THOMAS DEWAR:WHISKEY DISTILLER

March 5th 1904, The Charity Shield, originally also known as the Dewar Shield, is now known as the Community Shield. It was originally the annual  charity match on behalf of the Sheriff of London, competed for from 1898. The competing teams each season, were the best amateur side of the time, which was usually the Corinthian Football Club and a top professional side. In 1904 the opposing teams were the Corinthians and the side who had won the FA Cup the previous year, Bury FC. 

Played at the Queen's Club, the Corinthians' home ground (better known now as a tennis venue), Bury fielded ten of the side who had beaten Derby County 6-0 in the FA Cup final, the biggest winning margin in the prestigious Cup Final. With only 10 minutes gone, Bury were leading 2-0 but then the amateurs started to play with what was described as their 'wonderful dash' and the Corinthians, true amateurs who played an uncomplicated style, were soon 4-2 up at by half time and they eventually won the match 10-3. 

On 5th March 1938 at White Hart Lane, a record crowd of 75,038 attended Tottenham's FA CUP 6th Round tie against Sunderland. Raich Carter scored the only goal that gave Cup holders Sunderland their 0-1 victory

Two well known professionals played in this game; Vic Buckingham who became one of the cirst players to go abraod and bring back coaching styles and knowledge from Europe and Arthur Rowe also a pioneer in the game. Rowe led Spurs to the First Division Championship in 1951 and introduced the "One-Two" passing game! he became a coach to Ardingly College in Sussex in his "retirement". Buckingham's career deserves a blog to himself, he was a bit special. He is not Tommy Trinder!

To the left is the Sir Thomas Dewar Cup, provided by the named Scottish Whiskey distiller, was played for from 1898 in America, best known as the Dewar Cup, it was the trophy awarded to the winner of the National Challenge Cup/Lamar Hunt US Open Cup competition, as a tribute to his works promoting soccer in the U.S. in the early 1900s. This is the oldest competition in the USA.

Dewar (below) also gave a trophy for the best Thoroughbred Race Horse in the USA and in cycling, the Dewar Challenge Shield was first competed for in 1901. 

There is also a named challenge cup competed for by members of the Serpentine Swimming Club in Hyde Park, since 1925.

This blog has been produced with help from the all conquering Wiki and several other sources.