Speaker Brian Gray - Sporting Trophies

President Ewen welcomed twenty-two members. He reminded us that next week, 24^th January, would be a Burns supper, open to guests, partners and spouses.

Our speaker was Brian Gray, to give the fourth talk in a series of Sport Topics, “Sporting Trophies – the search for the oldest original sporting trophy which is still contested.

The criteria were age, continuity, acknowledged origin and current existence of the memorial Trophy. The Trophy was an award for winning a sporting event and a memorial to the continuity of competition. Disagreement may occur that not all earlier competitions were truly Open and amateur, because of the need for the burgesses to train a private army, and with professional sport so disfigured by greed that openness is no longer possible as for example it was when the SFA cup final was cancelled because an amateur team, Vale of Leven were unable to raise eleven men.

Nevertheless our speaker concluded that the following events reached the TOP FIVE:

5^th The Scottish FA Cup, March 1884, thought to be the oldest football trophy held in SFA Hampden Park

4^th The Claret Jug played since 1873, awarded to the champion golfer of the Year, the original kept in the R&A in St Andrews

3^rd The Musselburgh old Club Cup, 1774 now played on the nine-hole course within the racetrack

2^nd The Musselburgh Arrow competed for by the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen’s bodyguard in Scotland, annually since 1676.

1^st The Ancient Scorton Silver Arrow, open to all since 1673. A silver replica is awarded the original being in the Royal Armoury, Leeds. It fulfills the criteria:

•    The oldest sporting trophy in the world

•    Presented at the world’s oldest recorded sporting event

•    Held continuously (bar the war years) for 344 years

A vote of thanks was given by David Sandford for an arresting story which demonstrated that despite the face of sport changing, and individuals like Mo Farah instantly becoming icons, importantly, the age-old notions of fair, open competition are memorialised in the affection we still have for the old story and the trophies we carry in our hearts, no matter how apparently insignificant.