Charity Football Competition Notches up a Century
by Steve Gordos
When industrialist John William Hunt came up with the idea of a football competition to raise funds for the local blind, little did he know it would be still going strong a century later.
The J W Hunt Cup has embarked on its centenary season, having raised nearly £450,000 for the Wolverhampton, Dudley and Districts Institution for the Blind which later became the Beacon Centre.
John William Hunt built up Chillington Tool to be one of Wolverhampton’s major companies. He also provided top class leisure facilities for his workforce, including football and cricket pitches. His love of football and a desire to help the community led to the competition which bears his name.
A superb trophy was commissioned with handles in the shape of crocodiles, the crocodile being the symbol Chillington had adopted to go on all its products.
Sadly, Hunt died on December 10, 1925, before the first J W Hunt Cup was staged. He was 82 when he died at his home. Maycroft, Ash Hill, Compton, Wolverhampton after being taken ill. He had retired as Chillington chairman three years earlier.
Out of respect, plans for the cup to be played in the 1925-6 season were shelved, so the inaugural meeting was held on Thursday, September 16, 1926, at the Molineux Hotel. The hotel building, now extended and housing the city’s archives, has on it a blue plaque to mark the historic meeting.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were represented at that meeting and from the beginning have been stalwart supporters of the J W Hunt Cup. By coincidence the old blind institution was in Waterloo Road, just a short distance from Molineux.
The first 13 finals were staged at Molineux, beginning with a 2-0 win by Short Heath United over Cannon Iron in 1927. Short Heath won three more finals and their total of four triumphs has never been equalled.
Wolves continue to allow Molineux to be used and, in all, it has been the final venue on 56 occasions.
The Wolverhampton Referees’ Association have also been closely associated with the J W Hunt Cup. Many refs have served on the committee over the years Most notable among them was Jack Taylor the 1974 World Cup final referee. A Hunt Cup vice president, he took charge of the competition’s 1963 final.
Like Taylor who died in 2012, current J W Hunt Cup president Alex Hamil is a former top-flight ref. “It’s a great competition,” says Hamil, “and it may now be unique as it is open to clubs from different leagues.” Hamil added: “We have had great support from the clubs and local companies over the years.”
Hamil was in 2013 awarded the MBE for services to football and the visually impaired.
The chance to play at Molineux is a big incentive for the clubs and this year’s final, when Dudley Town beat Cradley Town 3-0 in a Black Country showdown, saw a sizeable crowd at the famous home of Wolves. It helped ensure the cup raised another £15,000 for the Beacon Centre.
A sign the competition is in excellent health is the recent decision by the Gough Group to become official sponsors. Chairman of the building firm is Wolves director John Gough who is a great enthusiast of the competition. His dad, Jack, played for Wolverhampton Technical College at Molineux when they were runners-up in the 1947 final, losing 4-2 to Charles Sanpe’s.
Another welcome event for the cup in recent years was the discovering of the competition’s existence by J W Hunt’s direct descendants. Since then, his grandson Jonathan Hunt and great-grandson Tim Hunt and their families have been regular attendees at finals which they agreed to sponsor.
A dinner will be held at Molineux, in September next year on the anniversary of the founding meeting and a book charting the history of the cup will be published. Written by committee men John Hughes and Steve Gordos, J W Hunt Cup Centenary will contain details and photos for every final as well as a history of the cup and the figures who have served it well.
It also features the historic occasion in October, 2021, when a J W Hunt Cup first-round tie between Old Wulfrunians and Bloxwich side Lane Head saw an English record for the most kicks in a penalty shoot-out. There were 44, Old Wulfs winning it 19-18 after the game had ended 3-3.
While the Football League and the FA Cup were suspended during World War II, the J W Hunt Cup managed to keep going. There was every chance it would complete an unbroken run of 100 finals. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic meant the 2019-20 competition had to be halted while the following season’s had to be cancelled.
Even then, various fundraising events ensured the cup could make its annual Beacon donation. Particularly active in fundraising has been Sylvia Enefer, whose late brother Derek refereed the 1994 final. As well as organising collections, she has raised cash by holding reunions of her old colleagues from the Wolverhampton Telephone Exchange and by holding garden parties and coffee mornings.
The cup’s contributions are greatly appreciated at the Beacon Centre, who showed just how much by naming their committee room the “J W Hunt Cup Room.”
The J W Hunt Cup has many stalwarts on its committee like long-serving secretary Alan Ryder and treasurer Tony Duncombe. This year Bill Owen was succeeded as chairman by Pete Darby who leads a dedicated team determined to ensure the competition retains its special place in West Midlands football.
Another great industrialist and benefactor, the late Sir Jack Hayward, once said of the cup “It’s part of Wolverhampton’s history.”
He was spot on with that verdict and Alex Hamil adds: “We have a great committee who ensure the competition runs smoothly.” Clearly, the J W Hunt Cup’s future is in safe hands.