Page:Football, The Association Game.djvu/31

 Park, Windsor House Park, and Lausanne clubs, the resolution was carried, "That a Challenge Cup be established, open to all clubs belonging to the Football Association." Owing to the fact that most of the fixture cards had been completed for the season,- the northern clubs were conspicuous by their absence. Sixteen clubs in all had entered, and of these only two—Queen's Park Club, Glasgow, and Donington Grammar School—came from north of Hertfordshire. Hitchin, the Royal Engineers, Reigate Priory, Maidenhead, and Great Marlow were all outside the Metropolitan radius; but the other eight^the Wanderers, Harrow Chequers, Barnes, Civil Service, Crystal Palace, Upton Park, the Clapham Rovers, and Hampstead Heathens—were all within easy reach of the City, and all came fairly under the category of London clubs.

The insertion in the first rule of a clause, giving the committee the power to exempt provincial clubs from the early tie drawings, enabled the Queen's Park club to come up fresh to London as one of the four competitors in the fourth round. Their opponents were the Wanderers, and the match, the first of a really International character under the Association rules, which was played at Kennington Oval, ended in a draw. Unfortunately, they were unable to stay in London to replay the game; and the Wanderers, who thus qualified for the final, were successful in winning the trophy for the first time, after a stiff contest with the Royal Engineers, by one goal to none, though they had all the best of the play.

I specially stated that the meeting between the Wanderers and Queen's Park was the first which could be called a bonâ fide International match for a particular reason. For some time past there had been contests bearing the title of England v, Scotland in Londop, but, as a matter of fact, the