The Huron Expositor, 1975-04-17, Page 33Congratulations
Seaforth
on
Your Centennial
Peter DeCoo
MITCHELL Phone 348-9412
(Seaforth area residents please call collect)
HOME-LIFE-AUTO-COMMERCIAL-FARM LIABILITY
CIAG INSURANCE
(0.0„,,1,,,,„„s INSURANCE ASSOCIATIONS 01 GUI 1 P11
OPNOTCH
TOPNOTCH FEEDS LIMITED
Vifiiams.,,,,AW.MMVAIMS NeVAMIMAMOMMX:MOSMAIMWEAMEMONFMNIRMEANM
4.4
"10111111111111111"
GRATULA.TIONS
0th Anniversary of the Founding of
SEAFORTH
3t•
We Here at Topnotch are proud of our association with
the town during the 15 years we have been located
here and of the contribution we have been able to make
to the community.
Seaforth
Always famous for soccer
Football, or soccer, highlighted
the sports scene in Seaforth
seventy-five years ago and a long
series of top teams continued to
bring renown to the young town
culminating in 1891 when the
Hurons won •the Canadian
championship.
The first mention of soccer in
The Expositor° was the account of
a game between retired farmers
from Seaforth and Egmondville
on September 7, 1883.
Little news of the sport is in the ,
paper until 1890 but progress
must have been good because in
that year the team - the Hurons -
was playing for the Ontario
championship. The account of the
battle was in the July 4 issue. It
was the second game of a total
points series and Toronto Scots
had won the first game in
Seaforth by a score of 3 to 2. The
Expositor • quoted from the
Toronto Mail. "The game itself
was one of the finest ever played
in Toronto, and it was one of the
mnst remarkable. In the first half
the Scots played very sluggishly
while Seaforth had much the best
of the play. At the end of the half
the Seaforth team had scored a
goal, which they thoroughly
deserved. The Huron forwards
gave a splendid exhibition 'of the
passing game„ .and being fast
they monopolized the most of the
play. Dewar on the right wing is
one of the best'forwards who ever
toed a ball. He is very fast, a close
dribbler, and an accurate shot on
goal. The 'only way the Scots
..nuld prevent his speedy and
dangerous run was to have a man
stay with him the whole time."
The game ended in a 1 - 1 tie
and Toronto won the
championship on points 4 - 3.
But the, next year theHurons
were back. The league in which
they played seems, in this day, to
be very impressive. The April 24,
1891 Expositor gives the
following:
"Detroit, Berlin (Kitchener)
Rangers and Seaforth Hurons are
the competing teams in the
Western ,Football ' Association
this spring."
And despite the size of the
opposition cities the Hurons had
their best year ever. They beat
both Detroit and Berlin and won
the league championship. Then
they played for the Canadian
Championship. The July 3, 1891
ExpOsitor carried the story of the
series.
"On Saturday last the Huron
Football Club of Seaforth went to
Toronto to play a 'match with the
celebrat ed Scots of that city. This
match was one in a series for the
championship of Canada. It
resulted in a victory for Seaforth
boys by three goals to one."
The second game of ihe series
was in Seaforth. It ended 2 - 0 for
Seaforth and the Hurons were
Canadian Champions.
"The match on Wednesday
was one of the keenest and most
interesting ever seen in Canada,
and the playing was of the most
scientific order. It was witnessed
by about fifteen hundred people.
There was a strong side wind,
which was somewhat
troublesome, but otherwise the
weather was faultless. Both clubs
did their very best, but the
Hurons kept the lead from the
first. As a club they are,
decidedly, the best players. They
play better together and in a goal
scrimmage are more active and
sharper to take advantage of their
position. The Scots, however, are
a good club and they had several
magnificent individual players.
They seem to be a very
gentlemanly lot of fellows and
took their defeat with the best of
good grace. There was not an
unpleasant word spoken during
the match and the very best of
feelings appeared to prevail
between the members of the two
clubs, although they were
contending so hard against each
other. It is no ordinary honor the
Seaforth boys have won for-
themselves and their town, and
all are proud of and congratulate
them on their success."
That.was not the only credit of
the year for the Seaforth team.
They also defeated a touring team
from Chicago who claimed tb be
mie of the best in the world.
That year the Hurons also won
the Haugh Cup for the Western
Championship. They beat off all
attempts by challengers to win
the cup for nine years.. Then in
December 1900 they lost the cup
to Clinton. But the next year they
came back to take the cup.
.4)
18—THE HURON EXPOSITOR, APRIL 17, 1975