CUP DAY AND CAP DAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8162, 20 June 1906, Page 6

CUP DAY AND CAP DAY.

IHB FOOTBALL PINAL AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

(From Our London Correspondent).

LONDON, April 27. Tbe great event of the month is the Football Association Cup final at the Crystal Palace. The arrangements made by the railway companies were in excess of those of last year, over 150 special Lrains being requisitioned to carry spectators from all parta of the couhtry. Of theso the London aud Northwestern Railway provided 43, the Midland 40, the Great Northern 37, and the Great Central 30. The Cup Day is an event in the life of Lancashire folk, who contribute small weekly sums to clubs for Derhaps six months before the day. The majority of visitors from that and the neighbouring counties come in groups or clubs to which their contributions have been paid. The amount paid is about 23s to 26s and this sum purchases the journey to London, breakfast, a drive round the city, dinner, drive to the Crystal Palace, a diotanca of about eight miles, a reserved seat to view the match, tea, supper, and the return journey. Messrs Cook and Son, the wellknown tourist agents, also arrange trips for the occasion. For the sum of 8a they provide a substantial breakfast, a drive around the city, dinner, the drive to the Palace [ and back, and a seat to view the match. Many visitors arrived a* the termini as early as 4 a.m., after which there was an unbroken proaession of well-paoked trains at every terminus. It is an hour when most folk are wrapped in slumber, bub the., stations were lively toith snatches of song and jest, in accents hardly intelligible to the average Londoner. Good provision waS made for the wants of the inner man—callons of ale, cigars, tobacco, hampers of sandwiahea were plentiful. From this early hour they began to spread themselves over the big city. Long before tbe sights of interest weie open the doox-s were besieged by orderly well-behaved and jollycrowds. Westminster Abbey ,the House of Parliament,, the Tower* and many other places of interest came in for their inspection—in fact, it was nothing but an invasion of "cloth cappers," to the tune of about 60,000. Wherever the Londoner strayed he found some section of this great army of oleasure seekers, conspicuous by their provincial dress and,'appearance. There are 16,000 reserved seats provided by the Crystal Paiaoe authorities, and they were all filled, nearly all being booked the day before.. This year deoided the twelfth final at the Palace, and both teams oame iCrom the North, Newoaßtle United and Everton, The winning team has tbe right to hold the Football. Association until ' April, 1907. Th'e players this year were:— Newcastle United—J. Lawrence, A. Aitken, 0. M; Veitcb, J. Carr, A. Gardner, J. Howie, A. McCombie, A. Gosnell, J. Rutherford, P. MoWill}am,'and R. Orr. , Everton—J. feJharp, H. P. Hardham, R. Balmer, H. Bolton, H. Makepeace, T. Crelly, A. Young, J. Taylor, W. Soott, J. Settle and W. Abbott. '

The teams previously beaten by the present iivals were:—Newcastle United Birmingham, Blackpool, Derby County, Grimsby, and Woolwich Arsenal. Evert on—-Bradford City, Chesterfield, Liverpool, Sheffield, anil West bromwiob. - 1 . 1 Arrived ;at the Crystal Palace—• those of them who got so far— tbia men, of Evbrton', or Toffee Town, and those of Newcastle, the Land of Coals, fraternised wonderfully and it may t be gathered that all rivajry was forgotten during the coriduihp. tion of the 3,500 ,beelsteaks, 12,000 lbs of potatoes, 3,000 pork pies, and 100 barreli of beer which .weid provided for them. Hut the counties have'doubtless, a great capaoity for the consumption of bear for police and railway.officials enthused at the splendid behaviour of this vast orowd of busy toilers bn their day's outing. There was hardly any drunkenness. Everton, the lighter built,set of men, showed superior smartness in gettjpg to the ball,, and were helped by i the;wind. There were very few fouls, add no' serious ones, bnt a good many, free kicks. During the first ten minutes. or' bo, the ball did nut go over the Everton goal line., The Newcastle defenoe . was good—as good as their attack was uncertain—and it was needed, for Everton always seemed the more dangerous. Rutherford nearly claimed a goal, but when' he was within a very short distance, Balmer rushed across and knocked him over, and saved a possible tie. Newcastle attacked well, but oould not overcome the Everton defence, and the game ended in a' welldeserved victory . for Everton by 1 to 0. The Cup wss presented to the winners by , Lord Kinnaird. He thanked Newqastle United for "showing how the game should be played," and, referred to , their being in the final two years running. All sportsmen, he said, would welcome the victory of Everton, who, returning to the Palace after nine years, had lost none of their prowess. ' With these cheering words in their ears the teams and their great { army of supporters prepared to make a night of it. The number of visitors to the Palace was 75,600 —many of these were, of course, Londoners, and visitors frorr. the siiburba: while many thousands from Lancashire, Yorkshire, and other parts of Great Britain did not get within miles of the Palace, but contented themselves with the sights of London, or went to visiu relatives, aided by the cn?ap excursion trains. , The streets, parks, music halls, theatres, and most places of amusement were invaded by tfabusahds of clothcapped visitors —. some of whom made a week end of it. When the viotory of Everton became known at Liverpool the jubilation was great. ;; Crowds of enthusiastic supporters paraded the streets shouting "Play up the Blues!" and answering their familiar catchword, "Are we downhearted?" with mighty yells of "No !". V