A few weeks ago, we marked the 100th anniversary of the Melita Cup final which was played at the National Football Ground between Valletta United and Melita-Vittoriosa.

Another milestone, the 100th anniversary of the first-ever Maltese Cup final, falls this Saturday.

The National Ground was at its peak during the 1910-11 season. The large crowds which attended the matches between Valletta United and Melita-Vittoriosa inspired the proprietors to organise a cup competition between the best clubs on the island.

Notices were issued and these were accepted by six clubs, ­Senglea Shamrocks, Melita-Vittoriosa, Valletta United, Floriana, Msida United and Ħamrun Spartans.

St George’s FC and Sliema Wanderers opted to stay out.

In the quarter-finals, Senglea Shamrocks were drawn against Melita but for some unknown reason, Melita did not turn up and the Shamrocks were awarded a walkover.

Valletta United met Msida United while Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans were given a bye.

The match between Msida United and Valletta United was played on April 9, 1911.

A heavy downpour before the start of the match softened the ground, making the surface slicker and better suited for a game of football. Msida tried their best but were no match for Valletta who emerged 4-0 winners.

The referee of this match was B.A. Cross who was also a noted personality in local circles. His linesmen were two other noted sportsmen of that era, namely G. Griffiths and H. Bailey.

With this victory, Valletta United reached the semi-finals where they beat Senglea Shamrocks 4-0 on April 23, 1911.

On April 16, Floriana faced Ħamrun in the second semi-final.

Although this was the very first meeting between the two clubs, a great rivalry had already developed between the two.

Such was Floriana’s reputation at the time that the Spartans walked into the National Ground that day with the clear intention of beating the Greens at all costs. Ima-gine, therefore, the euphoria of the Spartans’ supporters when, late in the first half, their team were leading 3-1.

A few minutes later, however, Floriana reduced the margin.

The second half was played at a tremendous pace with both sides trying their utmost to score. As the minutes ticked away and Ħamrun sensed a famous victory, tempers rose and the referee was kept busy whistling for fouls and other infringements of the rules.

Four minutes from time, Ruġġieru Friggieri won the ball and went past four defenders before he let go one of his famous ‘cannon-ball’ shots.

The ball was deflected by the hand of a Ħamrun defender and the referee did not hesitate to point to the penalty spot.

Friggieri quickly placed the ball on the spot and scored the equaliser for Floriana.

The referee whistled for the end of the match. But, while the Floriana players prepared for extra-time, the Spartans supporters invaded the pitch and carried their heroes shoulder-high to nearby Ħamrun without bothering to stay on for the extra half-hour!

There is strong evidence that suggests that this match, apart from being the semi-final of the National Ground Cup, was also played for a side-stake. The prize for the winning team was a silver cup which was named the ‘Ama-teurs Cup’.

Therefore, after Ħamrun’s de-fection, Floriana took possession of this trophy.

To Floriana and Valletta United, therefore, fell the honour of contesting the first-ever cup final in Maltese football. The match was played on May 7, 1911 in front of a reported crowd of over 6,000 spectators.

During the first half, it was anybody’s game, with both sides attacking in turn, but at the half-time whistle the scoresheet was still blank.

Floriana increased the pressure after the interval, scoring twice, through Vella and Holland to win 2-0. After the match, Friggieri was presented with the cup which was then carried triumphantly to Floriana by the ‘Irish’ supporters.