Between 1884 and 1937 Corinthian FC embarked on a series of international tours which influenced the popularity of football around the world.
1884 - Northern Tour
In 1884 the club's legendary foreign tours were still a few years off and so the first tour the Corinthians undertook was to the north of England. It was a significant event in the club's history not just because it set a precedent which is still adhered to today, but because it firmly put the club on the footballing map. Of the 114 matches played between 1884 and 1890, 68 were played on the Northern Xmas tours. As already noted, the 1884 tour sealed the reputation of the club, practically while it was in progress. It was by no means an easy tour with seven tough games in eight days.
Blackburn Rovers were the toughest opponents and were the current holders of the FA Cup, a feat they managed to achieve in three consecutive years. In the absence of league football, they were regarded as Champions of England. The Corinthians fielded their strongest side and thrashed the cup holders 8-1, largely due to the speed and accurate passing of the Corinthian forwards. With the wind at their backs, Corinth had put four goals past Rovers within 17 minutes. Another four followed after the break.
The result wasn't unsurprising as the Amateurs had toppled Rovers 6-1 at Leyton just one month before. The results created instant recognition of the club as one which had come to play and could compete with the best. The side that represented the Corinthians that day consisted of M.J. Rendall, A.Watson, W.F. Beardshaw, A.Amos, C.Holden-White, F.E.Saunders, F.W.Pawson, B.W. Spilsbury, Dr J.Smith, W.N. Cobbold and T.Lindley.
This was immediately followed the next day with a match against East Lancashire Challenge Cup holders, Darwen (who would soon appear in Division One of the Football League). The side was almost unchanged from the day before but succumbed to a last minute goal to give the locals the victory. There was no rest for the touring side as Blackburn Olympic awaited the next day (FA Cup winners only a couple of years previously, no less). The match was played in a snowstorm and finished 4-apiece.
If the weather had been bad against Olympic, then it was nothing compared to the gales and driving rain that Corinthians and the oldest club in the world, Sheffield FC would face the next day. It was reported that "rain fell heavily, and as the grounds are pretty bare of herbage, they were slippery that good play was utterly impossible." Despite starting with ten men, Sheffield took the lead before Corinth rallied and won the game 2-1. After five matches in five days, Bolton not surprisingly inflicted a 7-0 defeat on the tourists - the side had several notable absentees including Rendell, Miller and Cobbold who were rested for the tough match against Preston North End the following day. A crowd of 10,000 gathered for the match which the Corinthians lost 1-3 in a fine game.
The tour concluded with a 3-2 loss to the Notts club at Trent Bridge, with Cobbold and Miller scoring for the visitors. The team set off up north of the border for two more matches before returning for Christmas. Tours to the North of England would become a regular occurrence in the coming years.
Tour members included; M.J. Rendell, J. Heald, A Watson, J.W. Holm, Stewart-Brown, J.L. Nickisson, W.R. Teppar, W.H. Beardshaw, A. Amos, S. Macrae, E.H. Holden, F.E. Sanders, B.W. Spilsbury, J.A. Dixon, F.W. Pawson, J.S. "Miller", W.N. Cobbold, S. George, J. Willow, T. Lindley, T. Pellatt, A. Liddle, C. Holden-White.
Blackburn Rovers were the toughest opponents and were the current holders of the FA Cup, a feat they managed to achieve in three consecutive years. In the absence of league football, they were regarded as Champions of England. The Corinthians fielded their strongest side and thrashed the cup holders 8-1, largely due to the speed and accurate passing of the Corinthian forwards. With the wind at their backs, Corinth had put four goals past Rovers within 17 minutes. Another four followed after the break.
The result wasn't unsurprising as the Amateurs had toppled Rovers 6-1 at Leyton just one month before. The results created instant recognition of the club as one which had come to play and could compete with the best. The side that represented the Corinthians that day consisted of M.J. Rendall, A.Watson, W.F. Beardshaw, A.Amos, C.Holden-White, F.E.Saunders, F.W.Pawson, B.W. Spilsbury, Dr J.Smith, W.N. Cobbold and T.Lindley.
This was immediately followed the next day with a match against East Lancashire Challenge Cup holders, Darwen (who would soon appear in Division One of the Football League). The side was almost unchanged from the day before but succumbed to a last minute goal to give the locals the victory. There was no rest for the touring side as Blackburn Olympic awaited the next day (FA Cup winners only a couple of years previously, no less). The match was played in a snowstorm and finished 4-apiece.
If the weather had been bad against Olympic, then it was nothing compared to the gales and driving rain that Corinthians and the oldest club in the world, Sheffield FC would face the next day. It was reported that "rain fell heavily, and as the grounds are pretty bare of herbage, they were slippery that good play was utterly impossible." Despite starting with ten men, Sheffield took the lead before Corinth rallied and won the game 2-1. After five matches in five days, Bolton not surprisingly inflicted a 7-0 defeat on the tourists - the side had several notable absentees including Rendell, Miller and Cobbold who were rested for the tough match against Preston North End the following day. A crowd of 10,000 gathered for the match which the Corinthians lost 1-3 in a fine game.
The tour concluded with a 3-2 loss to the Notts club at Trent Bridge, with Cobbold and Miller scoring for the visitors. The team set off up north of the border for two more matches before returning for Christmas. Tours to the North of England would become a regular occurrence in the coming years.
Tour members included; M.J. Rendell, J. Heald, A Watson, J.W. Holm, Stewart-Brown, J.L. Nickisson, W.R. Teppar, W.H. Beardshaw, A. Amos, S. Macrae, E.H. Holden, F.E. Sanders, B.W. Spilsbury, J.A. Dixon, F.W. Pawson, J.S. "Miller", W.N. Cobbold, S. George, J. Willow, T. Lindley, T. Pellatt, A. Liddle, C. Holden-White.
Date |
Opposition |
Scr |
Scorers |
Att |
15-Dec |
Blackburn Rovers |
8-1 |
? |
1,000 |
16-Dec |
Darwen |
1-2 |
Cobbold |
|
17-Dec |
Blackburn Olympic |
4-4 |
Mellor 2, Lindley, Cobbold |
100 |
18-Dec |
Sheffield |
2-1 |
Beardshaw, Dixon |
|
19-Dec |
Bolton Wdrs |
0-7 |
1,500 |
|
20-Dec |
Preston N.E. |
1-3 |
Mellor |
10,000 |
22-Dec |
Notts |
2-3 |
Cobbold, Mellor |
2,000 |
1897 - South AfricaN Tour
The Corinthians first ever foreign tour came in the Summer of 1897, when the club visited South Africa. It resembled in style a cricket tour as 23 matches were played and 21 were won. The tour started in Cape Town with two 4-0 wins and a 5-0 victory over Western Province. Then the side then travelled a gruelling 900 miles to King Williams Town, however the travel did not effect the side and a 6-1 win followed. It was not until the ninth match of the tour that the tourists suffered a draw, against Old Natalians. This was followed by a 9-0 win over Pretoria before the first test match against South Africa. Corinthians won 3-0 thanks to Topham and Stanborough being in top form.
The second test was much a much easier affair with the tourists winning 4-1. This was followed by the second low point of the tour when Natal held the tourists 2-2. Griqualand were then smashed out of sight in a 10-1 the first and only time Corinthians made double figures on this tour. During the tour the Corinthians scored 113 goals and just 15 were conceded. It was a fine achievement since only fourteen players under took tour. Few wholly escaped the effects of hard grounds and long journeys and the heavy programme told on everybody.
The second test was much a much easier affair with the tourists winning 4-1. This was followed by the second low point of the tour when Natal held the tourists 2-2. Griqualand were then smashed out of sight in a 10-1 the first and only time Corinthians made double figures on this tour. During the tour the Corinthians scored 113 goals and just 15 were conceded. It was a fine achievement since only fourteen players under took tour. Few wholly escaped the effects of hard grounds and long journeys and the heavy programme told on everybody.
|
17-Jul
20 21 24 28 31 04-Aug 7 9 11 14 16 18 19 21 25 28 01-Sep 4 6 8 11 13 |
CAPE TOWN CIVILIANS
MILITARY WESTERN PROVINCE KING WILLIAM'S TOWN QUEENSTOWN EAST LONDON JOHANNESBURG TRANSVAAL OLD NATALIANS PRETORIA SOUTH AFRICA PIETERMARITZBURG DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA NATAL ORANGE FREE STATE GRIQUALAND CAPE COLONY KING WILLIAM'S TOWN GRAHAMSTOWN EASTERN PROVINCE CAPE COLONY SOUTH AFRICA |
4-0
4-0 5-0 6-1 8-1 4-0 3-1 3-1 1-1 9-0 3-0 1-0 3-0 4-1 2-2 6-2 10-1 6-0 9-0 8-0 3-0 9-3 2-1 |
1903 - South AfricaN Tour
1903, the team sailed from Southampton on the Dunnottar Castle arriving in time for the first match on 2nd July. The club again was due to take on a mammoth tour which consisted of 25 games, all of which were won, but for two drawn matches with Johannesburg and Bloemfontein and a defeat against Durban. The record was not quite as good as the 1897 tour, but football had improved greatly in the intervening years. The interest in football had grown as well and large crowds gathered at the various grounds. The tour started well with an 8-2 victory over the Colonial Born and was followed up with a win over Western Province. It was not until the twelfth match that a defeat was suffered at Durban. Reports state it was a poor and uneven ground although bad finishing was the main culprit. It made little difference as the side bounced back with a 1-0 win at Natal two days later. It was the first of eleven straight wins, which culminated in a 4-0 win in the test match with South Africa.
