John Denton and the Sheffield FC Athletic sports: 153 years ago this month
Andy Mitchell the co-author of the excellent ‘1824 The World’s First Foot-Ball Club’ book (http://www.scottishsporthistory.com/worlds-first-foot-ball-club.html) has kindly sent me images of John Denton’s prize from the 1865 Sheffield FC Athletic sports. John Denton was Sheffield FC’s Hon. Sec. in 1869 and 1870.
He won the tankard for coming second in the quarter mile.
The man who beat him was A.M. Wild at this ‘elite’ event held by Sheffield FC every year since 1858, this year at Bramall lane Cricket ground:
The man to beat his other events was John Charles Shaw -the founder of Hallam FC:
But Denton beat Shaw in the steeplechase:
Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 09 May 1865
John Denton died on 8th January 1914 aged 69. In his obituary they recount his narrow escape from death from the ‘Sheffield Great Flood’ aged seventeen.
To learn more about the history of Sheffield football history please order my book:
A History of Sheffield Football 1857-1889: Speed, Science and Bottom
Link to book page – http://bit.ly/2qYw0r0
