Calcutta Cup, England versus Scotland, 1892

I just realise that I forgot to post this print last Saturday... let's go back to 1892 to enjoy this great newspaper print (double page, A3 size...) showing the guys at work at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. It comes from "Black  & White" newspaper dated March 19, 1892.

Full caption reads "England vs Scotland - The international football match played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh - Alderson relieves the English line". You can go here to get a full size scan of this print and read the name of the players...

(Private message to the people at www.scrum.com : guys, the new look of your website is great, clear and much more legible than before... but what have you done with the stats database ?? I can't retrieve the stats of this particuliar game... help !)

A couple of words about the trophy... this Calcutta Cup was first awarded in 1879 by the RFU... and, guess it..., it comes from India.

Actually, this trophy was originally presented by the members of the Calcutta Football Club. It is made entirely from melted-down silver rupees, and was crafted in India after the club decided to close down ! After a promising start in the early 1870, rugby didn't manage to emerge in India - no doubt that Indian climate doesn't help... - whereas cricket and tennis were getting more and more popular... Hence, the idea of a trophy to remember the late colonial rugby in India ! Certainly one of the oldest sporting trophy in the world... I need to check that later...


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