|
02-Jul
4 8 11 13 15 18 22 25 29 01-Aug 3 5 8 10 12 15 19 22 24 26 29 03-Sep 5 |
COLONIAL BORN
WESTERN PROVINCE GRIQUALAND WEST BLOEMFONTEIN ORANGE RIVER COLONY JOHANNESBURG & DIS TRANSVAAL PRETORIA & DISTRICT SOUTH AFRICA KLIP RIVER DISTRICT MARITZBURG & DISTRICT DURBAN NATAL KING WILLIAM\'S TOWN EAST LONDON QUEEN'S TOWN MIDLAND'S GRAHAMSTOWN EASTERN PROVINCE EASTERN PROVINCE EASTERN PROVINCE GRIQUALAND WEST WESTERN PROVINCE SOUTH AFRICA |
8-2
2-1 3-1 0-0 1-0 3-3 2-1 3-2 5-0 2-1 2-1 0-1 1-0 2-1 4-0 3-2 6-0 3-0 5-0 4-1 1-0 6-0 2-1 4-0 |
8,000
5,000 7,000 7,000 |
SNELL 2, MCIVER |
1904 - AUSTRIA-HUNGARY & GERMANY TOUR
In Easter 1904 the Corinthians visited the Austro-Hungarian Empire for their first ever tour on mainland Europe.
It only came about ironically after G.O.Smith and W.J. Oakley's attempt to organise an American tour collapsed. So on the recommendation of the Oxford and Cambridge University teams who had both visited Hungary, it was decided that it would be more exciting than a west of England tour. The first match in Budapest, played before a large crowd, was against Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre Budapest (MTK) and resulted in an easy 6-0 victory. This was followed by a 9-0 thrashing of Budapesti Torna Club and bettered still by a 12-0 win over Magyar Athletikai Club. The Corinthians were so impressed by the hospitality and spirit of their Hungarian hosts that they donated a trophy, The Corinthian Cup, which became the centre-piece of an annual tournament competed amongst Hungary's top amateur teams for the next three decades. In return, the Corinthian Club was presented with a gold medal by the City of Budapest at the farewell banquet.
After these games the club departed for Vienna where hosts Vienna FC were beaten 7-1 in front of 5,000 spectators - the largest gathering at a football match in the country. After making their mark in Austria, the Corinthians moved swiftly onto Prague. There, SK Slavia Prague were encountered and were much stronger opposition than the previous matches, having played the game longer than those elsewhere. Slavia had gone the whole season unbeaten and were one of the finest teams on the Continent. The match, played in front of 4,000 spectators finished 7-4 to Corinthians despite Slavia taking the lead on more than one occasion. The second match against a Prague Select XI finished 4-1 in favour of the Amateurs. The final game of the tour was against VfB Leipzig, German champions in 1903, and despite only having twelve fit players, a further 4-1 victory resulted.
Playing seven matches in twelve days, Corinthians had travelled across three countries scoring 49 goals and conceding just seven in the process. Now, for the 14-strong squad, the historic tour was complete. The English had made their mark. As reported after the 7-4 victory over Slavia Prague, “The people were delighted with the play of the Corinthian forwards. The halves were all good, but the backs did not tumble to the Bohemian game. A more pleasant game was never played.”
The tour concluded with a trip to the Opera, as described by the touring correspondent for the Sportsman “In the evening, the players were provided with a real treat and heard “Tannhäuser” at the Opera House. It was a delightful wind-up to a most enjoyable tour, throughout the whole of which nothing but kindness and unbounded hospitality had been met with.”
Tour Members: B.O. Corbett, W.J.H. Curwen, S.H. Day, H.A. Lowe, L.J. Moon, M. Morgan-Owen, W.J. Oakley, G.O. Smith, W.U. Timmis, G.C. Vassall, H. Vickers, G.E. Wilkinson, I.G. Witherington, O.E. Wreford-Brown.
|
A 1904 postcard depicting VfB Leipzig vs Corinthians.
|
1904 - Scandinavian Tour
Gravel pitches, Royalty and Motor-races! In 1904, Corinthian FC ventured to Scandinavia for their inaugural tour of Sweden and Denmark.
A trip into the unknown was the best way to describe the 1904 tour to Scandinavia. At that time little was known about Scandinavian football. The trip was organised by Mrs Wreford-Brown who also travelled with the party, leaving from Tilbury. Most of the pitches in Sweden at this time were gravel and it was common place during winter to flood them and use them as ice rinks. This failed to deter the tourists as Swedish Champions Örgryte IS of Goteburg were defeated 4-0 in the first match. By lake, canal and rail the tour continued eastward to Stockholm where three games had been arranged at Ostermalms Idrottsplats - the original home of Djurgården IF and close to the site of the current Olympic Stadium - a pretty ground, although the pitch was grassless.
The first match against Upsala University saw the Corinthians win 11-0 with Moon hitting an impressive eight, in front of the Crown Prince of Sweden. The second was not an official game and the two sides split up their players to make it more of a contest. The last game against a Stockholm XI, played in front of a record attendance for Swedish football finished with a 15-1 victory, with Moon 5, Bryant 4 and McIver 4 recording good scores. Most peculiarly, the team were entertained with an evening of swimming and diving exhibitions before dining out with music and dancing. Typically, their Swedish hosts had provided wonderful entertainment throughout the tour with nights at the Opera, a visit to the Royal Palace and afternoons of yachting and bathing. One reporter’s highlight was being driven around the Palace Gardens – “we were taken in five motor-cars for a beautiful drive round the Palace Gardens at the speed of thirty miles an hour on rough and narrow roads.” Quite the adventure!
Next stop was Copenhagen and the opposition were found to be of a much higher standard, though in the first match it was reported that the turf was ‘very rough and bumpy’ and for this, the Corinthians were not at their best. The standard of opposition mirrored this as their games against Copenhagen Academical and Copenhagen BoldKlub were won 3-1 and 4-0 respectively. However, the Academical keeper was praised for keeping the score down. Sadly, the enthusiasm and vigour of the Swedish crowds were not replicated in Denmark and attendances were low with sparse crowds. Perhaps the Danish public were a few years behind in their love for the game, despite the higher standard of opposition.
The tour is credited with giving fresh impetus to Swedish football and once again Corinthian FC donated a cup to their host nation to be competed for by the Swedish amateur clubs, called the Corinthian Bowl, which became the centre piece of the Swedish football season in subsequent years.
Tour Members: F.H.Bryant, B.O. Corbett, W.J.H. Curwen, H.W. Hewitt, C.D. McIver, L.J. Moon, O.T. Norris, T.S. Rowlandson, W.U.Timmis, H. Vickers, C. Wreford-Brown, H.R. Yglesias
A trip into the unknown was the best way to describe the 1904 tour to Scandinavia. At that time little was known about Scandinavian football. The trip was organised by Mrs Wreford-Brown who also travelled with the party, leaving from Tilbury. Most of the pitches in Sweden at this time were gravel and it was common place during winter to flood them and use them as ice rinks. This failed to deter the tourists as Swedish Champions Örgryte IS of Goteburg were defeated 4-0 in the first match. By lake, canal and rail the tour continued eastward to Stockholm where three games had been arranged at Ostermalms Idrottsplats - the original home of Djurgården IF and close to the site of the current Olympic Stadium - a pretty ground, although the pitch was grassless.
The first match against Upsala University saw the Corinthians win 11-0 with Moon hitting an impressive eight, in front of the Crown Prince of Sweden. The second was not an official game and the two sides split up their players to make it more of a contest. The last game against a Stockholm XI, played in front of a record attendance for Swedish football finished with a 15-1 victory, with Moon 5, Bryant 4 and McIver 4 recording good scores. Most peculiarly, the team were entertained with an evening of swimming and diving exhibitions before dining out with music and dancing. Typically, their Swedish hosts had provided wonderful entertainment throughout the tour with nights at the Opera, a visit to the Royal Palace and afternoons of yachting and bathing. One reporter’s highlight was being driven around the Palace Gardens – “we were taken in five motor-cars for a beautiful drive round the Palace Gardens at the speed of thirty miles an hour on rough and narrow roads.” Quite the adventure!
Next stop was Copenhagen and the opposition were found to be of a much higher standard, though in the first match it was reported that the turf was ‘very rough and bumpy’ and for this, the Corinthians were not at their best. The standard of opposition mirrored this as their games against Copenhagen Academical and Copenhagen BoldKlub were won 3-1 and 4-0 respectively. However, the Academical keeper was praised for keeping the score down. Sadly, the enthusiasm and vigour of the Swedish crowds were not replicated in Denmark and attendances were low with sparse crowds. Perhaps the Danish public were a few years behind in their love for the game, despite the higher standard of opposition.
The tour is credited with giving fresh impetus to Swedish football and once again Corinthian FC donated a cup to their host nation to be competed for by the Swedish amateur clubs, called the Corinthian Bowl, which became the centre piece of the Swedish football season in subsequent years.
