The Rovers of 1898 take their place in history
IN last week’s Bugle Ken Slater put the record straight regarding Sedgley Rovers, and Chris Lloyd has also responded with a wealth of knowledge about this little known local football team.
“The Tipton Park Cup had begun in 1897 when it was known as the Tipton Park Association Cup, ostensibly created for the purposes of promoting and raising finance for a new park which was to be laid out on the site of a derelict colliery. The park was eventually opened in Tipton in 1901 and known as Victoria Park. The competition was open to all teams competing in the West Midlands League. There is a record of Sedgley Rovers applying to enter the Walsall Junior League in 1895. However, when they entered the Tipton Park Cup in 1898 they were playing their first season in the West Midlands League.
“Completion of fixtures for the Tipton Park Cup were ponderously slow and took place throughout the whole of the winter. But finally by March 1898 only four teams remained in the competition; Dudley Town who were drawn against Tipton Victoria and Willenhall drawn against Sedgley Rovers.
“The first semi-final scheduled for March 5 featured Dudley Town playing Tipton Victoria at Netherton Rovers. The Dudley Herald did little to disguise where their support lay stating: ‘At last Dudley Town have succeeded in figuring favourably in a local competition.’ The game kicked off in spring sunshine, with Tipton having the sun shining in their eyes. Dudley took advantage of this and scored the first goal, but Tipton fought back and were leading 2-1 at half time. Dudley conceded a penalty which was saved but the final result remained 2-1 in Tipton Victoria’s favour.
“It was more than a month until the second semi-final was played when Sedgley Rovers met Willenhall at Tipton Victoria’s ground. It was a fine afternoon and a good crowd was in attendance. The game was a strong encounter and there were goals on both sides, but Sedgley survived a second half battering from Willenhall to run out 3-2 winners.
“They had reached the final to play Tipton Victoria but the general consensus of opinion was that Tipton would win the final hands down, and just to add to the bias, the game was to be played on Tipton’s home turf.
“The final of the Tipton Park Cup was arranged to take place on May Day 1898, a day of cloud but no rain. ‘It was an exciting game which ended in a win for Sedgley by three goals to nil’ reported the County Advertiser. While the Dudley Herald claimed that Tipton: ‘Were not beaten as decisively as the score suggests,’ although they did agree that Sedgley were to be congratulated. Each of the Sedgley Rovers players were presented with a commemorative medal which many of them proudly displayed on their watch chains for years afterwards. Certainly my grandfather did and I have inherited this fabulous momento.
“I don’t know what position he played in the team but he was a bargeman by trade, a strong and wily man who may have been suited to play on the wing.”