In its day it was more valuable than the FA Cup, but that's not to say the Harwich Charity Cup is now a forgotten trophy.

Today it is still raising thousands of pounds for charities in the area - exactly 100 years after its inception.

Now to celebrate the competition's centenary, organisers have arranged a special tournament, comprising the four clubs who were invited to play in the first event back in 1899.

A commemorative book is also being published, charting the history of the competition.

Harwich and Parkeston, Sudbury Town, Chelmsford City and Colchester Town (who later evolved into Colchester United) will play for the Harwich Charity Cup Centenary Shield next month.

It is planned the book will be on sale at the tournament to make even more money for charity.

Historian Carl Allen has been researching the cup's history for more than five years, using the Gazette's sister paper, the Harwich and Manningtree Standard, for the book.

President Jack Hayward, who has been involved in the competition for 52 years, explained the history of the competition.

"It was instigated by the final of the FA Amateur Cup in 1899."

Harwich reached that but lost.

"Also people got fed up with friendlies so they started up charity competitions.

"This is one of only a few still going."

Chairman Mike Collins added: "The competition's tried everything. We've had a four-team competition. Then it changed to a single game.

"Then two leagues were tried. We had an international tournament a couple of times.

"It actually folded at the start of the 1980s but that was only for a couple of years.

"An additional junior cup for junior teams started in 1933 and in 1988 we introduced an intermediate tournament."

Charities have benefited to the tune of £10,000 over the past decade with each team involved allowed to nominate a charity of their choice.

Regular recipients in the area in recent years have been the Harwich Fellowship for the Sick, the Ark Centre in Harwich, and Mistley's Acorn Village.

Those unfortunate enough to visit Harwich Hospital can see a plaque on the wall which shows money from the competition was used to build what was the emergency admissions unit. The ward is still known as the Harwich Charity Cup Ward.

Mr Collins praised Harwich and Parkeston Football Club's efforts in keeping the competition going.

"Without their support the cup wouldn't have survived.

A lot of the competition organisers in the past have been involved with Harwich."

The Shrimpers are still the major source of income for the competition and the Royal Oak will appropriately stage the final of the Centenary Shield on July 27.

Before then Harwich will play Chelmsford and Sudbury meet Colchester.

Other fund-raising events organised to help celebrate the centenary include a five-a-side tournament and a summer golf day.

The Royal Irish Fusiliers were invited to play in the first ever competition but had to be replaced by Chelmsford as they were posted to the Boer War.

The first competition raised £25 for charity.

Harwich and Parkeston hold the biggest margin of victory - 16-0 in a match against Ganges United in 1914.

During the Second World War, the cup was stored at Scotland Yard as Met Police had won the 1939 competition.

In 1953 Harwich Colts agreed to halt a HCC game against Ramsey as their opponents had another cup game to play immediately afterwards. But when the replay date arrived Colts had disbanded.

Ken Ashton, the referee of the infamous Battle of Santiago between Chile and Italy in the 1962 World Cup, had just months before officiated in the Harwich Charity Cup.

Esbjerg, of Denmark, Bremerhaven, of Germany, and Hoekse, of Holland, have all had teams play in the competition.

The cup's lid was lost on a ship - possibly overboard - on the way back from Bremerhaven.

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