The Berks & Bucks Senior Invitation Cup is the Senior County Cup competition of the Berks & Bucks FA and was first played in 1878/79; a time when the FA Cup had only been going for seven years, there was no Football League, and most countries in the world didn't have any competitions at all.
Originally known as the Berks & Bucks Challenge Cup, the competition was played in the first season of the Association's existence, and Reading were the inaugural winners, defeating Marlow 1-0 in the final held at the Reading Cricket Ground.
The competition consists of mainly non-league teams; however, Wycombe Wanderers and Milton Keynes Dons are two Football League teams who have recently competed, often fielding reserve and youth team players. Reading withdrew from the 2001/02 tournament and have not entered since, whilst Milton Keynes Dons, who only started competing in the 2004/05 season, have not been "invited" to participate in the last two tournaments.
In a repeat of the 2010 final, the 2011 finalists were Maidenhead United and Wycombe Wanderers and again they played out a five-goal thriller, but unlike last year it was Wycombe Wanderers who came away with the spoils, lifting the cup for the 27th time, watched by 336 people at The Meadow, the home of Chesham United. The final was originally planned to take place at The Gore, the home of Burnham, but was moved for reasons unknown.
Contents |
Dates for the 2011/12 competition are:-
Due to the small number of entries, Round One was not needed so the competition commenced with Round Two.
| Tie | Date | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Two | ||||
| 1 | 17/10/2011 | Beaconsfield SYCOB | 1-2 | Abingdon United |
| 2 | 08/11/2011 | Marlow | 1-3 | Hungerford Town |
| 3 | 25/10/2011 | Chalfont St. Peter | 2-1 | Thatcham Town |
| 4 | 07/11/2011 | Burnham | 2-0 | Aylesbury |
| 5 | 15/11/2011 | Didcot Town | 1-2 | Chesham United |
| Quarter Finals | ||||
| 6 | 17/01/2012 | Chesham United | - | Slough Town |
| 7 | w/e 21/01/2012 | Chalfont St. Peter | - | Wycombe Wanderers |
| 8 | w/e 21/01/2012 | Maidenhead United | - | Abingdon United |
| 9 | 17/01/2012 | Hungerford Town | - | Burnham |
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 10 | w/e 09/03/2012 | Winners of Match 6 | - | Winners of Match 7 |
| 11 | w/e 09/03/2012 | Winners of Match 8 | - | Winners of Match 9 |
| Final | ||||
| 12 | 07/05/2012 | Winners of Match 10 | - | Winners of Match 11 |
Due to the small number of entries, Round One was not needed so the competition commenced with Round Two.
| Tie | Date | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Two | ||||
| 1 | 23/11/2010 | Aylesbury | 0-1 | Chesham United |
| 2 | 09/11/2010 | Thatcham Town | 1-3 | Hungerford Town |
| 3 | 23/11/2010 | Burnham | 1-0 | Windsor & Eton |
| 4 | 02/11/2010 | Abingdon United | 0-1 | Didcot Town |
| 5 | 23/11/2010 | Marlow | 3-2* | Slough Town |
| Quarter Finals | ||||
| 6 | 25/01/2011 | Chesham United | 3-1 | Beaconsfield SYCOB |
| 7 | 18/01/2011 | Wycombe Wanderers | 4-0 | Burnham |
| 8 | 25/01/2011 | Marlow | 1-5 | Maidenhead United |
| 9 | 25/01/2011 | Hungerford Town | 1-1*^ | Didcot Town |
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 10 | 07/03/2011 | Maidenhead United | 2-0 | Didcot Town |
| 11 | 29/03/2011 | Wycombe Wanderers | 4-1 | Chesham United |
| Final | ||||
| 12 | 02/05/2011 | Maidenhead United | 2-3 | Wycombe Wanderers |
Maidenhead United Match Report Wycombe Wanderers Match Report
^ Didcot won 5-4 on penalties
Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence.
| Club | Wins | Last final won |
|---|---|---|
| Wycombe Wanderers | 27 | 2011 |
| Maidenhead United | 17 | 2010 |
| Chesham United | 14 | 2008 |
| Slough Town | 14 | 1981 |
| Marlow | 13 | 1994 |
| Windsor & Eton | 12 | 2009 |
| Aylesbury United | 4 | 2000 |
| Wokingham Town | 4 | 1996 |
| Maidenhead | 3 | 1912 |
| Reading | 3 | 1995 |
| Chesham Town | 2 | 1908 |
| Reading Amateurs | 2 | 1906 |
| Windsor | 2 | 1887 |
11 teams have won the competition on one occasion, including Abingdon Town, Hungerford Town and Milton Keynes Dons.
Slough Town have won the cup in 4 different club names, the other 3 are Swift FC, Slough FC & Slough Centre FC.
In addition to the Berks & Bucks Senior Invitation Cup, the Berks & Bucks FA also run the following competitions, which are also often referred to as the "Berks & Bucks Cup":