Northamptonshire Senior Cup

NFA Hillier Senior Cup
Flag of Northamptonshire
Founded1883
RegionNorthamptonshire (Northants FA)
Current championsAFC Rushden and Diamonds, (3 titles)
Most successful club(s)Kettering Town, (31 titles)
WebsiteHillier Senior Cup website

The NFA Hillier Senior Cup is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Northamptonshire, England and the surrounding area. It is a County Cup competition of the Northamptonshire Football Association and involves senior non-league teams. It has been contested annually since 1883.[1] Kettering Town have won the cup the most times, lifting the trophy on 31 occasions. The current champions are AFC Rushden and Diamonds, who beat Kettering Town in the 2024 final.

History

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Initially named the NFA Senior Cup, the tournament was renamed in 1981. It was first held in 1883, and was won by Newport Pagnell Town.[1] The trophy has since been lifted by 24 different sides (not including reserve teams).[2] The winner of the competition now contests the Maunsell Cup against one of Peterborough or Northampton.[3]

In 1988, The tournament went through a re-structure with the English Football League clubs, Peterborough United and Northampton Town being withdrawn from the cup, after the Northamptonshire FA decided to make the competition an all non-league affair. Since then, the competition has been contested by the 14 highest ranked non-league teams from the previous season, within Northamptonshire. The only exception to this rule was when Rushden & Diamonds competed in the competition between 2001-2006, whilst they were in League Two. They were allowed to take part however, after agreeing to field an Under-21s team in the cup during this period.

Since 1998, the final has been held at Sixfields Stadium.[4] In 2022, The Under 18 teams of both Peterborough United and Northampton Town were eligible to enter the competition, marking the first time teams entered from both clubs since 1988.

Recent Finals

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Year Winners Runner-up Attendance
2005 Rothwell Town Raunds Town 223
2006 Northampton Spencer Corby Town 527
2007 Rushden & Diamonds Woodford United 1,256
2008 Rushden & Diamonds Brackley Town 1,747
2009 Long Buckby Brackley Town 248
2010 Corby Town Daventry Town 584
2011 Brackley Town Corby Town 767
2012 Brackley Town Corby Town 780
2013 Corby Town Daventry Town 686
2014 Daventry Town Cogenhoe United 314
2015 Brackley Town Peterborough Sports 608
2016 AFC Rushden & Diamonds Kettering Town 945
2017 Kettering Town Corby Town 895
2018 Kettering Town Brackley Town 873
2019 AFC Rushden and Diamonds Brackley Town 1,097
2022 Peterborough Sports AFC Rushden and Diamonds 691
2023 Peterborough Sports Cogenhoe United 268
2024 AFC Rushden and Diamonds Kettering Town 1,025

[5]

All Time Winners

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Pos Winners Total Most Recent Win Notes
1 Kettering Town 31 2018
2 Northampton Town 22 1987 Stopped Competing in 1988
3 Peterborough United 21 1988 Stopped Competing in 1988
4 Brackley Town 12 2015
5 Corby Town 11 2013
6 Northampton Spencer 7 2006 Dissolved in 2019
Daventry Town 2014
8 Newport Pagnell Town 5 1963
9 Desborough Town 4 1954
Wellingborough Town 1995
Rushden & Diamonds 2008 Dissolved in 2011
Long Buckby 2009
12 AFC Rushden & Diamonds 3 2024
13 Peterborough Sports 2 2023
14 Rushden Town 1 1924 Merged in 1992 with Irthlingborough Diamonds
James King Blisworth F.C. 1927
Moulton F.C. 1935
Rothwell Corinthians 1957
Irthlingborough Diamonds 1962 Merged in 1992 with Rushden Town
Northampton Sileby Rangers 1976
Wellingborough Whitworth 1978
Raunds Town 1997
Cogenhoe United 2004
Rothwell Town 2005

Source:[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sorry. Something's wrong with the pitch. - Northamptonshire FA".
  2. ^ "Sorry. Something's wrong with the pitch. - Northamptonshire FA".
  3. ^ "Cobblers to travel to AFC Rushden & Diamonds for Maunsell Cup Final". www.northamptonchron.co.uk. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Cobblers and Posh". 7 June 1988.
  5. ^ "'One down, one to go' for Peterborough Sports as County Cup final win is dedicated to a couple of club stalwarts". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Northamptonshire FA Handbook 2021". www.northamptonshirefa.com. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
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