1881 in sports
Engraving of the finish line at the 1881 Melbourne Cup
1881 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
American football
College championship
Events
- Michigan Wolverines is the first "western" team to travel east and play against the established teams at Harvard Crimson, Yale Bulldogs and Princeton Tigers.
Association football
England
- FA Cup final – Old Carthusians 3–0 Old Etonians at The Oval in the last final to be played between two southern amateur sides.
- Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers both change their venues to enclosed grounds where gate money can be charged, an increasing practice among clubs that are openly (or otherwise) professional.
- Preston North End is founded and plays from the start at Deepdale, which holds the world record for the length of time a venue has been in continuous use by one major league club.[1]
- Burnley FC founded as Burnley Rovers RUFC which decides in May 1882 to switch codes. The Rovers suffix is dropped two years later and the club renamed as Burnley AFC.
- Newcastle United, which has a complicated early history, is founded as Stanley FC by a cricket club in the Byker area of Newcastle.
France
- Foundation of FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
Ireland
- Moyola Park F.C. wins the inaugural Irish Cup final
Scotland
- 12 March — Andrew Watson makes his Scotland debut, becoming the world's first black international football player
- Scottish Cup final – Queen's Park 3–1 Dumbarton at Hampden Park (replay after Dumbarton protests about the original match which Queen's Park has won 2–1)
Baseball
National championship
- National League champions – Chicago White Stockings
Events
- Detroit replaces Cincinnati leaving Cleveland and Providence the southerly cities on the National League circuit. Four others lie on the northerly rail line from stalwart Chicago to stalwart Boston: Detroit, Buffalo, Troy, and Worcester.
- In autumn, for the first time, all eight National League clubs prepare to continue next season.
Boxing
Events
- Paddy Ryan takes part in a number of exhibition bouts but does not defend his Heavyweight Championship of America title.[2]
- John L. Sullivan continues his rise to the championship with a series of knockout victories, none of them lasting longer than eight rounds.[3]
Cricket
Events
- Lancashire County Cricket Club wins its first outright title. At the end of the season, an English team led by Alfred Shaw goes to Australia for the 1881–82 Test series.
England
- Champion County[4] – Lancashire
- Most runs – A. N. Hornby 1,534 @ 40.36 (HS 188)
- Most wickets – Ted Peate 173 @ 12.68 (BB 8–30)
Australia
- Most runs – Tom Horan 318 @ 35.33 (HS 113)
- Most wickets – Edwin Evans 32 @ 11.25 (BB 5–34)
Golf
Major tournaments
Gymnastics
Events
- 23 July — the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the world's oldest international sport federation, is founded.
Horse racing
England
- Grand National – Woodbrook
- 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Thebais
- 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Peregrine
- Epsom Derby – Iroquois
- Epsom Oaks – Thebais
- St. Leger Stakes – Iroquois
Australia
- Melbourne Cup – Zulu
Canada
- Queen's Plate – Vice Chancellor
Ireland
- Irish Grand National – Antoinette
- Irish Derby Stakes – Master Ned
USA
- Kentucky Derby – Hindoo
- Preakness Stakes – Saunterer
- Belmont Stakes – Saunterer
Rowing
The Boat Race
- 8 April — Oxford wins the 38th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
Rugby football
Events
Tennis
England
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – William Renshaw (GB) defeated John Hartley (GB) 6–0 6–1 6–1
USA
- First U.S. National Singles Championship, precursor of the US Open, won by Richard D. Sears (USA) who defeats William E. Glyn (USA) 6–0 6–3 6–2
World
- The 5th pre-open era 1881 Men's Tennis season gets underway 27 tournaments are staged this year.
Yacht racing
America's Cup
- The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Mischief defeats Canadian challenger Atalanta, of the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club
References
- ↑ Note that Bramall Lane is actually the oldest professional football venue but it was not adopted by Sheffield United until 1889.
- ↑ Cyber Boxing Zone – Paddy Ryan. Retrieved on 12 November 2009.
- ↑ Cyber Boxing Zone – John L Sullivan. Retrieved on 12 November 2009.
- ↑ A semi-official seasonal title proclaimed by media consensus prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship is constituted.
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