Tour Members: F.H.Bryant, B.O. Corbett, W.J.H. Curwen, H.W. Hewitt, C.D. McIver, L.J. Moon, O.T. Norris, T.S. Rowlandson, W.U.Timmis, H. Vickers, C. Wreford-Brown, H.R. Yglesias
|
29 Aug ÖRGRYTE IS
1 Sep UPPSALA UNIV. 3 Sep STOCKHOLM 5 Sep COPENHAGEN AC. 7 Sep KJOBENHAVNS BK |
4-0
11-0 15-1 3-1 4-0 |
??
MOON 8, MCIVER 2, BRYANT MOON 5, BRYANT 4, MCIVER 4 MCIVER 2, BRYANT BRYANT 2, MOON, MCIVER, |
1906 - North AmericaN Tour
The side that travelled to the Canada and the U.S.A. was probably the finest Corinthian team to ever leave these shores. Upon arrival at Quebec on August 10th, the team learned that through some error, no rooms had been reserved, but fortunately an Old Carthusian whom they had met on board, rescued the situation and took the tourists to stay at his house. The first game followed the next day and due to a train delay, the side were an hour and a half late, and the large crowd of 3,000 seriously doubted whether they would turn up. Nevertheless, four victories followed before Seaforth Hurons, the reigning Ontario Cup champions, held the Corinthian side to a draw.
The team then travelled down to Chicago to begin the American leg of the tour and a 5-2 victory followed over the local side. Next came Cincinnati in what turned out to be a record 19-0 win, with S.H.Day scoring seven. This was achieved despite the side losing all its luggage in transit and thus new outfits had to be obtained. Further convincing wins followed, the largest being against All New York who were demolished 18-0 with S.H. Day again leading the way with nine goals. The first and only defeat occurred in their penultimate game when Fall River defeated the tourists 0-3. By this time however they were down to twelve players. The last game finished in a 1-1 draw.
The team then travelled down to Chicago to begin the American leg of the tour and a 5-2 victory followed over the local side. Next came Cincinnati in what turned out to be a record 19-0 win, with S.H.Day scoring seven. This was achieved despite the side losing all its luggage in transit and thus new outfits had to be obtained. Further convincing wins followed, the largest being against All New York who were demolished 18-0 with S.H. Day again leading the way with nine goals. The first and only defeat occurred in their penultimate game when Fall River defeated the tourists 0-3. By this time however they were down to twelve players. The last game finished in a 1-1 draw.
|
11-Aug
13 15 18 21 23 25 28 29 31 01-Sep 3 6 8 10 13 14 |
MONTREAL
OTTAWA HAMILTON TORONTO SEAFORTH HURONS ALL KENTS CHICAGO CINCINNATI CLEVELAND PHILA. CRICKET CLUB PHILA. ALBION ALL PHILADELPHIA XI COLLEGIANS ALL NEW YORK NEWARK FALL RIVER FORE RIVER |
6-2
5-0 3-1 6-0 1-1 5-2 5-2 19-0 8-0 6-0 9-0 12-0 11-1 18-0 7-1 0-3 1-1 |
3,000
6,000 7,000 2,000 3,000 7,000 6,000 |
HARRIS GS 3,DAY 2,VASALL
HARRIS GS 2,CORNELIUS,WRIGHT,FOSTER DAY,WILLETT,VASSALL VASSALL 4,HARRIS 2 CORNELIUS CORNELIUS,FOSTER,WRIGHT 2,WREFORD-BROWN DAY 2,HARRIS GS 2,VASSALL DAY 7,MORGAN-OWEN 5,CORNELIUS 5,WRIGHT 2 CORNELIUS 4,VASSALL,FOSTER 2,MORGAN-OWEN CORBETT,CORNELIUS,HARRIS 3,DAY, VASSALL 5,HARRIS 3,WRIGHT VASSALL 4,HARRIS 4,DAY 2,ROWLANDSON,TIMMIS CORNELIUS 2,VASSALL 4,HARRIS 3,WRIGHT,OG DAY 9,VASSALL 6, HARRIS 3 DAY 2,CORNELIUS 3,VASSALL 2 MORGAN-OWEN |
1906 - Germany & Holland Tour
In Easter 1906 the Corinthians toured the continent once again. W.U. Timmis had arranged two matches in Germany and two in the Netherlands. The first match in Berlin was against BFC Germania and on arrival a large crowd had assembled. It was a hard and uneven pitch, but was larger than previously encountered abroad. The game itself was won easily 11-0, with G.S. Harris hitting four goals in the match. Next were FC Victoria Hamburg who were thrashed 12-1. The tourists then visited the Hague and found that Dutch football was at a much more advanced stage than in Germany. The first match was won 5-1 against Dutch champions HVV Den Haag (photo left), who were on the verge of winning their fifth of six consecutive KNVB league titles, and the local side were really fast, their forwards playing the long passing game with great dash. The final match of the tour was against Holland, a national representative XI side that would have tested a Football League team. All the players were speedy, had an excellent idea of the finer points of the game, and at the same time played in bustling style. After a tough match, played in front of 5,000 spectators, the Corinthians triumphed 2-1 to complete a successful tour.
Tour Members: C.L. Alexander, B.O. Corbett, S.H. Day, J.K. Guy, G.S. Harris, K.R.G. Hunt, M. Morgan-Owen, C.C. Page, T.S. Rowlandson, W.U. Timmis, H. Tudor-Owen, H. Vickers, E.G.D. Wright
Tour Members: C.L. Alexander, B.O. Corbett, S.H. Day, J.K. Guy, G.S. Harris, K.R.G. Hunt, M. Morgan-Owen, C.C. Page, T.S. Rowlandson, W.U. Timmis, H. Tudor-Owen, H. Vickers, E.G.D. Wright
|
14-Apr
16 18 19 |
BFC GERMANIA
FC VICTORIA HAMBURG HVV DEN HAAG HOLLAND |
11-0
12-1 5-1 2-1 |
HARRIS GS 4,ALEXANDER 2,BRYANT,CORBETT,MORGAN-OWEN,WRIGHT,TIMMIS
ALEXANDER 2,HARRIS GS, DAY 2 |
1907 - South AfricaN Tour
After the controversial split with the FA over the spread of professionalism which resulted in the formation of the Amateur Football Alliance, a large number of foreign tours took place between 1907 and the war, the first of which was to South Africa. The tour itself was almost identical to the two previous tours to that country. The country had made great strides in the intervening years and it was by far the toughest foreign tour the club has ever encountered. After being unbeaten in 1897 and only suffering one defeat in 1903, five defeats were endured and seven draws. It is significant however that all five defeats took place at the start of the tour while the tourists were still acclimatising. The highlights of the tour were the three test matches. The first was won 2-1 with goals by Cornelius and Brisley. A brace by Cornelius saw a 2-0 win in the second game before in the final game ended 1-1 with Brisley scoring.
|
11-Jul
13 17 20 22 24 27 31 03-Aug 5 7 10 12 14 17 21 24 28 31 02-Sep 4 7 12 14 |
COLONIAL-BORN
WESTERN PROVINCE GRIQUALAND WEST GRIQUALAND WEST BLOEMFONTEIN ORANGE RIVER JOHANNESBURG EAST RAND DISTRICT PRETORIA DISTRICT TRANSVAAL KLIP RIVER DISTRICT PIETERMARITZBURG DURBAN NATAL SOUTH AFRICA TRANSVAAL ARMY SOUTH AFRICA FRONTIER CLUBS FRONTIER CLUBS GRAHAMSTOWN PORT ELIZABETH PORT ELIZABETH WESTERN PROVINCE SOUTH AFRICA |
4-1
0-4 0-1 2-1 2-1 3-1 2-3 1-4 0-2 0-0 3-1 1-0 5-0 1-1 2-1 1-1 2-0 5-1 3-3 5-0 1-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 |
CORNELIUS 2,BIRKS,EDWARDS
CORNELIUS,EDWARDS EDWARDS,CORNELIUS BRISLEY,SNELL,DURRANT SNELL 2 ? BIRKS,SNELL,DURRANT BIRKS BIRKS 4,BRISLEY CORNELIUS CORNELIUS,BRISLEY OG CORNELIUS 2 CORNELIUS 3,DURRANT 2 ??? BIRKS 3,DURRANT,BRISLEY BIRKS ? BRISLEY |
4000
6000 8000 4000 12,000 |
1908 - Paris Tour
The Easter tour of 1908 to Paris was a short one, with only four days away and three matches played. The three matches resulted in a convincing goal tally of 21 to 3. The first game was played at the Stade du Matin (also more famously known as the Stade Olympique de Colombes) against a French XI comprising of clubs affiliated to the Parisian Committee of the Sporting Union of Athletic Societies of France. With Herman, Pollock-Hodsoll, Timmis and the two Morgan-Owens in great form, a 5-1 victory resulted.
In the second game with only one change to the starting line up Corinthian had an easy victory of 9-0 over Standard Athletic with eight of the goals coming in the first half alone. It's noted that Corinth had the wind behind their backs. A rest day ensued before the meeting the Outcasts, also on tour, who'd come away with beating Clichy easily. However, Corinth were a different class and won 7-2 on the first occasion on which two top English Amateur sides had met ever met in France. The Corinthians won due to better combination play. At the interval the Corinthians were losing 1-2. Half-time saw the forwards awaken and rattle in six second half goals.
