This brief history of the major trophies offered in the early days of American baseball in Britain, 1890—1910, serves mainly as an attempt to make sense of the photographs of English-Championship-winning teams that survive from this period, which show a variety of different cups for what was ostensibly the same competition. As such, the images presented at the end of the article play a major role in the interpretation presented here. Note: this article covers only the major trophies offered under the American code; for the major trophies offered under the English/Welsh code, please see other articles in the Diamond Lives series.[1]

This article could not have been written without the resources on National Champions available at Project COBB: the Project for Chronicling Of British Baseball.[2]

Spalding Cups

The three Challenge Cups are American manufacture, and are quite a novelty in the way of challenge cups in England. The Amateur Championship Cup of Great Britain bears the inscription— •”The Spalding Cup for the Amateur Championship of Great Britain. Presented A. Spalding Bros., U.S.A” The cup is unique in its nature. On each side of the base on a small pedestal is the figure of a batter. Immediately over the base is the bowl of the cup, which, when relieved of the top portion, makes a splendid punch bowl. In front of this is engraving of a game at ball in full progress, with stands in the background. The upper portion the cup is in the form of an old English drinking cup, with crossed baseball bats for handles, while at the apex is the figure of a batsman in the act of striking. The Cleveland Cup is somewhat similar in general design, except that no bowl can be formed by removing the upper portion. The inscription is—"The Spalding Cup, for the Baseball Championship of the Cleveland District.” The representation of the field in this instance is on the base of the pedestal, and the handles are formed of couple of baseballs, attached to the body the cup. The Scottish Cup is of entirely different shape and make altogether, and bears more the appearance of an urn than a cup. The inscription, which on the body of the cup, is as follows “The Spalding Challenge Cup, for the Amateur Baseball Championship of Scotland. Presented by Messrs. A G. Spalding Bros., U.S.A." The general form of the cup is unique, and it is made of silver, with gilt relief. The base is a capital representation of the Scotch Thistle, and in front of the drinking cup there are crossed bats and a ball.[3]

The first amateur baseball championship under the American code in England took the form of a best-of-three-game series between Preston North End amateurs and Birmingham in October 1890, only two games of which were played, both of which Preston won. However, it was not until April of the following year that the cup that was to be awarded to Preston arrived in England, donated by Albert Spalding, the American sports goods manufacturer and baseball team-owner who had bankrolled the introduction of American baseball to Great Britain.[4]

The cup, called officially the ‘The Spalding Cup for the Amateur Championship of England’ (hereafter, ‘Spalding English Cup’), was one of three cups that Spalding donated. As the quote above shows, the other two cups were what we will refer to as the ‘Spalding Scottish Cup’ and the ‘Spalding Cleveland Cup’. The reason the latter English region was singled out for special consideration was that it was one of the first areas of England to establish a sizeable amateur American baseball scene, and it was hoped that it would become a home of professional baseball too; this despite the fact that, by April 1891, the professional scene elsewhere in England was dead; its one and only league lasting only one season.[5]

It is worth noting here that, despite games having taken place in 1891 that may have constituted a ‘Scottish National Championship’, there is strong evidence to suggest that there was never an annual championship. This can be surmised from the fact that there is photographic evidence that shows that the Spalding Scottish Cup was routinely to be found in London, whereas, if it had been awarded, it would be in the keeping of the clubs that won it—this was, at least, the situation with the Spalding English Cup.[6]

Critically for this piece, shortly after their arrival, the Spalding Cups were sent on a tour of England and Scotland, and this occasioned sketches of the English and Scottish Cups to appear in British newspapers. These sketches demonstrate the differences between the cups and serve as ways of identifying the cups in photographs. Preston were presented with the English Cup early in the tour, and, based on subsequent events, we can surmise that the club retained the cup until it was time for the next championship final.[7]

It was decided to reorganise the association on a wider basis. It was also agree that the whole country be divided into districts, and that the winning team in each district meet in the final competition proper, that the three cups offered for competition in England, Cleveland, and Scotland be eligible for amateur clubs only, the definition of an amateur to mean as defined by the Amateur Athletic Association with the exception of football professionals, who shall be eligible to play as amateurs.[8]

By August 1891, the Baseball Association of Great Britain had arrived at a structure for future championships based on regional playoffs followed by semi-finals and a final. There was, as far as we can tell, no 1891 championship—certainly no winner for 1891 was inscribed on the Spalding English Cup—so the rules came into effect for the 1892 season.

