1926 Chatham Cup

1926 Chatham Cup
Tournament details
Venue(s)Basin Reserve, Wellington
Dates5 June – 4 September 1926
Defending championsWellington YMCA
Final positions
ChampionsSunnyside (1st title)
Runner-upNorth Shore
← 1925
1927 →

The 1926 Chatham Cup was the fourth annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.

The competition was run on a regional basis, with eight regional associations (Northland, Auckland, Wellington, Waikato, Wanganui, Manawatu, Canterbury and Otago) each holding separate qualifying rounds. In all, 36 teams entered the 1926 competition,[1] with the overwhelming majority being from the North Island.

In the South Auckland District there were four entries from Pukemiro, Huntly, Huntly Thistle and Frankton Railways.[2] According to Huntly Thistle's club website, the club beat Pukemiro 6-0 and Hikurangi 4-0 before losing to the eventual finalists North Shore United 3–1.[3]

The Manawatu Football Association initially recorded four entries. St. Andrew's, Palmerston North Returned Services Association, Palmerston North Athletic and Palmerston North Rangers.[4] Rangers later withdrew from the competition without partaking.[5]

One unusual feature of the 1926 competition was that three of the four semi-finalist sides were composed largely of staff from three of the country's largest mental hospitals, at Sunnyside, Porirua, and Seacliff.[6]

Seacliff was the single entry from Otago, and at an early stage there was discussion in regard to including the Dunedin side competing in the Wellington FA provincial rounds.[7] This did not eventuate, and Seacliff were directly through to the South Island Final against Sunnyside.

There were four entries from North Auckland. Hikurangi, Waro Wanderers, Waro Corinthians and Whangārei YMCA.[8]

  1. ^ "Chatham Cup Final to-morrow". Evening Post. 3 September 1926. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Association Football - South Auckland Executive". Papers Past. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
  3. ^ http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/huntlythistleafc/history.pl[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Association Football - Management Committee meets". Papers Past. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Soccer (By "GOALIE")". Manawatu Times. 30 June 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Will local men redeem themselves?". Evening Post. 7 August 1926. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  7. ^ "Soccer". Papers Past. 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Soccer Football - North Auckland Association Management Committee". 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021.