Tour Members: G.L. Herman, S.G. Luker, C.C. Page, W.U. Timmis, M. Morgan-Owen, G.B. Pollock-Hodsoll, J.Simonds, S.H.Day, H.Morgan-Owen, I.E.Snell, C.E. Brisley, V.G. Thew
In the second game with only one change to the starting line up Corinthian had an easy victory of 9-0 over Standard Athletic with eight of the goals coming in the first half alone. It's noted that Corinth had the wind behind their backs. A rest day ensued before the meeting the Outcasts, also on tour, who'd come away with beating Clichy easily. However, Corinth were a different class and won 7-2 on the first occasion on which two top English Amateur sides had met ever met in France. The Corinthians won due to better combination play. At the interval the Corinthians were losing 1-2. Half-time saw the forwards awaken and rattle in six second half goals.
Tour Members: G.L. Herman, S.G. Luker, C.C. Page, W.U. Timmis, M. Morgan-Owen, G.B. Pollock-Hodsoll, J.Simonds, S.H.Day, H.Morgan-Owen, I.E.Snell, C.E. Brisley, V.G. Thew
|
17-Apr
18 20 |
COMITE DE PARIS
STANDARD ATHLETIC OUTCASTS |
5-1
9-0 7-2 |
1,000
|
1909 - BOHEMIA & Switzerland Tour
Easter 1909 saw the club visit Prague and Switzerland and resulted in another successful tour. The first match was one of two against SK Slavia Prague and ended in a 0-0 draw. An odd incident occurred during the game when in the last minute with the game goal less, the Slavia outside-right kicked the ball against Braddell's shoulder. The referee at once pointed to the penalty spot and then had to withstand much heated argument from both the Corinthians and the Prague eleven, who also felt the penalty was unnecessary. Meanwhile the 15,000 crowd waited eagerly for the Corinthians first continental defeat. At length, Braddell could stand the suspense no longer; he rushed up and grabbed the ball, faced the crowd and glared his defiance at the referee, who immediately blew his whistle for full time! The unbeaten record had been preserved - but only be something that looked suspiciously like subterfuge! On the following day against the same team the Corinthians won 3-1.
In Geneva the scheduled match against local favourites Servette FC was cancelled at the last minute when the Swiss Football Association declined to authorise the fixture. Instead, a combined XI representing French-speaking Switzerland was hastily assembled. The hosts heard that tea was acceptable at half time and so in order to demonstrate their desire to do everything possible for such a club as the Corinthians, an enormous meal was prepared and the tourists were respectfully asked if an interval of three-quarters of an hour was sufficient! Despite having to play the second half on a full stomach, Corinth recorded a 6-0 victory. The tour concluded two days later with another 6-0 win, this time over Lausanne.
Tour Members: M Morgan-Owen, C.D. McIver, I.E. Snell, R.L.L. Braddell, R.A. Young, C.E. Brisley, R. Turner, F.A.H. Henley, W.G. Edwards, H.A. Milton,
T.M. MacDonald, A.H. Birks
In Geneva the scheduled match against local favourites Servette FC was cancelled at the last minute when the Swiss Football Association declined to authorise the fixture. Instead, a combined XI representing French-speaking Switzerland was hastily assembled. The hosts heard that tea was acceptable at half time and so in order to demonstrate their desire to do everything possible for such a club as the Corinthians, an enormous meal was prepared and the tourists were respectfully asked if an interval of three-quarters of an hour was sufficient! Despite having to play the second half on a full stomach, Corinth recorded a 6-0 victory. The tour concluded two days later with another 6-0 win, this time over Lausanne.
Tour Members: M Morgan-Owen, C.D. McIver, I.E. Snell, R.L.L. Braddell, R.A. Young, C.E. Brisley, R. Turner, F.A.H. Henley, W.G. Edwards, H.A. Milton,
T.M. MacDonald, A.H. Birks
|
11-Apr
12 15 17 |
SLAVIA PRAGUE
SLAVIA PRAGUE SUISSE ROMANDE XI LAUSANNE SPORT FC |
0-0
3-1 6-0 6-0 |
MCIVER 2, BIRKS 3, TURNER BRISLEY 3, YOUNG, MCIVER, TURNER |
5,500
|
1910 - Brazil Tour
Five memorable tours and one of the club's main claims to fame have resulted from our connections with Brazil. The claim to fame is obviously that SC Corinthians Paulista, the twice World Club Champions, take their name from us as a result of the 1910 visit, and the strong connection that continues between the clubs can be verified by many of our members who have been fortunate enough to visit Brazil since then. The connection started in 1910 when the Corinthians took a strong side to Brazil leaving Southampton on 5th August. They reached Rio on the 22nd August and played their first game two days later against Fluminense. The score ended up 10-1 with Vidal scoring four, Day three, Brisley two and Thew getting the other. The next game was against a Rio XI and saw Corinthians score eight to their opponents' one. Coleby hit six goals in this match. Interestingly the next day a Cricket match was played against an English Cricket Club and ended in a draw. The final match in Rio was against a picked Brazilian National team and saw a much tougher game end in a 5-2 win for Corinth.
The club then moved to Sao Paulo at the invitation of former Corinthian Charles Miller and although the conditions were not as good, mainly due to the small pitches, the Corinthians won all three games. The closest was against Associação Atlética das Palmeiras (no relation to the current Palmeiras) and ended 2-0. In the next game, Paulistano were beaten 5-0 and Sao Paulo Athletic Club (SPAC) were beaten 8-2. Miller, the man credited with introducing the game of football to Brazil, scored one of the SPAC goals that day. In attendance at the match against Associação Atlética were five local railway workers, Joaquin Ambrose, Anthony Pereira, Rafael Perrone, Anselmo Coreia and Carlos Silva who were so impressed by the elegant play of the Corinthians that they immediately decided to form their own club in homage to the English club. Thus, the very next day, September 1st 1910, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista was born.
Tour Members: M.Morgan-Owen, S.H. Day, W.U. Timmis, R.L.L. Braddell, V.G.Thew, R.Rogers, C.C.Page, F.N. Tuff, J.C.D. Tetley, I.E. Snell, C.E. Brisley, A.T. Coleby, L.A. Vidal, H.C. Howell-Jones, A.H.G. Kerry
The club then moved to Sao Paulo at the invitation of former Corinthian Charles Miller and although the conditions were not as good, mainly due to the small pitches, the Corinthians won all three games. The closest was against Associação Atlética das Palmeiras (no relation to the current Palmeiras) and ended 2-0. In the next game, Paulistano were beaten 5-0 and Sao Paulo Athletic Club (SPAC) were beaten 8-2. Miller, the man credited with introducing the game of football to Brazil, scored one of the SPAC goals that day. In attendance at the match against Associação Atlética were five local railway workers, Joaquin Ambrose, Anthony Pereira, Rafael Perrone, Anselmo Coreia and Carlos Silva who were so impressed by the elegant play of the Corinthians that they immediately decided to form their own club in homage to the English club. Thus, the very next day, September 1st 1910, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista was born.
Tour Members: M.Morgan-Owen, S.H. Day, W.U. Timmis, R.L.L. Braddell, V.G.Thew, R.Rogers, C.C.Page, F.N. Tuff, J.C.D. Tetley, I.E. Snell, C.E. Brisley, A.T. Coleby, L.A. Vidal, H.C. Howell-Jones, A.H.G. Kerry
|
24-Aug
26 28 31 02-Sep 4 |
FLUMINENSE
RIO XI THE BRAZILIANS AA PALMEIRAS PAULISTANO SAO PAULO AC |
10-1
8-1 5-2 2-0 5-0 8-2 |
VIDAL 4,DAY 3,BRISLEY 2,THEW
COLEBY 6, BRISLEY 2 DAY 3,COLEBY,BRISLEY DAY 2 SNELL 4,DAY BRISLEY,COLEBY 2,SNELL 3,DAY 2 |
1911 - North AmericaN Tour
Corinthians toured Canada and America in the Summer of 1911 and played 21 games. Nineteen of these were won and the other two resulted in a draw and a loss. Starting in Toronto, they recorded their first victory over the locals 2-1, before suffering their first and only defeat 1-3 at Ontario. Gradually the tourists worked their way across the continent to Vancouver Island. The tour aroused tremendous enthusiasm through out Canada, the forward play of Bache, Brisley and Day being particularly appreciated. Bache scored 38 goals in just 18 games, an amazing effort for such a long tour, with grounds being not of the highest standard. It is significant that the only match lost was when Bache, Brisley and Morgan-Owen were being rested. The fine play of certain Corinthians was still remembered when the next visit to Canada was made in 1924, when, unfortunately a side not truly representative of the clubs strength was unable to maintain the high standard set in 1911. The last match of the tour saw a record equalling 19-0 win over a Combined Philadelphia Cricket Clubs XI with Bache 4, Brisley 4 and Maples 3 being the principle scorers. Another big win saw Corinthians beat Chicago 10-1 with Bache hitting seven to take his personal tally to 33 goals in 21 games.
