The team that won the FA Cup Final in 1879 won again in 1882 beating Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at The Oval. (FA Cup Finals continued to be played at The Oval until 1892.) 1882 was the last time an amateur side won the Cup Final and that team were Old Etonians.
Actually they played in the Cup Final six times between 1875 and 1883. What makes this remarkable is that footer is not an Eton game. On the playing fields that proved so efficacious in preparing the British army for Waterloo, the Field Game and the Wall Game are played; both have complex rule books. Without wanting to get bogged down in detail, let me just say that in the Field Game neither “sneaking” nor “firking” are permitted and it’s better to score a “rouge” than a goal. This arcane knowledge is what leads some Old Etonians to adopt an attitude of insufferable superiority.
Not caring much for Association, I was unaware of The Oval’s rôle, particularly in pre-gasometer days. As for the rest, you have made an inCalxuable contribution and you weren’t Shie about it. To which I say “Bully!”
GC,
You show great familiarity with the Wall Game. Do you play in LA? I was as surprised as you that The Oval was not exclusively used for cricket. May I add that my visitors from LA have surpassed both Oxford and Cambridge. I have a suspicion, GC, that this is one-up to Harvard?
Christopher