DAVID BAUCKHAM
Our photographer takes a nostalgic trip through the ages at Kimbolton Castle
ARTHUR Tempest Blakiston Dunn was born in Whitby on August 12, 1860. Described “as the finest and most accomplished footballer of the 1880s”, he was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.
Dunn made 31 appearances for the legendary Corinthian club between 1886-92, scoring 12 goals; and also won five England caps. He was the last amateur captain of the national team, culminating in a 4-1 victory over Scotland at Ibrox Park. It is said that he slipped quietly away one morning without telling his wife that he was off to captain England.
He also represented his former school, and was a member of the Old Etonian side that beat Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup Final in 1882. Unfortunately he was forced off through injury against Blackburn Olympic the following year. The Blackburn Standard described him as being like a “steam engine…no matter how many of his opponents he had to face he would not pass the ball”.
Eventually he was brought down during one of these runs and didn’t get up again.
Overflow
Prior to his untimely death on February 20, 1902 at the age of just 41, Dunn had bemoaned the declining influence of the amateur game in the face of professionalism, and proposed an ‘Old Boy’ Association. Just three weeks after his death, a meeting of Old Boys interested in amateur football was convened and an annual competition in the form of a cup contest was proposed, confined to the representatives of the chief public schools, with any surplus profits donated to charity. The trophy was donated by another Old Etonian, Robert Cunliffe Gosling, who like Dunn had captained England, and who was once described as “the richest man who ever played for England at the side of a professional”.
Fourteen Old Boys sides competed in the first Arthur Dunn Challenge Cup competition (generally referred to simply as “The Dunn”) and the final on March 28, 1903 between the Old Carthusians and Old Salopians, of Charterhouse and Shrewsbury schools respectively, was watched by an estimated 1,000 spectators.
The venue was Crystal Palace and ended in a 2-2 draw after 20 minutes extra-time. A replay at
Ealing ended with the same result and therefore it was agreed to share the trophy.
By 1913, the competition had become over-subscribed and the Arthur Dunn Cup Committee responded by introducing the ‘Old Boys Cup’. This was therefore initially an ‘overflow' competition but still exists today in a much broader form.
Last season’s final was the 108th, and was won by Old Carthusians, who are the most successful side in the history of the Dunn, with an astonishing record of 29 wins from 35 appearances. They also won the FA Cup back in 1881, beating Old Etonians in the final. It is a curi
ous fact
however, that Eton have actually only the won the Dunn twice – the same amount of times as they have won the FA Cup. It wasn’t until the introduction of the Arthurian League in 1961 that the Dunn clubs were able to play competitive matches against one another on a regular basis, and the competition now boasts six divisions, plus a Veterans’ League.
One of the stipulations of the Dunn is that only school alumni are eligible to play. Increasingly, former pupils of the independent schools are represented in the Premier League, but current and former professional footballers are ineligible to play in the Dunn. One of the competition’s great attractions is that wherever possible ties must be played at the home school, and on grass.
The Dunn therefore provides some stunning backdrops, including those of Repton School, Lancing College, and Charterhouse School.
Reputation
Today’s second round tie provides another, in the form of Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire, the last residence of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon.
Now a stately home, it was purchased by Kimbolton School in 1950. Although Old Kimboltonians have been around for some considerable time, they only affiliated to the Arthurian League and played their first Dunn tie in 2014.
Their opponents today are Old Columbans of St. Columba’s College in St. Albans, another relative newcomer to the competition, who only entered the Dunn as recently as 2018. Currently competing in Division Four and Three respectively of the Arthurian League, neither would be expected to trouble the Premier Division clubs in the latter stages of the Dunn, but both are progressive sides expected to climb up through the divisions over the coming seasons.
As it turns out, both are wellmatched. Kimboltonians (in purple) take a first-half lead slightly against the run of play, when the lively Sam Findlay is brought down in the 18-yard box and gets up to convert the subsequent penalty.
Columbans have a reputation as a goal-scoring team but are unable to breach the home defence.
Soon after half-time, Findlay scores again from an absurdly acute angle, but the OKs concede almost immediately when Nick Lewis pulls a goal back for the visitors.
The goal spurs on Columbans who have at least one good shout for a penalty turned down. Kimboltonians however hold on and are rewarded with another home tie, this time against 2016 Dunn winners Old Tonbridgians on February 15.