Northamptonshire Senior Cup
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 Flag of Northamptonshire | |
| Founded | 1883 |
|---|---|
| Region | Northamptonshire (Northants FA) |
| Current champions | Peterborough Sports, (2 titles) |
| Most successful club(s) | Kettering Town, (31 titles) |
| Website | Hillier Senior Cup website |
The NFA Hillier Senior Cup is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Northamptonshire, England and the surrounding area. It is a County Cup competition of the Northamptonshire Football Association and involves senior non-league teams. It has been contested annually since 1883.[1] Kettering Town have won the cup the most times, lifting the trophy on 31 occasions. The current champions are Peterborough Sports, who beat Cogenhoe United in the final in April 2023.
History[edit]
Initially named the NFA Senior Cup, the tournament was renamed in 1981. It was first held in 1883, and was won by Newport Pagnell Town.[1] The trophy has since been lifted by 24 different sides (not including reserve teams).[2] The winner of the competition now contests the Maunsell Cup against one of Peterborough or Northampton.[3]
In 1988, The tournament went through a re-structure with the English Football League clubs, Peterborough United and Northampton Town being withdrawn from the cup, after the Northamptonshire FA decided to make the competition an all non-league affair. Since then, the competition has been contested by the 14 highest ranked non-league teams from the previous season, within Northamptonshire. The only exception to this rule was when Rushden & Diamonds competed in the competition between 2001-2006, whilst they were in League Two. They were allowed to take part however, after agreeing to field an Under-21s team in the cup during this period.
Since 1998, the final has been held at Sixfields Stadium.[4] In 2022, The Under 18 teams of both Peterborough United and Northampton Town were eligible to enter the competition, marking the first time teams entered from both clubs since 1988.
Recent winners[edit]
| Year | Winners | Runner-up | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Rothwell Town | Raunds Town | 223 |
| 2006 | Northampton Spencer | Corby Town | 527 |
| 2007 | Rushden & Diamonds | Woodford United | 1,256 |
| 2008 | Rushden & Diamonds | Brackley Town | 1,747 |
| 2009 | Long Buckby | Brackley Town | 248 |
| 2010 | Corby Town | Daventry Town | 484 |
| 2011 | Brackley Town | Corby Town | 567 |
| 2012 | Brackley Town | Stewarts & Lloyds Corby | 360 |
| 2013 | Corby Town | Daventry Town | 486 |
| 2014 | Daventry Town | Cogenhoe United | 314 |
| 2015 | Brackley Town | Peterborough Northern Star | 608 |
| 2016 | AFC Rushden & Diamonds | Kettering Town | 845 |
| 2017 | Kettering Town | Corby Town | 795 |
| 2018 | Kettering Town | Brackley Town | 673 |
| 2019 | AFC Rushden and Diamonds | Brackley Town | 1,097 |
| 2022 | Peterborough Sports | AFC Rushden and Diamonds | 591 |
| 2023 | Peterborough Sports | Cogenhoe United | 268 |
All Time Winners[edit]
| Pos | Winners | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettering Town | 31 | Last Win: 2018 |
| 2 | Northampton Town | 22 | Last Win: 1987 / Stopped Competing in 1988 |
| 3 | Peterborough United | 21 | Last Win: 1988 / Stopped Competing in 1988 |
| 4 | Brackley Town | 12 | Last Win: 2015 |
| 5 | Corby Town | 11 | Last Win: 2013 |
| 6 | Northampton Spencer | 7 | Last Win: 2006 / Dissolved in 2019 |
| Daventry Town | Last Win: 2014 | ||
| 8 | Newport Pagnell Town | 5 | Last Win: 1963 |
| 9 | Desborough Town | 4 | Last Win: 1954 |
| Wellingborough Town | Last Win: 1995 | ||
| Rushden & Diamonds | Last Win: 2008 / Dissolved in 2011 | ||
| Long Buckby | Last Win: 2009 | ||
| 12 | AFC Rushden & Diamonds | 2 | Last Win: 2019 |
| Peterborough Sports | Last Win: 2023 | ||
| 14 | Rushden Town | 1 | Last Win: 1924 / Merged in 1992 with Irthlingborough Diamonds |
| James King Blisworth F.C. | Last Win: 1927 | ||
| Moulton F.C. | Last Win: 1935 | ||
| Rothwell Corinthians | Last Win: 1957 | ||
| Irthlingborough Diamonds | Last Win: 1962 / Merged in 1992 with Rushden Town | ||
| Northampton Sileby Rangers | Last Win: 1976 | ||
| Wellingborough Whitworth | Last Win: 1978 | ||
| Raunds Town | Last Win: 1997 | ||
| Cogenhoe United | Last Win: 2004 | ||
| Rothwell Town | Last Win: 2005 |
Source:[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Sorry. Something's wrong with the pitch. - Northamptonshire FA".
- ^ "Sorry. Something's wrong with the pitch. - Northamptonshire FA".
- ^ "Cobblers to travel to AFC Rushden & Diamonds for Maunsell Cup Final". www.northamptonchron.co.uk. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Cobblers and Posh". 7 June 1988.
- ^ "'One down, one to go' for Peterborough Sports as County Cup final win is dedicated to a couple of club stalwarts". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Northamptonshire FA Handbook 2021". www.northamptonshirefa.com. Retrieved 12 March 2024.