To mark the 100 th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, the Lahore Trades Cup is once again going to be contested by Durham and Yorkshire County Cricket Clubs.
The cup is cared for in the DLI Collection, which is looked after by Durham County Council and the DLI Trustees.
The teams will face each other at the Emirates on Sunday 31 July. They’ll be playing for vital points in the Royal London One-Day Cup but the presentation of the 109-year- old trophy to the winning captain will add extra spice to one of the most hotly contested domestic cricketing fixtures in the country.
Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration and culture said: “It is a fitting tribute to the memory of those lost in the Battle of the Somme that the Lahore Trades Cup will be contested once again. I’m sure it will create extra incentive for the two teams although hopefully it will be Paul Collingwood who will get to lift it in its home county on Sunday.”
The Lahore Trades Cup, first known as the All India Inter-Regimental Football Cup, was made in Sheffield in 1907 and presented to Lahore Traders in Pakistan.
Originally awarded as a football trophy, soldiers from the DLI regiment entered the competition for the first time in 1926 and won it. The won it again in 1927 while serving in Shanghai but retained the cup two more times in 1928 and 1929. In doing so they became perpetual holders and brought it home to Durham where is has remained ever since.
In 1992 it was offered as the winning prize in the annual Durham CCC v Yorkshire CCC County Championship match, before going to be contested over one-day fixtures and then going on display.