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| Oldest-known FA Cup final programme expected to fetch £25,000 at auction | Oldest-known FA Cup final programme expected to fetch £25,000 at auction |
| (5 months later) | |
| A single sheet of slightly faded paper, the print annotated in black ink, is expected to set a new world record when it comes up for auction next week. | A single sheet of slightly faded paper, the print annotated in black ink, is expected to set a new world record when it comes up for auction next week. |
| The score was a dull 1-0, but the page is historic: the oldest known FA Cup final programme, from Saturday 25 March 1882 when Old Etonians played the seven-year-old Blackburn Rovers. Despite losing, Rovers were the first club from outside the Home Counties to reach the cup final. | The score was a dull 1-0, but the page is historic: the oldest known FA Cup final programme, from Saturday 25 March 1882 when Old Etonians played the seven-year-old Blackburn Rovers. Despite losing, Rovers were the first club from outside the Home Counties to reach the cup final. |
| The programme, which was found in a box of old papers bought at auction, is predicted to make up to £25,000 when it is sold by the specialist dealer Graham Budd at Sotheby's in London. | The programme, which was found in a box of old papers bought at auction, is predicted to make up to £25,000 when it is sold by the specialist dealer Graham Budd at Sotheby's in London. |
| The current record is held by a programme from the 1909 cup final, won by Manchester United against Bristol City, which sold last year for £23,500. Such early relics of the beautiful game are avidly collected: a Preston North End v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1889 programme sold in 2006 for £21,850. Budd said he was very excited to be selling an even earlier programme. "Over the past few years I have sold several world record breaking programmes, and I really believe that this will exceed them." | The current record is held by a programme from the 1909 cup final, won by Manchester United against Bristol City, which sold last year for £23,500. Such early relics of the beautiful game are avidly collected: a Preston North End v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1889 programme sold in 2006 for £21,850. Budd said he was very excited to be selling an even earlier programme. "Over the past few years I have sold several world record breaking programmes, and I really believe that this will exceed them." |
| In 1882 the FA Cup itself was only a decade old. The match was played at the Kennington Oval, now Surrey's cricket ground. Blackburn Rovers had just turned professional; the victorious Old Etonians were all amateurs and, as the later lives of the players revealed, mainly destined for lucrative careers in politics or law. | In 1882 the FA Cup itself was only a decade old. The match was played at the Kennington Oval, now Surrey's cricket ground. Blackburn Rovers had just turned professional; the victorious Old Etonians were all amateurs and, as the later lives of the players revealed, mainly destined for lucrative careers in politics or law. |
| The programme was kept by Sir Thomas Berry Cusack-Smith, KCMG, 5th baronet, a lawyer like his father and grandfather, and inevitably an old Etonian himself. He went to the match with two friends, and met several of the players afterwards. | The programme was kept by Sir Thomas Berry Cusack-Smith, KCMG, 5th baronet, a lawyer like his father and grandfather, and inevitably an old Etonian himself. He went to the match with two friends, and met several of the players afterwards. |
| Cusack-Smith added "black and … stripes" in ink, correcting the programme which said Rovers wore white. At the foot he wrote "those marked deserved notice". The names underlined were forwards ATB Dunn, RH Macaulay, HC Goodhart, JFP Rawlinson in goal, TH French, and the captain, the Hon AF Kinnaird. | Cusack-Smith added "black and … stripes" in ink, correcting the programme which said Rovers wore white. At the foot he wrote "those marked deserved notice". The names underlined were forwards ATB Dunn, RH Macaulay, HC Goodhart, JFP Rawlinson in goal, TH French, and the captain, the Hon AF Kinnaird. |
| He had a good eye: Kinnaird went on to win a total of five FA Cup medals, three with Wanderers and two with Etonians, and as Lord Kinnaird become the Football Association's first president. Harry Goodhart played three times for England, and became professor of humanities at Edinburgh University; Rawlinson became a Tory MP; and Dunn won four England caps, opened a prep school, and launched the Arthur Dunn Cup, still competed for between schools. | He had a good eye: Kinnaird went on to win a total of five FA Cup medals, three with Wanderers and two with Etonians, and as Lord Kinnaird become the Football Association's first president. Harry Goodhart played three times for England, and became professor of humanities at Edinburgh University; Rawlinson became a Tory MP; and Dunn won four England caps, opened a prep school, and launched the Arthur Dunn Cup, still competed for between schools. |
| Evidently Cusack-Smith didn't consider any of the Rovers team "deserved notice", even though they included England internationals Fred and John Hargreaves, and Jimmy Brown. But he did note afterwards in his diary "a most exciting match in the presence of 5,000 persons". | Evidently Cusack-Smith didn't consider any of the Rovers team "deserved notice", even though they included England internationals Fred and John Hargreaves, and Jimmy Brown. But he did note afterwards in his diary "a most exciting match in the presence of 5,000 persons". |
| Rovers returned in triumph two years later for the first of their historic three-in-a-row FA cup final victories – two against Queen's Park and one against West Bromwich Albion – for which they were awarded a specially commissioned silver shield. | Rovers returned in triumph two years later for the first of their historic three-in-a-row FA cup final victories – two against Queen's Park and one against West Bromwich Albion – for which they were awarded a specially commissioned silver shield. |
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