Myles N. Kenyon Cup
The Myles N. Kenyon Cup, popularly known as the Kenyon Cup is an amateur football cup competition held for teams playing in Amateur Leagues in and around Bury, England and is named after former Lancashire captain and batsman and High Sheriff of Lancashire, Myles Noel Kenyon.[1][2]
The current holders are Little Lever Sports Club of the Lancashire Amateur League.
History
The first recorded Kenyon Cup competition took place in 1922 taking its constituent teams from the four local leagues:[3]
- The Bury Amateur Football League
- The Bury Metro Alliance Amateur Football League
- The Radcliffe Amateur Football League
- The Bury & District Sunday Schools' Amateur Football League
Since its inception the competition has been runs as a benevolent fund for either players or match officials who have suffered financial hardship due to their involvement in football or for other causes. This can be shown amongst other things by the cup being run as a joint committee of the four original leagues and the Referees' Association.
The original cup was stolen recently and was described as
"an 8in hallmarked silver cup, with handles and scalloped top to bown of cup. It had a double riser plinth with two complete name bands. It was engraved, "Bury & District Football Leagues Benevolent Fund, The Myles N. Kenyon Cup." It weighed 25oz."[3]
The cup was an annual competition for a variety of leagues across Bury until in recent times all bar the Bury Amateur League pulled out of the competition as the leagues folded.
Finally in 2004 the Bury Amateur League could no longer hold a full fixture list having only three clubs remaining, and so as the only remaining constituent league withdrew, the Cup was suspended indefinitely.[3]
Relaunch
In 2005 a new committee consisting of members of the Bury & District Referees' Association and former members of the cup committee (mainly from the former Bury Amateur League) relaunched the cup as a preseason competition and once again invited teams from a number of different leagues across Bury to join the cup.
Since the relaunch of the competition the cup has continued as a preseason tournament with the final held each year so far on Bury's Gigg Lane. In the current season's competition the semi finals have been held at a neutral venue (Ramsbottom United's Riverside Ground). In the second year of the new competition a group stage was added for the first round, with four groups of four, the top two teams progressing on to the quarter final stages.
Previous Finals
Season | Result | Match Officials | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2005-06[4] | Radcliffe Town F.C. | 0-0 AET
4-5 |
Tottington United 'A' | Referee - P. Thompson,
Assistants - M. Jason, B. Talbot, 4th Official - M. Jackson |
2006-07[5] | Bury Grammar School Old Boys | 0-3 | Heywood St. James | Referee - N. Greenhalgh
Assistants - P. Adamson K. Greenhalgh, 4th Official - |
2007-08 | Old Standians 'A' | 1-1
4-5 |
Little Lever S.C. 'A' | Referee P. Adamson
Assistants - M. Collinge, 4th Official - K Greenhalgh |
References
Radcliffe Town won the competition in 2005, it was 2-2 AET and went on to win 5-4 in the penalty shoot out