Birmingham Combination

Birmingham Combination
Country England
Founded 1892
Folded 1954
Divisions 1
Feeder to Birmingham & District League
Last champions Rugby Town
(1953–54)
Most championships Bournville Athletic (6)
1953-54

The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The league was also affiliated to the Birmingham County F.A. Winners of the league would have had to have been elected to the Birmingham & District league in order to gain promotion.[1]

History

The competition was formed in 1892, three years after the Birmingham & District League, to cater for those clubs which held "junior" membership of the Birmingham County Football Association, and was thus initially called the Birmingham & District Junior League.[2] The eight founder member clubs were Aston St James, Bournbrook, Bournville, Ellen Street Victoria, Hamstead, Kings Heath Albion, Park Mills, and Soho Villa.

By 1908 the league's status and area of coverage had grown significantly and it changed its name to the Birmingham Combination. The Combination acted as a "feeder" league to the Birmingham & District League. The league attracted the top four teams of the Walsall and District League, Willenhall Swifts, Darlaston, Bilston United and Hednesford Town, as well as Wednesbury Old Athletic, who all moved to the Birmingham Junior League for the beginning of the season.[1]

The league welcomed Walsall as they became the first local Football League club to enter a team in the competition when in 1923 they entered their reserve team, they were followed in 1928 by Birmingham, in 1932 by Wolverhampton Wanderers and in 1933 by West Bromwich Albion. Aston Villa were the last of the local league sides to enter a team, doing so in 1935.[3] By the 1930s it had grown in prestige and had come to be regarded as the stronger of the two leagues.

In 1952 the Birmingham & District League, which had by now regained its status as the top league in the area, suggested a merger between the two competitions, but the Combination rejected the idea. Several of the Combination's top teams then defected to its rival. The depleted Combination then revived the idea of a merger but it was rejected and, when all bar one of the Combination's remaining clubs jumped to the League in 1954, the Combination was effectively absorbed by the League.[4]

Champions

The champions of the league were as follows:[5]

Season Champions
1892–93Soho Villa
1893–94Coombs Wood
1894–95Lozells
1895–96Bournbrook
1896–97Bournbrook
1897–98Bournville Athletic
1898–99Bournville Athletic
1899–00Bournville Athletic
1900–01Bournville Athletic
1901–02Bournville Athletic
1902–03Bournville Athletic
1903–04Foleshill Great Heath
1904–05Coombs Wood Tube Works
1905–06Coombs Wood Tube Works
1906–07Nuneaton Town
1907–08Darlaston[1]
1908–09Willenhall Pickwick
1909–10Hednesford Town
1910–11Darlaston[1]
1911–12Cradley Heath St Lukes
1912–13Stafford Rangers
1913–14Redditch
1914–15Nuneaton Town
No competition between 1915 and 1919 due to the First World War
1919–20Cradley Heath St Lukes
1920–21Cannock Town
1921–22Cradley Heath St Lukes
1922–23Oakengates Town
1923–24Hinckley United
1924–25Bloxwich Strollers
1925–26Leamington Town
1926–27Hinckley United
1927–28Walsall Reserves
1928–29Nuneaton Town
1929–30Market Harborough Town
1930–31Nuneaton Town
1931–32Birmingham "A"
1932–33Redditch
1933–34Dudley Town
1934–35Wolverhampton Wanderers "A"
1935–36Aston Villa "A"
1936–37Walsall Reserves
1937–38Darlaston
1938–39Aston Villa "A"
No competition between 1939 and 1945 due to the Second World War
1945–46Darlaston
1946–47Bromsgrove Rovers
1947–48Atherstone Town
1948–49Bedworth Town
1949–50Bedworth Town
1950–51Hednesford Town
1951–52Stourbridge
1952–53Redditch
1953–54Rugby Town

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dan, Shaw (10 October 2013). "Grandfather's cup medal recalls Darlaston FC's glory years". Black Country Bugle. Black Country Bugle.
  2. ↑ "The English Non League Archive | INDEX OF LEAGUES". www.spanglefish.com.
  3. ↑ "W.B.A Fan Site". www.albiontillwedie.co.uk.
  4. ↑ Robinson, Michael (2005). Non-League Football Tables 1889–2005. Soccer Books Limited. pp. 78–80. ISBN 1-8622-3125-7.
  5. ↑ Robinson, Michael. Non-League Football Tables 1889–2005. pp. 81–87.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.