Cuthbert Ottaway
Cuthbert John Ottaway (19 July 1850 – 2 April 1878)[1] was an English footballer. He was the first captain of the England football team and led his side in the first official international football match.
Representing his university at five different sports – a record that remains unmatched[2] – Ottaway was also a noted cricketer until his retirement shortly before his early death at the age of 27.
Early life, professional career and death
Cuthbert Ottaway was born in
Ottaway read classics at Brasenose,
Ottaway had one daughter, Lilian, who was born after his death. She married the Canadian politician Sir Adam Beck, and became Lady Beck. Ottaway is buried in Paddington Old Cemetery.
Club career
Ottaway's greatest successes came as a footballer. He attended school and university at a time when the new Association code was gaining considerable popularity, and – as was often the case in the earliest days of the amateur game – represented several teams, playing for Old Etonians, Oxford University, Crystal Palace[11] and Marlow.
As a club player, Ottaway took part in three successive FA Cup finals between 1873 and 1875, losing 1–2 with Oxford University against Wanderers in 1873, winning 2–0 with Oxford against Royal Engineers a year later, and then representing Old Etonians against Royal Engineers in 1875. He was noted for his speed and dribbling ability – this at a time when "the dribbling game", in which one man retained control of the ball for as long as possible until tackled, had yet to be superseded by the "combination" (passing) game.
Ottaway played an important part in two of his three finals. In 1874 he captained Oxford and helped to pin the Engineers back in their own half for long periods with extended excursions into opposition territory.[12] He also participated in a three-man dribble that took the ball almost the whole length of the pitch and resulted in the scoring of his team's second and decisive goal. In 1875, Ottaway represented Old Etonians in a match notable chiefly because it was played in a "howling gale". The conditions considerably favoured the Eton team, which had the wind at its backs for all but 10 minutes of the 90, and all 30 minutes of extra time (teams in this period changed ends after every goal). Ottaway himself received a severe hack on his ankle from Richard Ruck 37 minutes into the final and was forced to leave the field; in his absence, the Old Boys were regarded as fortunate to have held on for a 1–1 draw. Ottaway failed to recover in time for the replay, held only three days later, and Etonians also lost the services of three other players who had prior commitments. Unable to obtain adequate replacements, the Old Boys arrived at the ground an hour late and lost the delayed replay 0–2.
Although the precise nature of Ottaway's ankle injury remains unknown, there is no evidence that he ever played senior football again after the 1875 Cup Final. His biographer, Michael Southwick, suggests that "the damage sustained to his ankle... signalled the end of his footballing career."[13]
International career
As an international, Ottaway was selected to lead the England team travelling to
Ottaway did not play in the return fixture, arranged in London for 8 March 1873, but again captained his country in the third England-Scotland international, played once again at Partick on 7 March 1874. On this occasion, the result was a 2–1 victory for Scotland.
The precise reasons for Ottaway's elevation to the captaincy in 1872 are not known. Southwick suggests that he owed his selection solely to
Playing style and reputation
Cuthbert Ottaway played principally as a centre forward in the seven- and eight-man attacks in vogue during the early 1870s, and was described as "an excellent forward, being fast and very skilful in piloting the ball". As a striker, another contemporary appreciation noted, "he can certainly hold his own against all rivals";[16] he was "an elegant dribbler and plays well."[16] It would appear that the player depended more heavily on skill and control than most footballers of his period; at a time when play of the most robust sort – including body-checking and "hacking" – was in vogue, Ottaway was praised for his grace. "His beautiful science," another report observed, "exhibited how a ball ought to be taken through a host of foes."[16]
Ottaway appears to have been well regarded by his teammates, but there are hints that he practised the snobbery not uncommon among men of his class and time.[3] The Sheffield amateur Charles Clegg (later Sir Charles Clegg, President of the Football Association), who played alongside him in the first England-Scotland international, remarked in later years that none of the southern amateurs in the side would speak to him.
Cricketing career
As a cricketer, Cuthbert Ottaway represented Eton College,
Though Ottaway represented
Honours
Oxford University
- 1874
References
- ^ Jackson's Oxford Journal, 6 April 1878.
- ^ a b Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 24
- ^ a b Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 14
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 17
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 18
- ^ Jackson's Oxford Journal, 27 April 1878.
- ^ The Sporting Gazette and Agricultural Journal, 11 January 1879
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, pp.32–33
- ^ a b Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 49
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 51
- ISBN 979-8772662892.
- ^ London Daily News, 16 March 1874.
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 43
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 35
- ^ The Field, 7 December 1873
- ^ a b c Warsop, Keith. The Early F.A. Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2004, p. 111
- ^ Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 19
- ^ Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, 6 April 1878.
- ^ a b Southwick, Michael. England's First Football Captain: a Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878, Nottingham: Soccerdata, 2009, p. 45
- ^ Glasgow Herald, 30 June 1870.
- ^ Derby Mercury, 6 July 1870.
Sources
- Bolton, Geoffrey (1962). History of the OUCC. Oxford: Holywell Press.
- Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England: A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Leicestershire: Upfront Publishing. ISBN 1-84426-035-6.
- Gibson, Alfred, and William Pickford (1906). Association Football and the Men Who Made It. London, 4 vols.: The Caxton Publishing Company.
- Southwick, Michael (2009). England's First Football Captain: A Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850–1878. Nottingham: Soccer Data. ISBN 978-1-905891-27-6.
- Wall, Sir Frederick (2006 reprint of 1935 original). 50 Years of Football 1884–1934. Cleethorpes: Soccer Books.
- Warsop, Keith (2004). The Early FA Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs. Nottingham: Soccer Data. ISBN 1-899468-78-1
External links
- Ottaway's record as England football captain
- 19th century international football records
- England internationals and the England captaincy
- Cuthbert Ottaway at ESPNcricinfo
- BBC report on the first England-Scotland football international
- Cobden's Match
- William Kremer (22 August 2013). "Cuthbert Ottaway: England's sporting genius rediscovered". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 August 2013.