In the 1892 season, Middlesbrough won both the English and Cleveland championships, and were photographed with both the Spalding English Cup and the Spalding Cleveland Cup—the former identifiable from the sketches in the newspapers the previous year; the latter both by the process of elimation in that it does not resemble the sketch of the Spalding Scottish Cup, and by a remarkable discovery made in the 1990s, which we will detail below. The 1892 photograph of the Middlesbrough team is, to the best of my knowledge, the only photograph of the Spalding English Cup and the only photograph of the Spalding Cleveland Cup in its original form in circulation.[9]

The English National Champions for the 1893 season were the Thespians Club of London. The team was photographed with a trophy a few days or weeks after their victory. However, close examination and comparison with the 1891 sketches of the Spalding English and Scottish Cups show that the trophy that the team is posing with is the Scottish Cup.[10] Two possibilities for the unavailability of the ‘proper’ trophy for this photocall present themselves: either the Middlesbrough club had not yet returned the Cup, or, and more likely, the Cup was away somewhere having the Thespians’ name inscribed on it. Whatever the reason, it seems incredible that the team would agree to pose with a trophy they had not won, not to mention the slight to the Scottish Cup of using it as a prop in a photocall for the English champions. This incident does at least provide strong evidence that there was no Scottish champion at this time; otherwise, the Cup would have been in their trophy cabinet.

The cup, which is valued at £75, is a magnificent work of art of chased silver, surmounted on the apex with figure in baseball costume with bat, and at the base of the pedestal with several recumbent figures. one face is a shield with the inscription, The Spalding Cup for the Amateur Championship of England, presented A. G. Spalding, Bros., U.S.A.’' The shield on the obverse side indicates that the cup was won in 1890 by Preston North End; in 1892 by Middlesbrough; by Thespians in 1893-4; and by Derby County in 1895.[11]

The next significant mention of the Spalding English Cup that we have is while it is on what would prove a fateful visit to the North-East of England in 1896. The description of the cup in the newspapers of the time gives us our best evidence that there was no championship in 1891. The occasion of the visit was the 1896 championship final, which was held that year in Stockton, Cleveland. The winners were fellow North-East club, Wallsend, and the Cup was handed over to the care of the Wallsend Club until the next championship. Alas, that was not to be, as in June 1897, the Cup was stolen from the home of a Wallsend civic worthy. (With the benefit of hindsight, it was probably not the best idea to describe the cup in detail in the press.)

BURGLARY AT WALLSEND. ENGLISH BASEBALL CUP STOLEN. Park Villa Lodge, the residence of Dr Henry H. Aitchison, H.H., C.C., Wallsend, was broken into during Sunday night, and the English Baseball Cup stolen, together with a large amount of silver plate and family relics.[12]

The Cup was never recovered; the assumption is that it was melted down for its silver content. As to the other two Spalding Cups: The Spalding Scottish Cup would make another [shameful] appearance as a prop in a photocall for an English-Championship-winning team in 1908—although, to be strictly accurate, the championship in question, although involving only English clubs, was at this time known as the British Baseball Championship. The winners of the championship that year were Tottenham.[13] To the best of my knowledge, 1908 is the last time the Cup made an appearance. Again, to the best of my knowledge, its current whereabouts are unknown.

