Exonian commemorates 40th anniversary of Cuppers victory

In 2014 it will be 40 years since Exonian Graham Howell (1972, Jurisprudence) witnessed his Exonian colleagues enjoy victory in the football Cuppers tournament. Here Mr Howell recalls the big final.

Exeter was not known as a sporting college in the mid-70s, but in one glorious season in 1973/4 the football team, against all the odds, reached the Cuppers Final at the Iffley Road stadium.

It was a good mix of first, second and third year undergraduates with Murray Feely (1973, PPE) (a rare Exeter ‘blue’) driving the team on from midfield.

Exeter came up against Magdalen in the final, very much the sporting aristocrats at the time and packed full of soccer ‘blues’. Exeter took over the stadium and everyone from the College seemed to be there to cheer them on.

Exeter’s Bernie Watts (1972, Metallurgy) scored the only goal of the game with a speculative long range shot. To quote the Oxford Mail, the stadium was overtaken by ‘scenes of South American fervour’ at the final whistle – a great triumph!

The winning team