final in 2022, watched by a bumper crowd of approximately 1,500.

Stelrad Radiators are the main sponsors of the book, which is priced at £15, or £10 for pre-orders.

It can be ordered online at https://tinyurl.com/MontOrders or at Pettits in Mexborough.