THANK YOU RICHARD WILSON

This blog remembers Richard Wilson, who was the Chairman of the Arthur Dunn Cup committee and who passed away in February. He was an Old Malvernian, who played in four Dunn finals and later refereed in the Arthurian League and Cup. He was a class act.

The Arthurian League does not feature in the Non-League Paper, it is not on the pyramid. Teams playing in the Arthurian League, a competition named after a pioneer in amateur football, Old Etonian, Arthur Dunn, are from schools all known as "Public" Schools. The only way that a member of the "public" could spend their education in a school, such as Charterhouse, would be through a scholarship scheme or a win on the Lottery.

I am not going to get into a blurb on posh and state schools, so let us just call the Public Schools, the Independent Schools. Many ISFA schools play "soccer". Remember it was the Public Schools that "invented the game".

On Saturday, the Arthurian League had its end of term bonanza at the Merchant Taylors' School near Watford. This was a brilliant host, where three Arthurian finals were decided, adding to the nine other competitions organised by the Arthurian committee each season.

On show on Saturday were old boys' teams from schools mainly known as rugby playing schools; St John's Leatherhead, Rugby, playing in the "minor" finals and in the major Arthur Dunn Cup Final was Tonbridge School.  Another rugby playing school to earn a trophy in 2017-18 is Harrow who won the League Division 5 South title!

The Old Tonbridge team has had a meteoric rise to the Premier Division of the Arthurian League and has already won the Arthur Dunn Cup in 2012 and 2016. The OTs were an even match for the Old Carthusians, who are old hands at winning either Cups or Leagues since the inception of the Arthur Dunn Cup in 1903. Since then, with the usual break for war!, the OCs have been in 34 Dunn finals and have now won it 28 times.
The game on Saturday went to extra time after the Tonbridgians sprung two quick goals within five minutes from the kick off. The Carthusians might have weakened, but they are a mature team with huge spirit. They got off the bus! got back to 2-1, then gave away a penalty when their goalkeeper, Rob Procter, had little choice but to foul on the edge of his area, having been exposed once again by a Tonbridgian counter attack.

At 3-1 down in the second half, many teams would have cracked but the old hands coped with the deficit, clawing the game back to 3-3 and after extra time, penalties loomed. Procter made up for the earlier penalty and saved one with his hand and backside (at least it looked like that from the sideline) and the huge Dunn Cup made its way back to Charterhouse, 4-3 on pens.

OCFC Captain, Jamie Cameron, has broken a Cup record winning the final for the eighth time since 2008.

In 1903 the OCs shared the cup with the Old Salopians (old boys of Shrewsbury School). The final ended 2-2 and both teams decided to have only ten minutes of extra time, to enable them all to go to the "celebratory dinner" at the Cafe Royal, rather than muck about playing out extra time. In the replay the teams draw 2-2 again; cup shared. The Carthusian team included nine Blues and three internationals and two "unofficial" internationals.


The Carthusians have won the cup this century in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011,2013, 2014, 2015, 2017.