The Banner Jones Middleton Cup is an annual pre-season friendly cup competition contested between Chesterfield F.C.

Chesterfield F.C.

Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

 and Matlock Town F.C.

Matlock Town F.C.

Matlock Town F.C. is an English football club based at Causeway Lane in Matlock, Derbyshire.-History:The club was established in the late 1870s and have competed in the Central Alliance and the Midland Counties League before reaching the Northern Premier League.In the 1974–75 season the club won...

 in Matlock, Derbyshire, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The competition was founded at the beginning of the 2002/03 season and is always held at Matlock's Causeway Lane ground.

Background and history

Chesterfield F.C. and Matlock Town F.C. have played each other annually, with only a couple of exceptions, since the 1970s. The supporters are very keen of this tie and look forward to the pre-season friendly every year. Many supporters go the match not only to watch the game, but to chat to supporters of the other club about the season passed and their aspirations of the new season.

In 2002, Banner Jones Solicitors, a local company, decided to sponsor the game and provided a cup to play for. The "Banner Jones Middleton Cup" has been played for every season since.

As the traditionally wealthier club, Chesterfield allow all gate receipts to be received by Matlock. During Chesterfield's financial crisis in 2001, The Gladiators gave a show of generosity by splitting the gate 50/50. This is usually Matlock's highest gate of the season, and can often breach the 1000 mark.

Rules

The competition follows typical friendly rules. The man of the match

Man of the match

In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 also gets a cash sum to give to their chosen charity

Charitable organization

A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

.

Current Champions

Chesterfield F.C. are the current cup holders after beating Matlock Town 3-2 after being 2-0 down at half time. the match was played on the 20th July 2010.

Total wins

Club	Wins	Seasons won
Chesterfield F.C.	7	2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11
Matlock Town F.C.	1	2002/2003

Results

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Date
! Home club
! Score
! Away club
! Attendance
|-
| 6 August 2002
| Matlock Town
| 3–1
| Chesterfield
| 945
|-
| 18 July 2003
| Matlock Town
| 1–2
| Chesterfield
| 1,279
|-
| 20 July 2004
| Matlock Town
| 1–3
| Chesterfield
| 1,624
|-
| 18 July 2005
| Matlock Town
| 0–2
| Chesterfield
| 1,263
|-
| 17 July 2006
| Matlock Town
| 0–3
| Chesterfield
| 1,437
|-
| 30 July 2007
| Matlock Town
| 1–5
| Chesterfield
| 1,060
|-
| 25 July 2008
| Matlock Town
| 0–1
| Chesterfield
| 1,083
|-
| 24 July 2009
| Matlock Town
| 2–5
| Chesterfield
| 970
|-
| 20 July 2010
| Matlock Town
| 2–3
| Chesterfield
|942