|
05-Aug
7 9 12 14 17 19 21 22 24 26 29 31 02-Sep 4 10 11 14 16 18 19 |
TORONTO
ONTARIO HAMILTON MONTREAL COBALT FORT WILLIAM WINNIPEG REGINA SASKATOON EDMONTON CALGARY VANCOUVER NANAIMO/LADYSMITH VICTORIA VANCOUVER CHICAGO CHICAGO STANLEY BARRACKS NEW YORK NEWARK PHILA. CRICKET XI |
2-1
1-3 6-3 8-0 5-0 6-0 2-1 6-2 9-2 6-1 4-3 5-1 2-2 4-2 4-1 4-0 10-1 6-2 4-2 6-2 19-0 |
COLEBY,BACHE
COLEBY BACHE 4,DAY 2 BRISLEY,BACHE 3,COLEBY,DAY 3 BACHE 3,MAPLES,CORBETT B BACHE 5,COLEBY COLEBY,TIMMUS DAY 3,TURNER 3,COLEBY 2,BRISLEY MAPLES 2,THOMPSON 3,BACHE DAY 2,BRISLEY 2 DAY 2,BACHE 2,MAPLES DAY,BRISLEY,BACHE 2 COLEBY3,TURNER BACHE 7,MAPLES,CORBETT B, COLEBY COLEBY 2,TURNER 2,CORBETT ALVIDAL DAY 2,BRISLEY,COLEBY BRISLEY 2,VIDAL,MAPLES 2,BACHE BACHE 4,BRISLEY 4,MAPLES 3,VIDAL,THOMPSON,TURNER 2,CORBETT A, |
5,000 1,500 3,000 6,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 3,000 |
1911 - Spain Tour
For Easter 1911, the Corinthians sent a side to compete in the Torneo Internacional de San Sebastian, hosted by Real Sociedad at their ground next to Ondarreta beach. The first match was against another touring side London Nomads, a team composed of members drawn from several Amateur Football Association clubs. An appreciative crowd of 3,500 saw the Corinthians win 7-0, Birks being the star with four goals. The Corinthians fielded a weaker side for the second game against Real Sociedad, and with the forwards missing numerous chances, they were only able to win 3-1 with goals from Young, Birks and an own goal. The third and last game was a return match against the London Nomads and another easy victory resulted. Bache hit a hat trick as the side ran out 6-0 winners. The Corinthians thus became the possessors of gold medals awarded at the Gran Casino de San Sebastian (a magnificent building which now serves as the city's town hall) for the winners of this tournament which also included French champions Union Sportive Tourcoing, Fortuna Vigo (now Celta Vigo) and the now defunct Gimnastica Espanola de Madrid.
Tour Members: F.A.H. Henley, F.N. Tuff, H.A. Milton, I.E. Snell, M. Morgan-Owen, H.G. Howell-Jones, V.G. Thew, R.A. Young, H.G. Bache, A.H. Birks, A.H.G. Kerry, C.D. McIver, P.A. Sergeant, B.O. Corbett
Tour Members: F.A.H. Henley, F.N. Tuff, H.A. Milton, I.E. Snell, M. Morgan-Owen, H.G. Howell-Jones, V.G. Thew, R.A. Young, H.G. Bache, A.H. Birks, A.H.G. Kerry, C.D. McIver, P.A. Sergeant, B.O. Corbett
|
17-Apr
19 22 |
LONDON NOMADS
REAL SOCIEDAD LONDON NOMADS |
7-0
3-1 6-0 |
BIRKS 4, BACHE 2, YOUNG
YOUNG, OG, BIRKS BACHE 3, YOUNG 2, BIRKS |
3,500
|
1912 - BOHEMIA Tour
In Easter 1912, the Corinthians once more visited Prague. The party left London on 4th August and played five games in Bohemia, three in Prague to two in Brunn. The club traveled without anyone equipped to play full back and this naturally proved a severe handicap. The first match resulted in a commanding 5-1 win over old friends SK Slavia Prague with Bache scoring four. It was however a lot closer than the scoreline suggested and the strength of the Prague club can be seen in the second match when Corinthians lost their first ever game on the continent 1-3. It was however largely influenced by the referee who objected to any charging whatsoever, and after conceding two penalties there was no way back. The third match saw Corinthians fairly and genuinely beaten by a strong Bohemian XI. The Corinthians then traveled to Brunn and on a poor ground, easily won 9-2 with Bache again scoring four and also maples hit a hat trick. The last game saw a 3-1 win over Moravská Slavia with Bache, Coleby and Young scoring the goals. It was an enjoyable tour by all accounts and the Corinthians were treated royally.
Tour Party: M.Morgan-Owen, H.G.Bache, A.S.Edge, J.L.Crommelin-Brown, B.T.Verrey, K.C.Raikes, F.H.Vachell, R.F.Popham, H.S.Short, R.A.Young, M.H.Clarke, A.T.Coleby, R.C.Maples, F.H.Cooper
Tour Party: M.Morgan-Owen, H.G.Bache, A.S.Edge, J.L.Crommelin-Brown, B.T.Verrey, K.C.Raikes, F.H.Vachell, R.F.Popham, H.S.Short, R.A.Young, M.H.Clarke, A.T.Coleby, R.C.Maples, F.H.Cooper
|
07-Apr
8 10 13 14 |
SLAVIA PRAGUE
SLAVIA PRAGUE BOHEMIA BRUNN MORAVSKA SLAVIA |
5-1
1-3 2-4 9-2 3-1 |
BACHE 4, MAPLE
BACHE YOUNG 2 BACHE 4, MAPLES ,COLEBY 2 BACHE,COLEBY,YOUNG |
1913 and 1914 - Brazil Tours
Corinthians returned to Brazil in 1913 and had one of the most adventurous journeys ever taken by the club. In his history of the club, Creek states the voyage was enlivened by a wedding, a birth, two deaths (one a suicide) and the escapades of a cook who suddenly went mad. Upon arrival, Corinthians played Rio de Janeiro in their first match. Despite a Woosnam goal Corinth went down 1-2 to what was their only defeat on the tour. Two days later, Hoffmeister scored all four in a 4-0 win over Estrangeros. The final game in Rio saw Corinthians beat Brazilieros 2-1. In Sao Paulo, Corinthians won two games against MacKenzie College and Club Athletico Paulistano before being held by Associação Atlética das Palmeiras. The crowds on this tour were all between 6,000 and 10,000 which highlighted what popular visitors they were.
Corinthians returned the following year, but this can not really be classified as a tour. Due to the outbreak of the Great War which occurred while the team were at sea, football was quickly forgotten and the scheduled matches cancelled. Four members of the side had to return immediately to England as they were part of the Army's Reserve of Officers and did so immediately upon arrival at Pernambuco. When the rest of the party reached Rio, they had just about enough time to visit the ground before they too returned home to enlist. At one point on the voyage home, the ship even had to alter course to avoid a German gun boat. Tragically, due the staggering losses suffered by the club during the Great War, none of the touring party would ever play for Corinthians again.
Tour Members: M.Morgan-Owen, S.H.Day, C.E. Hoffmeister, N.V.C. Turner, I.E. Snell, H.V. Bury, L.A. Vidal, M. Woosnam, J.C. Gow, R.C. Cutter, R.G. Thompson, R. Sloley, A.W. Foster, R.C. Maples
Corinthians returned the following year, but this can not really be classified as a tour. Due to the outbreak of the Great War which occurred while the team were at sea, football was quickly forgotten and the scheduled matches cancelled. Four members of the side had to return immediately to England as they were part of the Army's Reserve of Officers and did so immediately upon arrival at Pernambuco. When the rest of the party reached Rio, they had just about enough time to visit the ground before they too returned home to enlist. At one point on the voyage home, the ship even had to alter course to avoid a German gun boat. Tragically, due the staggering losses suffered by the club during the Great War, none of the touring party would ever play for Corinthians again.
Tour Members: M.Morgan-Owen, S.H.Day, C.E. Hoffmeister, N.V.C. Turner, I.E. Snell, H.V. Bury, L.A. Vidal, M. Woosnam, J.C. Gow, R.C. Cutter, R.G. Thompson, R. Sloley, A.W. Foster, R.C. Maples
|
21-Aug
23 24 28 30 31 |
RIO DE JANEIRO
ESTRANGEROS BRAZILIEROS C.A. PAULISTANO MACKENZIE COLLEGE A.A. PALMEIRAS |
1-2
4-0 2-1 2-1 8-2 1-1 |
WOOSNAM
HOFFMEISTER 4 DAY,WOOSNAM WOOSNAM, DAY SLOLEY,HOFFMEISTER, FOSTER HOFFMEISTER |
1921 - FrENCH Tour
The first Corinthians tour abroad since the end of the First World War was a short but very pleasant trip to Paris and Lille. In the course of a brief weekend, two matches were played and won against Red Star and Olympique Lillois. The party travelled via Dover and Calais to Paris where they stayed in the Hotel Grande Bretagne.
