1949 Chatham Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1949 Chatham Cup was the 22nd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand
.
The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds. Teams taking part in the final rounds are known to have included Eden (Auckland), Moturoa (New Plymouth), Petone
, Technical Old Boys
(Christchurch), Northern
(Dunedin), and Invercargill Thistle
.
. The final is memorable for the magic of the giant-killing performance, which caught the imagination of the local population. The only goal of the match came in the second half, when Northern keeper Jim Stephenson
parried a David McKissock shot directly into the path of Petone forward Wally Hewitt who duly scored. Petone survived a late scare when keeper Ben Savage was required to save a penalty, and the Settlers of Petone held on to win by the solitary goal.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds. Teams taking part in the final rounds are known to have included Eden (Auckland), Moturoa (New Plymouth), Petone
Petone Soccer Club
Petone FC is a semi-professional association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They and are competing in the Central Premier League and are based at Memorial Park in the Lower Hutt suburb of Petone.-History & Achievements:...
, Technical Old Boys
Christchurch Technical
Christchurch Technical was a soccer club based in Christchurch, New Zealand.It was formed in 1923 as Technical Old Boys. The club changed its name to ChristchurchTechnical in 1968. It was also known temporarily as ChristchurchCity....
(Christchurch), Northern
Northern (soccer)
Northern AFC is a semi-professional association football club in North East Valley, Dunedin, New Zealand. They are currently competing in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League.The club is based at The Gardens Ground, North East Valley, Dunedin....
(Dunedin), and Invercargill Thistle
Invercargill Thistle
Invercargill Thistle is a former New Zealand football club based in the South Island city of Invercargill. The team was founded in 1936 and continued as a separate team until 1969, when it became part of the short-lived Invercargill United team. It operated again as an independent team from 1974 to...
.
The 1949 final
The final was played in front of a then-record crowd of 12,000. Interest was high as the local Wellingtonian team was a lower ranked team (in the second division of Wellington football) who had gained a reputation as giant-killers. They went on to win the final 1-0 after having beaten several higher ranked sides in the course of the tournament, including a narrow win over Waterside and a heavy 7-1 thrashing of Wellington MaristWellington Marist
Wellington Marist AFC is an association football club in Wellington, New Zealand. The team is based at Kilbirnie Park in Kilbirnie.They won the Chatham Cup in 1932 and 1946, and were runners-up in 1945.-External links:***...
. The final is memorable for the magic of the giant-killing performance, which caught the imagination of the local population. The only goal of the match came in the second half, when Northern keeper Jim Stephenson
Jim Stephenson
Jim Stephenson is a former football goalkeeper who represented New Zealand at international level.Stephenson made his full All Whites debut in a 0-2 loss to New Caledonia on 10 September 1951 and ended his international playing career with 10 A-international caps to his credit, his final cap an...
parried a David McKissock shot directly into the path of Petone forward Wally Hewitt who duly scored. Petone survived a late scare when keeper Ben Savage was required to save a penalty, and the Settlers of Petone held on to win by the solitary goal.