The Spalding Cleveland Cup, despite disappearing for nearly 100 years, would have a remarkable afterlife, being found in a hotel safe—in a much-altered form—in the 1990s. Local man Benjamin Day recognised the Cup for what it really was, restored it, and self-published a book telling the story.[14]

Ley Cup

The cup, which has been presented to the Association by Mr. Francis Ley, J.P., was on view during the afternoon. It is an admirable example of Messrs. Mappin and Webb's high-class workmanship. The trophy, which cost upwards of £4O, was accompanied by a set of valuable gold medals for the winners, also given by Mr. Ley.[15]

Following the theft of the Spalding English Cup by burglars in June 1897, a new trophy was needed for the English Amateur Championship. This was provided by Francis Ley, owner of the Derby team and President of the National Baseball Association, in time for the 1897 championship final. Conveniently, Ley’s Derby won the trophy—hereafter referred to as the ‘Ley Cup’. The 1897 championship-winning Derby team and Ley were photographed with the new trophy (which was much more simple/refined in style than the busy Spalding Cups). However, our best view of what it looked like comes from a cigarette card created in the 1920s for the J.A. Pattreiouex, Manchester, ‘Sports Trophies’ Series (Card No. 23). On the cigarette card, the trophy is described as ‘…awarded to the winner of the British Baseball Competition.’[16]

After 1897, American baseball in Britain, which had never achieved significant levels of popularity, fell into further decline, with championships the exception rather than the rule from 1898 until 1906.[17] However, with the founding of the British Baseball Association in London in 1906, and the inauguration of the renamed British Baseball Championship, we see a return in annual competitions, at least, for the following few years. Tottenham won the 1906 championship; however, the first time we see a British Baseball Championship-winning team pose with a trophy is the following year, when the 1907 champions, Clapton Orient, pose with the Ley Cup.[18] (It will be remembered that the 1908 champions, Tottenham, posed with the Spalding Scottish Cup.)

Alas, this is the last time, to my knowledge, the Ley Cup makes an appearance in public, although the Pattreiouex Cigarettes card points to it still being in existence in the 1920s and still in a publicly accessible trophy cabinet somewhere at the time.

Dewar Cup AKA Dewar Fielding Trophy

The splendid cup presented by Mr. T.R. Dewar for the best fielding average during the last season (and which has to be won three times in succession before coming the property of any team) was presented to the winners (Middlesbro’) during the afternoon.[19]

The final trophy I want to cover in this brief survey is something of an outlier, as it was not awarded for winning a regional or national championship but for excellence in fielding across a whole season. It was donated by Scottish distiller T.R. Dewar to the National Baseball Association in 1893, and was the largest and most expensive trophy created for British baseball then and now. The curious thing about the trophy is that, prior to it being first awarded, in some newspapers, it was described as a ‘challenge cup’. Coupled with the fact that it is curious that the largest and most expensive trophy in British baseball history was not awarded to the national champions but to the winners of, I think we can safely say, relatively obscure title of ‘team with the best fielding average of the season’, hints at things going on behind the scenes. However, this is speculation.[20]

The Cup was shown in silhouette in the press in 1894, however, its true opulence—and size—can only be gauged in the photograph of it alongside an unnamed player taken at an unknown date but featured in a post on the baseballGB website in February 2012.[21]

As the Dewar Cup was awarded after the end of the season, usually at the annual meeting of the National Baseball Association in March of the following year, it is somewhat difficult to determine the holder in any one ‘year’, particularly as the press seemed unclear what being the ‘holder of the Dewar Cup’ actually entailed. However, it appears to have been awarded for the 1893 season through to the 1896 season, and holders included Middlesbrough, Thespians, and Stockton. Unsurprisingly, there was a strong correlation with the holder of the Dewar Cup and the winner of the national championship, or, at least, the teams making it to the national championship final (Middlesbrough and Thespians were championship winners and Stockton a championship runner-up in the seasons they were awarded the Dewar Cup).[22] I am not aware of its current whereabouts.

Jamie Barras, September 2025.

Notes

[1] https://www.ishilearn.com/diamond-lives-intolerance, https://www.ishilearn.com/diamond-lives-health-friendship-and-baseball-part-ii, accessed 4 September 2025.

