The Cheshire County Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Cheshire Senior Cup, is a football knockout tournament founded in the 1879–80 season and involves teams from Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England. It is the County Cup competition of the Cheshire FA and currently involves teams from the Football League and non-league clubs. However, while non-league clubs often field their first team in the competition, professional clubs often field their reserve teams. The inaugural winners of the cup were Northwich Victoria in 1880 and the record winners of the trophy are Macclesfield Town.
| Organising body | Cheshire FA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1879 |
| Region |  Cheshire |
| Number of teams | 27 (2023–24) |
| Current champions | Hyde United (7th title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Macclesfield Town (21 titles) |
| Website | Cheshire FA |
Inaugural season (1879–80)
editThere were just six clubs who participated in the first season of the Cheshire Senior Cup. The draw for the first round was made on 3 February 1880, with the ties played on 14 February 1880.[1]
| First round | Birkenhead | Awarded | Macclesfield | |
| Report |
| First round | Hurdsfield | 1–8 | Hartford St John's | |
| Report |
| First round | Northwich Victoria | 3–0 | Crewe Alexandra | |
| Report |
| Semi-finals | Northwich Victoria | 3–1 | Birkenhead | |
| Report |
| Semi-finals | Hartford St John's | Bye | ||
| Report |
| Final | Hartford St John's | 0–2 | Northwich Victoria | Crewe |
| Report | Stadium: Nantwich Road |
Current participants (2023-24)
editFinals
editA full list of finals appears on the Silkmen Archives website. Results of Finals since the 1879–80 season are:
Key
edit| Match went to a replay | |
| Match went to extra time | |
| Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time | |
| Shared trophy |
Wins by teams
editTeams shown in italics † are no longer in existence.[2]
| Club | Wins | First final won | Last final won | Runner-up | Last final lost | Total final apps. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macclesfield Town † | 21 | 1889–90 | 2014–15 | 11 | 1996–97 | 32 | [a] |
| Northwich Victoria | 19 | 1879–80 | 2013–14 | 16 | 2014–15 | 35 | |
| Crewe Alexandra | 15 | 1886–87 | 2016–17 | 14 | 2023–24 | 29 | [b] |
| Runcorn † | 12 | 1924–25 | 1988–89 | 7 | 1997–98 | 19 | |
| Witton Albion | 11 | 1901–02 | 2005–06 | 10 | 2003–04 | 21 | |
| Altrincham | 7 | 1904–05 | 2008–09 | 15 | 2022–23 | 22 | |
| Chester City † | 7 | 1894–95 | 1931–32 | 6 | 1928–29 | 13 | [c] |
| Hyde United | 7 | 1945–46 | 2023–24 | 6 | 1995–96 | 13 | |
| Stockport County | 7 | 1905–06 | 2021–22 | 3 | 2000–01 | 10 | [d] |
| Nantwich Town | 6 | 1932–33 | 2018–19 | 7 | 2016–17 | 13 | [e] |
| Tranmere Rovers | 4 | 1918–19 | 1957–58 | 5 | 2015–16 | 9 | |
| Winsford United | 3 | 1958–59 | 1992–93 | 7 | 1972–73 | 10 | |
| Congleton Town | 3 | 1920–21 | 2022–23 | 3 | 1982–83 | 6 | |
| Stalybridge Celtic | 2 | 1952–53 | 2000–01 | 6 | 2012–13 | 8 | |
| Davenham † | 1 | 1885–86 | 1885–86 | 2 | 1886–87 | 3 | [f] |
| Ellesmere Port Town | 1 | 1956–57 | 1956–57 | 2 | 1971–72 | 3 | |
| New Brighton Tower † | 1 | 1897–98 | 1897–98 | 2 | 1899–00 | 3 | [g] |
| Sale Homfield † | 1 | 1902–03 | 1902–03 | 1 | 1901–02 | 2 | [h] |
| Woodley Sports † | 1 | 2003–04 | 2003–04 | 1 | 2009–10 | 2 | [i] |
| Cammell Laird 1907 | 1 | 2006–07 | 2006–07 | 0 | – | 1 | [j] |
| Chester | 1 | 2012–13 | 2012–13 | 0 | – | 1 | |
| Critchtons Athletic † | 1 | 1919–20 | 1919–20 | 0 | – | 1 | [k] |
| Sandbach Ramblers † | 1 | 1913–14 | 1913–14 | 0 | – | 1 | [l] |
Win by cities or towns
edit| City | County | Titles | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwich | Cheshire
|
30 | Northwich Victoria (19), Witton Albion (11) |
| Macclesfield | Cheshire
|
21 | Macclesfield Town (21) |
| Crewe | Cheshire
|
15 | Crewe Alexandra (15) |
| Runcorn | Cheshire
|
12 | Runcorn (12) |
| Chester | Cheshire
|
8 | Chester City (7), Chester (1) |
| Stockport |  Greater Manchester
|
8 | Stockport County (7), Woodley Sports (1) |
| Altrincham | Greater Manchester
|
7 | Altrincham (7) |
| Hyde | Greater Manchester
|
7 | Hyde United (7) |
| Nantwich | Cheshire
|
6 | Nantwich Town (6) |
| Birkenhead |  Merseyside
|
5 | Tranmere Rovers (4), Cammell Laird 1907 (1) |
| Winsford | Cheshire
|
3 | Winsford United (3) |
| Congleton | Cheshire
|
3 | Congleton Town (3) |
| Stalybridge | Greater Manchester
|
2 | Stalybridge Celtic (2) |
| New Brighton | Merseyside
|
2 | New Brighton (1), New Brighton Tower (1) |
| Davenham | Cheshire
|
1 | Davenham (1) |
| Ellesmere Port | Cheshire
|
1 | Ellesmere Port Town (1) |
| Sale | Greater Manchester
|
1 | Sale Homfield (1) |
| Liverpool | Merseyside
|
1 | Critchtons Athletic (1) |
| Sandbach | Cheshire
|
1 | Sandbach Ramblers (1) |
Notes
edit- ^ Dissolved in 2020. Won 7 titles as Macclesfield and 1 as reserves.
- ^ Won 1 title as reserves.
- ^ Dissolved in 2010. Won 7 titles as Chester.
- ^ Won 1 title as reserves.
- ^ Won 1 title as Nantwich.
- ^ Dissolved in 1890.
- ^ Dissolved in 1901.
- ^ Dissolved.
- ^ Dissolved in 2015.
- ^ Won as Cammell Laird.
- ^ Dissolved in 1958.
- ^ Dissolved.
References
edit- ^ Clayton, Keith (2010). Cheshire Senior Cup, 1880 to 1915. Kenilworth: Clayton Family Press. ISBN 978-0-9564461-0-7. OCLC 751622759.
- ^ "Cheshire Senior Cup" (PDF). silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2023.