The first match against Red Star was played on one of the worst grounds imaginable. There was not one blade of grass to be seen on the playing pitch, which, in addition to being very small, was covered with small stones and bits of glass. A light ball which bounced a great deal made it an altogether terrifying experience. Corinthians though attacked through out the game with Beeston scoring in the first half and C.T. Ashton scoring a second before a late Red Star consolation. Overall it was a good performance when you take into account the conditions underfoot, the heat and the fact that Red Star were the Coupe de France Champions! 5,000 people attended the match.
The following morning the party travelled to Lille, where they were only given time for a hurried lunch before playing Northern Regional Champions Olympique Lillois (better known today as Lille OSC). The ground was a major improvement on the one in Paris and the Corinthians were able to do themselves full justice. Thanks to the conditions the game was much faster and more skilful and in the second half the Corinthians put on a superb exhibition, winning 4-0. The side left almost immediately after the game and arrived back in London on the Tuesday.
Tour Party: C.T.Ashton, N.W.Beeston, A.G.Bower, A.H.G.Butcher, A.C.Stanley-Clarke, W.T.Coles, A.T.Davies, B.Howard-Baker, C.B.G.Hunter, H.M.Morris, J.S.F.Morrison, A.H.Phillips
4-Sept RED STAR FC 2-1 BEESTON, ASHTON
5 OLYMPIQUE LILLOIS 4-0 MORRISON, ASHTON, BEESTON, PHILLIPS
The first match against Red Star was played on one of the worst grounds imaginable. There was not one blade of grass to be seen on the playing pitch, which, in addition to being very small, was covered with small stones and bits of glass. A light ball which bounced a great deal made it an altogether terrifying experience. Corinthians though attacked through out the game with Beeston scoring in the first half and C.T. Ashton scoring a second before a late Red Star consolation. Overall it was a good performance when you take into account the conditions underfoot, the heat and the fact that Red Star were the Coupe de France Champions! 5,000 people attended the match.
The following morning the party travelled to Lille, where they were only given time for a hurried lunch before playing Northern Regional Champions Olympique Lillois (better known today as Lille OSC). The ground was a major improvement on the one in Paris and the Corinthians were able to do themselves full justice. Thanks to the conditions the game was much faster and more skilful and in the second half the Corinthians put on a superb exhibition, winning 4-0. The side left almost immediately after the game and arrived back in London on the Tuesday.
Tour Party: C.T.Ashton, N.W.Beeston, A.G.Bower, A.H.G.Butcher, A.C.Stanley-Clarke, W.T.Coles, A.T.Davies, B.Howard-Baker, C.B.G.Hunter, H.M.Morris, J.S.F.Morrison, A.H.Phillips
4-Sept RED STAR FC 2-1 BEESTON, ASHTON
5 OLYMPIQUE LILLOIS 4-0 MORRISON, ASHTON, BEESTON, PHILLIPS
1922 - Denmark & Holland Tour
Easter 1922 saw the club visit Denmark and Holland. The party left Harwich onboard the Kong Haakon and that evening enjoyed an excellent dinner which was followed by a sing along with Doggart on the piano. The first match took place on Good Friday against a combined Copenhagen XI before 25,000 spectators. A 5-0 win resulted with the Corinthians rarely troubled. On Saturday the side attended a race meeting, where Coles was nearly arrested for acting as the team's private book maker despite the fact that signs strictly prohibiting any betting except at licensed bookies were posted everywhere. Fortunately, due to the club's acquaintance with Denmark's King Christian X, who was a keen football enthusiast, Coles was quickly released without charge! Sunday saw the second match and a slightly weaker Corinthians side won 3-1 against Kjobenhavns BK. All three inside forwards scored, they were Foster, Creek and Doggart.
The side had another day in Copenhagen before departing for Holland where their first match was against Be Quick 1887 of Groningen, the Dutch Champions for 1919/20, which was won more comfortably than the 5-2 score line suggests. The next match was played at the Hague against a combined Dutch Universities XI. The referee's interpretation of the rules caused a little trouble, but the Corinthians eventually won 5-3. The last match took place in Haarlem at De Zwaluven's ('the Swallows') impressive stadium and resulted in the best game of the tour. An enormous crowd saw the Corinthians lose 0-1. The Swallows, who had been formed in Corinthian's image following the 1906 tour, played fine football and whilst the Corinthian defence was in good form the forwards never really got going.
Tour Party: C.T.Ashton, H.Ashton, L.B.Blaxland, A.G.Bower, W.T.Coles, F.N.S.Creek, A.G.Doggart, G.N.Foster, K.E.Hegan, B.Howard-Baker, C.B.G.Hunter, J.S.F.Morrison, J.R.B.Moulsdale, A.H.Phillips, B.C.A.Patchitt, F.W.H.Nicholas, H.A.Hambledon
The side had another day in Copenhagen before departing for Holland where their first match was against Be Quick 1887 of Groningen, the Dutch Champions for 1919/20, which was won more comfortably than the 5-2 score line suggests. The next match was played at the Hague against a combined Dutch Universities XI. The referee's interpretation of the rules caused a little trouble, but the Corinthians eventually won 5-3. The last match took place in Haarlem at De Zwaluven's ('the Swallows') impressive stadium and resulted in the best game of the tour. An enormous crowd saw the Corinthians lose 0-1. The Swallows, who had been formed in Corinthian's image following the 1906 tour, played fine football and whilst the Corinthian defence was in good form the forwards never really got going.
Tour Party: C.T.Ashton, H.Ashton, L.B.Blaxland, A.G.Bower, W.T.Coles, F.N.S.Creek, A.G.Doggart, G.N.Foster, K.E.Hegan, B.Howard-Baker, C.B.G.Hunter, J.S.F.Morrison, J.R.B.Moulsdale, A.H.Phillips, B.C.A.Patchitt, F.W.H.Nicholas, H.A.Hambledon
|
14-Apr
16 20 22 |
COPENHAGEN XI
KJOBENHAVNS BK BE QUICK 1887 DUTCH UNIVERSITY XI DE ZWALUWEN |
5-0
3-1 5-2 5-3 0-1 |
CREEK 2,DOGGART,PHILLIPS,ASHTON H
FOSTER,CREEK,DOGGART DOGGART 2,ASHTON CT,FOSTER,PHILLIPS CREEK 3,HAMBLEDON,PHILLIPS |
25,000
|
1923 - Belgium & Holland Tour
The Easter 1923 tour came about almost entirely due to G.N.Foster who was closely connected with a number of Belgian clubs immediately following the First World War, during which he was the organiser of sports for the British Expeditionary Force. The side was weakened for the first half of the tour by the fact that Easter fell early and thus prevented the school teachers, who had formed the backbone of many touring sides, from being able to go. This, combined with the absence for varying reasons of Doggart, Hegan and C.T.Ashton made it unsurprising that the side did not perform well. The first day saw a game of golf at the Royal Belgian Golf Club where the opponents faced included Prince Edmond Ruspoli of Italy! The Corinthians won the foursomes 2 games to 1 and the singles by 4 to 2.
35,000 people witnessed the first match in Brussels against Royal Daring Club of Molenbeek where the Corinthians went down to a fourth minute goal and then defended for the rest of the game against the speedy Belgian forwards. The next two matches against Union St. Gilloise on Easter Monday and Dutch side Willem II Tilburg two days later saw the Corinthians badly beaten with the half-backs and forwards completely outclassed. The party then travelled to the Hague and were joined by Hunter, Blaxland and Creek who had flown in from Croydon. There, they played against a combined Dutch University XI before 6,000 people and two goals by Creek were enough to give them their first win of the tour.
Next stop was Haarlem where the Corinthians once again faced De Zwaluwen before 30,000 people, Creek again scored twice to seal victory. At the reception afterwards Miles Howell (who had shown remarkable form at one of the Brussels night-clubs by giving a most amusing solo turn and then going round with the hat) was again well to the fore with a perilous juggling exhibition. The party then travelled to Rotterdam for the last game by racing car! The drivers of which vied with each other in the speed at which they took the many hair-pin bends across the canals. Not surprisingly the last game was lost 1-2, but by this stage several of the tour party had returned to England.
35,000 people witnessed the first match in Brussels against Royal Daring Club of Molenbeek where the Corinthians went down to a fourth minute goal and then defended for the rest of the game against the speedy Belgian forwards. The next two matches against Union St. Gilloise on Easter Monday and Dutch side Willem II Tilburg two days later saw the Corinthians badly beaten with the half-backs and forwards completely outclassed. The party then travelled to the Hague and were joined by Hunter, Blaxland and Creek who had flown in from Croydon. There, they played against a combined Dutch University XI before 6,000 people and two goals by Creek were enough to give them their first win of the tour.
Next stop was Haarlem where the Corinthians once again faced De Zwaluwen before 30,000 people, Creek again scored twice to seal victory. At the reception afterwards Miles Howell (who had shown remarkable form at one of the Brussels night-clubs by giving a most amusing solo turn and then going round with the hat) was again well to the fore with a perilous juggling exhibition. The party then travelled to Rotterdam for the last game by racing car! The drivers of which vied with each other in the speed at which they took the many hair-pin bends across the canals. Not surprisingly the last game was lost 1-2, but by this stage several of the tour party had returned to England.
|
01-Apr
2 4 7 8 10 |
ROYAL DARING
UNION ST. GILLOISE WILLEM II DUTCH UNIVERSITY DE ZWALUWEN ROTTERDAM XI |
0-1
2-5 1-5 2-0 2-0 1-2 |
CREEK 2 CREEK 2 |
35,000
6,000 30,000 |
1924 - North AmericaN Tour
The 1924 tour to North America would the last of the Corinthians' mammoth tours and comprised of 22 games over six weeks. It was hardly the most successful of tours as the touring party won ten, drew four and lost eight. It should be observed that six of these defeats came in the first nine games and all came on Canadian soil. The Corinthians, however, had a small squad and were immediately hit by injuries to Morgan and Robinson. On top of this many of the star players were unable to make the trip including a recognised goalkeeper. It was mooted that had Howard-Baker made the trip, then all but two games would been won.
