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Canterbury Shield 1905 - 1912
The Hurley Shield 1913 - 2006
Mainland Football Hurley
Challenge Shield 2007
Canterbury
Shield 1905 – 1912
Winner of local competition won
the shield with Celtic F.C. the inaugural winner in 1905.
The Hurley Shield 1913 - 2006
The Hurley Shield was in fact
the former Canterbury Shield, renovated and enlarged by John James Hurley, who
had become concerned about its dilapidated condition. Hurley was an engineer who
arrived from England in 1910 to take up a position as an assistant to Robert
English at the Christchurch gasworks. He succeeded English in 1924 and retained
the position until his retirement in 1940.
The Hurley shield measures 900mm
from top to bottom and is 66omm wide. Made of solid, stained and varnished oak,
it weighs 14 kilograms. The small, ornately carved central area of the trophy
seems to have been the original Canterbury Shield superimposed on the larger,
plaque-laden area which was Hurley’s addition. The bras escutcheon at the center
faintly depicts nine knickerbockered gentlemen playing football on a tree-lined
oval, watched from the distance by a small crowd packing a tiny box-like stand.
Hurley must have been cornered
about more than just the condition of the shield, for the area originally
available for the names of winners had been filled after only eight seasons. Did
such a small trophy indicate that the CFA was hard up at the time or merely
cautious about the future of its competitions?
The Hurley Shield has taken many
forms from League winners, top placed Christchurch teams and even challenges.
Mainland Football Hurley
Challenge Shield 2007
After 102 years being passed
around the winning clubs, this grand shield is bulging at the seams with silver
plated medals and is looking slightly tiered. It has now been decided by the
Mainland Football board to have a replica made and the original proudly on
display in a display cabinet.
The replica has been
manufactured, crafted and donated by Paul Bradshaw (New Brighton) graphics by
Craig Crawford (Halswell) and the engraving by Academy Awards, although slightly
smaller and lighter than the original, the workmanship that has been put in has
created a replica that will take pride in any clubroom.
To this end from 2007 onwards a
challenge will determine the holders, and the replica will be presented to the
holder to display at their clubrooms.
The shield will be up for
challenge at the holders home games, the challenger has to beat the holder to
have the shield, at the moment only Christchurch teams can compete for the
shield.
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