Introduction
THE Lipton Trophy, a short-lived European soccer competition, was won - twice - by little West Auckland, a team of plucky amateurs from County Durham.
IN 1909, Sir Thomas Lipton, a Scotsman of humble background who had made his fortune in tea, decided to organise a football competition for the best sides in Europe.
The sniffy FA refused to take part, so Lipton’s men invited West Auckland FC, a team of miners from County Durham, to appear on behalf of the cream of British football.*
Why they got the nod instead of neighbouring Bishop Auckland, regular winners of the prestigious Northern League, remains unclear. But they did, and on 12th April that year they ran out two-nil winners in Turin, helped by an outrageous dummied penalty against Swiss Super League champions FC Winterthur.
Remarkably, they repeated the feat two years later, playing a much-admired passing game to thrash Italian giants Juventus six-one in the Final on 17th April, 1911.
The trophy was immediately pawned to help pay off the club’s debts. Although it was redeemed many years later, in 1994 it was stolen, and has never been recovered.
West Auckland FC: The miners’ football team that won big (BBC Video, 4m 56s)
Martin Connolly from West Auckland presents a brief look at the historic victory in Turin.
The FA stands for the English Football Association.
Précis
In 1909, tea-magnate Sir Thomas Lipton organised a football competition for the best sides in Europe. When the FA declined to sully themselves with it, Lipton invited a team of miners from West Auckland in County Durham to play. Amazingly, they beat the aristocracy of European football both that year and again in 1911. (54 / 60 words)
In 1909, tea-magnate Sir Thomas Lipton organised a football competition for the best sides in Europe. When the FA declined to sully themselves with it, Lipton invited a team of miners from West Auckland in County Durham to play. Amazingly, they beat the aristocracy of European football both that year and again in 1911.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, besides, may, must, or, since, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Against. Get. Off.
2 League. Pass. Two.
3 Debt. Out. Play.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
fds (6+1)
fades. fads. feds. feeds. feuds. foods.
foodies.
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Email Support.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