In the United States the football was not particularly exciting and the side played five games, four of which were in Philadelphia. Several of the teams they played were mainly made up of young graduates and students of universities, all of which were a lot less experienced than the Canadians, although Philadelphia FC were certainly one of the more prominent American clubs at that time. In the middle of the Philadelphia stay the party made a lightening trip to play Brooklyn Wanderers in New York. Brooklyn had finished 3rd in the ASL that year and the following season would count legendary Hungarian Béla Guttmann among their number. Like Philadelphia FC, they were one of the USA's top professional clubs and a hard fought draw resulted.
In the United States the football was not particularly exciting and the side played five games, four of which were in Philadelphia. Several of the teams they played were mainly made up of young graduates and students of universities, all of which were a lot less experienced than the Canadians, although Philadelphia FC were certainly one of the more prominent American clubs at that time. In the middle of the Philadelphia stay the party made a lightening trip to play Brooklyn Wanderers in New York. Brooklyn had finished 3rd in the ASL that year and the following season would count legendary Hungarian Béla Guttmann among their number. Like Philadelphia FC, they were one of the USA's top professional clubs and a hard fought draw resulted.
|
02-Aug
4 6 9 11 12 14 16 18 20 22 23 25 27 28 30 01-Sep 4 6 8 10 12 |
MONTREAL
TORONTO HAMILTON WINNIPEG REGINA SASKATOON EDMONTON CALGARY NANAIMO VICTORIA VANCOUVER ALL SAINTS CANADIANS LETHBRIDGE WINNIPEG FORT WILLIAM TORONTO MONTREAL PHILADELPHIA UNIV. PHILADELPHIA FC PHILADELPHIA CC BROOKLYN WANDERERS PHILADELPHIA GENTS |
1-4
2-4 4-2 2-4 2-1 0-1 2-1 1-2 1-2 2-0 1-1 2-1 0-0 1-2 0-1 2-1 5-3 8-1 1-1 7-1 1-1 3-0 |
LEWIS
|
1925 - Germany & Austria Tour
In April 1925, The club embarked on a brief tour of Germany and Austria, playing four matches over the course of six days. They began at Weidenpescher Park in Cologne where the hosts Kölner Sport-Club 1899 (currently known as 1. FSV Köln 1899) were beaten 4-2. The Corinthians then travelled up to Hamburg for an Easter Sunday match against the current German champions. A Creek hat-trick contributed to a comfortable 4-1 win. The following day, the team travelled to Berlin where they met stronger opposition in a 1-1 draw against Berliner Tennis Club Borussia (better known today as TB Berlin).
After a day of sight-seeing, the touring party departed for Vienna where a huge crowd assembled to greet them at the railway station. The match itself was witnessed by an enthusiastic crowd of more than 50,000 who saw a picked team of Vienna's best players win 2-0, although this was partly due to the game being played according to some rather odd local rules and the presence of a peculiarly light and undersized football!
10-Apr KOLNER SC 1899 4-2
12 HAMBURGER SV 4-1
13 TENNIS BORUSSIA 1-1
16 VIENNA XI 0-2
1928 - DENMARK & GERMANY TOUR
On 4th April 1928, a party of 13 Corinthians set out on tour in Denmark and Northern Germany. Many were the greetings exchanged with old friends when Copenhagen was safely reached, and the Corinthians were assured that their hosts had profited considerably from their earlier visit and would now give them some hard games. This optimism was thoroughly justified. The first game against Bold Klubben 1903 saw a 1-1 draw, a fitting result to a hard game, in which defence was much stronger than the attack. Glenister scored for the Corinthians with a magnificent drive from 30 yards out in the first half; but unfortunately Knight was so badly injured after the interval that he had to retire to bed and played no further part on the tour. Against the ten men, the Danes played very good football, and the Corinthians did well to manage the draw. As German was just recovering from a knee injury, an improvised forward line appeared in the second match, this time against old friends Kjobenhavns BK, and although Lowe scored a fine goal, the Corinthians were well beaten 6-3.
After these somewhat difficult games at Copenhagen, a brief visit was paid to Odense. With no one else available, both Hunter and German had to play. German hardly touched the ball, but once nearly scored a goal by bustling the goal keeper over the line. Hunter, on the other hand, played spendidly, and with Chadder again in fine form, the first victory of the tour was won. In the evening the party went to a play, but as they were unable to understand it; came out after about ten minutes and tried something more easily comprehensible - a circus! By this time the team masseur was a busy man - the hard grounds had given everyone slight injuries - and as the club only had the bare minimum of players on tour, it can easily be understood how gladly the reinforcements were welcomed for the next game at Hannover.
With Ewer and AG Bower strengthening the defence, Chadder was moved up into the forward line to partner Robins, and the Corinthians won a rather poor game, the chief excitement being caused by the news that a German aeroplane, the Bremen, had flown across the Atlantic - the first east-to-west transatlantic flight! From Hannover the tourists proceeded to Hamburg, where they had excellent headquarters opposite the Alster, the famous inland lake. The best match of the tour was undoubtedly the last one against SV Hamburg. The German team all looked extremely fit and included an international centre-forward who proved to be a first class player. However, the two Bowers at full back were in great form, and the defence refused to yield a goal. The inside forwards however, did not create much and as they failed to score, a stern game resulted in a goalless draw. Considering the handicaps of injuries and shortage of players, the side did well to return home after a thoroughly enjoyable tour with a record of two matches won, two drawn and one lost.
|
06-Apr
8 9 13 15 |
BOLD KLUBBEN (1903)
KJOBENHAVNS BK ODENSE BK HANNOVER 1896 HAMBURGER SV |
1-1
3-6 2-1 2-1 0-0 |
GLENISTER
LOWE, GERMAN,CHADDER |
1929 - FRENCH TOUR
Corinthians travelled to France over Easter 1929, arriving in Paris on March 28th. The following day, they faced Parisian Champions, Club Francais at the Stade Buffalo in Montrouge. A poor performance on a hard surface completely devoid of grass saw the tourists lose 2-1. The team left immediately after the game to catch the train to the south coast for two matches scheduled in Cannes.
The first of these matches was against AS Cannes who would go on to win the French Cup two years later, and was played in front of a large crowd including Jules Rimet who was then the President of both FIFA and the FFF. This time Corinthians put on a much improved display and ran out 3-2 winners, courtesy of goals by Parker and Creek. The following day they played against a Cannes Select XI, losing 4-2.
29 March CLUB FRANCAIS 1-2
1 April AS CANNES 3-2
2 April SELECTION CANNES XI 2-4
1930 - SWISS & IRISH TOURS
Corinthians returned to Switzerland for the first time since 1909, this time at the invitation of Grasshopper Club of Zürich. Their first opponents were Swiss Cup winners Berner Sport Club Young Boys who were defeated 7-1 on a rain-soaked pitch, Creek leading the way with a hat-trick. So impressive was the Corinthians' display that Der Kicker was inspired to report the game thus:
"The charming football minuets and two-steps which we watched on the ground of the 'Young Boys' were worthy of the brush of Watteau, the most beautiful Rococo from the best drawing room of the finest football aristocracy! "
The following day, Easter Sunday, the team travelled to Zurich where on Easter Monday they played their hosts, Grasshoppers. This proved to be a much tougher test for the Corinthians who were fortunate to emerge with a 3-2 victory. Nevertheless, the goodwill and friendship that had been established over the weekend were such that, following the match, it was announced that Corinthians had been invited to return the following year.
A week later, Corinthians travelled to Ireland for the first time, where they played League of Ireland Champions Bohemians at Dalymount Park in Dublin. Corinth took the lead after only seven minutes when Doggart scored, firing a low shot into the corner of the net. However Bohemians proved a more than worthy opponent, dominating the game for significant peroids and forcing Corinthian goalkeeper Robinson into a string of fine saves. Bohs' determination finally paid off when Horlacher scored a superb goal in the 70th minute to even the scores at 1-1.
19 April BSC YOUNG BOYS 7-1
21 April GRASSHOPPER CZ 3-2
26 April BOHEMIAN FC 1-1
1931 - SWISS TOUR
For the second consecutive year, Corinthians returned to Switzerland to a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Again, their first game was against Young Boys, this time played in excellent weather on a perfect pitch. In a closer contest than the previous encounter, the Corinthians again emerged victorious, this time by a 3-0 margin. A banquet was held after the game and the following day the tourists travelled to Zurich to take on their friends the reigning Swiss champions Grasshoppers. After a tough match (photo, left), Corinth again won narrowly against their hosts - this time by a score of 2-1.