[2] https://www.projectcobb.org.uk/national_champions.html, accessed 4 September 2025.

[3] ‘Baseball in Britain: Amateur Cups for Competition’, Lancashire Evening Post, 9 April 1891.

[4] Preston win championship: ‘Amateur Baseball Challenge Cup: Success of the Preston Team’, Preston Herald, 4 October 1890. Cups arrive: see Note 1 above.

[5] See the work of Catherine Budd for the Middlesbrough baseball scene: Catherine Budd ‘The Growth of an Urban Sporting Culture : Middlesbrough, c.1870-1914’, Thesis submitted for PhD, De Monfort University, 2012. The best description of the 1890 professional baseball league in Britain is given by Joe Gray, ‘What About the Villa? (Ross-on-Wye: Fineleaf Books, 2010). See also: https://www.ishilearn.com/diamond-lives-iron-and-ash, accessed 4 September 2025.

[6] Scottish games: Edinburgh University ‘having dispatched several Scotch teams’ then toured England in mid 1891: ‘Baseball: Progress of the National Games of America in England’,  Evening News (London), 19 March 1892.

[7] Cup tour and sketches: ‘The Amateur Baseball Cup. Presentation last Night’ Lancashire Evening Post, 12 May 1891; ‘Cricket and Athletic Notes’, Edinburgh Evening News, 18 May 1891; ‘Baseball: Scottish Championship Cup’, Aberdeen Press and Journal, 15 August 1891. Preston presented English Cup: ‘The Amateur Baseball Championship: Presentation of the Cup to North End’, Preston Chronicle, 16 May 1891.

[8] ‘National Baseball Association’, Sporting Life, 19 August 1891.

[9] Middlesbrough win English and Cleveland championships: ‘Baseball Club’, Yorkshire Evening Press, 3 October 1892. Middlesbrough team photo: https://www.projectcobb.org.uk/images/champs_1892.gif, accessed 4 September 2025.

[10] Thespians win 1893 English Championship and are photographed with a trophy: ‘Baseball,’ Music Hall and Theatre Review, 11 August 1893.

[11] ‘Baseball: The English Cup’, Jarrow Express, 21 August 1896.

[12] ‘Burglary at Wallsend: English Baseball Cup Stolen’, Shield Daily Gazette, 16 April 1897.

[13] Tottenham win 1908 championshp: ‘Tottenham Win the Baseball Cup’, Daily News (London), 24 August 1908. Photograph with Spalding Scottish Cup: https://www.projectcobb.org.uk/images/champs_1908.gif, accessed 4 September 2025.

[14] https://www.booksinstore.co.uk/product/4183/Lost-for-a-Hundred-Years, accessed 4 September 2025.

[15] ‘Baseball: The English Championship Final’, Derby and Chesterfield Reporter, 3 September 1897.

[16] Derby win 1897 championship: Note 16 above. Photographed with Ley and the Ley Cup: https://www.projectcobb.org.uk/images/champs_1897.gif, accessed 4 September 2025. Cigarette card: author’s own collection.

[17] See Note 2 above.

[18] Clapton Orient win 1907 championhip: ‘Baseball: Baseball Cup Final Tie’, Sporting Life, 19 August 1907. Pose with Ley Cup: ‘Yankee Fan Makes England Play Ball’, Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.), 12 April 1908.

[19] ‘Baseball,’ Music Hall and Theatre Review, 1 March 1895.

[20] First mention of Dewar Cup for fielding: ‘Baseball,’ Music Hall and Theatre Review, 11 August 1893. Described as ‘Challenge Cup’: ‘The Base-Ball Challenge Cup’, Black & White, 30 June 1894.

[21] Dewar Cup: silhouette: Note 20 above, second reference; photograph: https://baseballgb.co.uk/?p=12657, accessed 4 September 2025.

[22] Dewar Cup holders. Middlesbrough: Note 19 above; Thespians: ‘Baseball’, Lloyds Newspaper, 26 August 1894; Stockton: The National Baseball Cup’, Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough, 7 August 1896.