1931 Chatham Cup

The 1931 Chatham Cup was the ninth annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.

1931 Chatham Cup

Tournament details
City	Wellington
Venue(s)	Basin Reserve
Dates	12 September 1931
Teams	31
Defending champions	Petone FC
Final positions
Champions	Tramurewa (1st title)
Runner-up	Nomads
← 1930 1932 →

The competition was run on a regional basis, with six regional associations (Auckland, Walkato, Wellington, Manawatu, Canterbury, and Otago) each holding separate qualifying rounds. In all, 30 teams took part in the competition,^[1] though some reports suggest there may have been 31 teams,^[2] and for the first time the majority came from the South Island. This was an improvements over previous years, but still a tiny number considering that 514 teams were affiliated to the regional associations nationwide.^[3] Participation by Auckland teams was particularly poor, with only three sides from that city taking part.

Participants

The following 31 teams are known to have taken part in the competition:

Auckland Ponsonby Auckland YMCA Tramurewa South Auckland (Waikato) Renown Rotowaro Huntly Thistle Wanganui Wanganui East Athletic Manawatu St. Andrew's (Palmerston North)

Wellington Diamond Hospital Petone Seatoun Waterside Wellington Marist Westland Cobden Dobson Greymouth Rewanui Taylorville

Canterbury Christchurch Rangers Christchurch Thistle New Brighton Nomads Saint Albans Technical Old Boys Western Otago Maori Hill Mosgiel Northern Port Chalmers Seacliff

The 1931 final

The final was won by Tramurewa, a recent amalgamation of former winners Tramways and Manurewa, soon to be renamed Manurewa AFC. In all, six of Tramurewa's player had played for Tramways in the 1929 final. In the final almost all of the action occurred in the second half. A. Wilson was the first scorer for Nomads, followed two minutes later by G. Goode. Clem Bell then scored twice to leave the scores tied at 2-2. Nomads defended stoutly to keep the scores tied until full-time, but in the first period of extra time both H., Donaldson and Arthur Spong scored for the Auckland team. The goal tally was completed just before the end of the second period of extra time by Bell's third goal.^[4]

Tramurewa's Clem Bell was the second player in Chatham Cup history to score a final hat-trick, and also the second player to score in two separate finals (he scored in Tramways' win in 1929). The tally of seven goals scored in the game was the highest aggregate until 1940.

Results

Quarter-finals

Seacliff	5 - 1	Northern
W. Hooper 2, McCormack 3	Report	Smith

Otago Final

27 June 1931

Logan Park, Dunedin

Referee: Mr. W. P. Smith

Dobson	5 - 5 (a.e.t.)	Nomads
W. White 2 (1 pen.), Richardson, Wilson, Short	Report	C. Goode, F. Smith 2, F. Adams, C. Sharr

Westland/Canterbury Final

25 July 1931

Victoria Park, Greymouth

Referee: Mr. S. Hewison

Nomads	1 - 0 (a.e.t.) Replay	Dobson
F. Smith	Report

Westland/Canterbury Final

8 August 1931

English Park, Christchurch

Referee: Mr. J. Cawtheray

St. Andrews	0 - 3	Petone FC
	Report	Watson, A. Leslie 2

Manawatu/Wellington Final

25 July 1931

North Street Park, Palmerston North

Referee: Mr. C. E. Downes

Huntly Thistle	0 - 1	Tramurewa
	Report	McMillan

South Auckland (Waikato)/Auckland Final

25 July 1931

Huntly Domain, Huntly

Referee: Mr. J. Wallace

Semi-finals ("Island finals")

Tramurewa	2 - 0	Petone
Bell, Batty (pen.)	Report

1931 North Island Final

15 August 1931

Blandford Park, Auckland

Referee: Mr. R. Nesbit

Nomads	2 - 1	Seacliff
F, Smith, M. Wilson	Report	W. Hooper

1931 South Island Final

15 August 1931

English Park, Christchurch

Referee: Mr. J. Jennings

Final

Tramurewa	5 – 2 aet	Nomads
Bell 3, Spong, H. Donaldson	Report	Wilson, Goode

1931 Chatham Cup Final

12 September 1931

Basin Reserve, Wellington

Referee: Mr.F. Saunders