Before returning to England, Corinthians invited Grasshopper Club to visit them for a rematch in London the following year. The Swiss team duly accepted and played both Corinthians and Casuals in February 1932 at the Crystal Palace. Two late goals from Ansell secured a 3-1 win for Corinth in a closely contested game, while The Casuals were defeated 4-0.
4 April BSC YOUNG BOYS 3-0
6 April GRASSHOPPER CZ 2-1
1932 - IRISH TOUR
Following the visit by Grasshopper FC in February, Corinthians embarked on a three match tour of Ireland over the Easter weekend in March 1932. The tour was partly arranged by E.D.R. Shearer, who played for Derry City when not on duty with Corinthians. The first match, against Derry City, was a tight affair with Corinthians just edging it by a score of 3-2 in front of a crowd of more than 5,000. Shearer chose to play for the tourists and contributed with Corinthian's second goal against his erstwhile Irish team mates. The team then travelled south to face Bohemian FC once more at Dalymont Park in Dublin. This was another closely contested game in which Corinthians reportedly played the better football but were beaten 2-1 after a late winner scored by Ebbs.
The third and final game of the tour took place in Belfast against Northern Irish League Champions Linfield who raced to a 3-0 lead after only 25 minutes. Shearer pulled one back early in the second half for Corinth but Linfield were always the better side and finally emerged as 4-2 winners after a thoroughly entertaining match.
26 March DERRY CITY 3-2
28 March BOHEMIAN 1-2
30 March LINFIELD 2-4
1933 - HOLLAND, GERMANY & DENMARK TOUR
In April 1933, Corinthians embarked on a 10 day tour of Holland, Germany and Denmark, their most extensive overseas trip in 10 years. The tour comprised of six matches played over 10 days in The Hague, Hamburg, Kiel and Copenhagen.
The team made an overnight crossing on April 5th, arriving in The Hague the following day. Their first match against Holland's own amateur 'all-star' side, De Zwaluwen, was scheduled to kick-off at 8:30 that evening and would be the Corinthians' first game under floodlights. Unfortunately, the team struggled to adapt to the difficulties created by the uneven lighting and an under-inflated football, leading to three of De Zwaluwen's goals which came from crosses being 'lost in the lights'. As a result, the Swallows raced to an insurmountable 4-0 lead before half-time. The second half was a more even affair with Webster pulling one back for Corinthians and Shearer hitting the inside of the post, however the hosts emerged as 5-1 winners after an entertaining match that was perhaps closer than the scoreline suggested.
After a night's rest, the team travelled to Hamburg by night-train the following evening, arriving in the city at 6:00am on April 8th. An enthusiastic crowd turned out to see the English tourists take on SV Hamburg once more, and were rewarded with an exciting game. Twice Corinthians took the lead only to be pegged back each time by the German forwards and the match ended 2-2. The following day, the team travelled north to Kiel by motor-coach to take on Kieler SV Holstein. The crowd at the Holstein Stadion were treated to another close, competitive game which ended 1-1 after a late equalizer from Shearer.
The tour concluded with three matches in Copenhagen against old friends Kjobenhavns BK, Bold Klubben 1903 and a Combined Copenhagen XI. All three games took place in the Copenhagen Idraetspark Stadium (where the modern Parken Stadium stands today) and produced some superb football, with Corinthians winning the first match 2-0 and drawing the remaining two games each by a score of 2-2.
6 April DE ZWALUWEN 1-5
8 April HAMBURGER SV 2-2
9 April HOLSTEIN KIEL 1-1
13 April KJOBENHAVNS BK 2-0
14 April BOLD KLUBBEN (1903) 2-2
16 April COPENHAGEN XI 2-2
1933 - HOLLAND TOUR
The club returned to The Netherlands a few months later at the invitation of HVV Den Haag who were celebrating their Golden Jubilee that year with a festival of football, the highlight of which was to be their encounter with Corinthians. The tour began in Arnhem where Corinth took on Vitesse (photo below). Corinthians started well and took the lead through Whewell, however the hosts, who featured two Dutch Internationals in their line-up, proved too strong and it was Vitesse who would ultimately triumph by a score of 2-1.
Following the game, the touring party travelled overnight to Scheveningen on the outskirts of The Hague where they relaxed on the famous beach before heading into the city for the match against HVV, who Corinthians had last played in 1906. Here, Corinth's all-out attacking play became their undoing as HVV counter-attacked mercilessly, taking advantage of the exposed defence to race to a 5-1 lead at the break. The second-half was rather less one-sided but after Lister missed a penalty and Toppin had a goal disallowed, there was no way back for the Corinthians and HVV ran out comfortable 7-2 winners.
The third and final game took place in Haarlem where Corinthians would once more take on De Zwaluwen to whom they had lost 5-1 just five months earlier. This time the visitors started brightly and Webster scored after just three minutes, only for the hosts to equalise shortly after. Corinth pressed on and Lister restored their lead before being pegged back a second time, making the score 2-2 at half-time. Playing their third game in four days, the Corinthian players began to tire mid-way through the second half and The Swallows took control, scoring four goals in the last 20 minutes to win 6-2. The Dutch amateur club that had been formed in Corinthian's image in order to improve the fortunes of Holland's national team had clearly outgrown their English counterparts and would go on to inspire the unstoppable rise of football in the Netherlands.
2 Sept VITESSE ARNHEM 1-2
3 Sept HVV DEN HAAG 2-7
5 Sept DE ZWALUWEN 2-6
1934 - FRENCH TOUR
Corinthians visited Paris for a single game over Easter and succeeded in gaining what was by then a rare win! The match against Stade Francais (better known today for their Rugby Union team) was this time played at their picturesque La Faisanderie stadium in Saint-Cloud, where goals by Cooper, Collins and Charlton, who scored twice, secured a 4-1 victory, thus avenging Corinthian's defeat at the Stade Buffalo in 1929.
15 April STADE FRANCAIS 4-1
1935 - SWISS TOUR
Once more, Corinthians overseas exploits in 1935 consisted of a single match. This time, Grasshopper of Zurich were the hosts and the Swiss club would finally secure victory against Corinth in a closely contested game. The Times reported: "After 12 minutes' play a free kick was given against Corinthians. The ball came into the goal mouth and Abegglan ran up and scored for Grasshoppers, who led by this goal at half time." With that, our friends the Grasshoppers became the first and only Swiss side to defeat Corinthians.
22 March GRASSHOPPER CZ 0-1
1936 - GERMANY & DENMARK TOURS
The political climate in Germany was darkening ominously by the time the Corinthians undertook their Easter tour of 1936. Nevertheless, preparations were well underway for the Olympic Games which were to be held in Berlin that summer, and the world would soon gather there in the hope that sport could somehow eclipse division and hatred. Indeed, former Corinthian half-back G.B. Pollock-Hodsoll, who had played on early European tours for both Corinthians and Casuals, once said: "We are doing something... to bring the peoples of different nations together and so to affect that better knowledge and understanding of one another which is perhaps the best road to a closer friendship and broader sympathies." With tragic irony, Pollock-Hodsoll was killed in the first battle of Ypres in 1914, while the touring party of 1936 included W.T. Whewell who in a few short years would lose his life in World War Two.
The Corinthians arrived in Hamburg on the evening of April 9th and the following day the team opened the tour against their old friends SV Hamburg, whom they had met previously in 1925, 1928 and 1933. This time however, it would be Hamburg who were finally to emerge victorious as the tourists succumbed 2-1 despite a goal from Shearer. The next day, Corinth travelled to Hannover where they stayed at the impressive Grand Hotel Mussmann, which is still there today. The ensuing game against Hannover 1896 was another close affair resulting in a 2-2 draw in front of a crowd of 4,000.
The third and final match of the German leg of the tour was played in Braunschweig (Brunswick) some 30 miles or so east of Hannover against SV Eintracht von 1895 (known today as Eintracht Braunschweig). Again, the crowd was treated to a thrilling encounter which the hosts finally won 3-2 despite two goals from Warfield. Following the game, the Corinthian players returned to their comfortable quarters at the Hotel Mussman in Hannover before flying back to Croydon the next day.
Two weeks later, Corinthians returned to the Continent for a single game against Kjobenhavns BK - the fifth time the two clubs had met. It was reported thus:
"In the presence of the King and Queen of Denmark and 25,000 other spectators, the Corinthians FC played a goalless draw with Copenhagen here today. It is 60 years since the Copenhagen Club was founded and the Corinthians were invited to play the match to commemorate the occasion. The King of Denmark, an old member of the Copenhagen Club, said that it was with great pleasure that he welcomed the English team to Denmark. Rain fell during the match but the Corinthians played a fine game. Joy, Strasser, Webster and Fabian were often conspicuous. Five minutes from the end, Clements scored a goal but it was adjudged offside."
Corinthian FC had now won only two of their last 15 touring matches and the public's fading interest in amateur exhibition football mirrored the club's decline. Later in 1936 the Crystal Palace, where Corinthians played their home matches, would burn down, further symbolising the end of the club's golden era and prompting the eventual amalgamation with The Casuals.
10 April HAMBURGER SV 1-2
12 April HANNOVER 1896 2-2
13 April EINTRACHT BRAUNSCHWEIG 2-3
26 April KJOBENHAVNS BK 0-0