Glorious Footballing History – Whence Darjeeling Today?

HERLIHY CUP Fixture

I came across this 42 years old document. Looks like it’s the HERLIHY CUP FIXTURE 1976.

Was it called HERLICY CUP? Or could it be a Typo?

Looks like the teams playing were
  • ⚽️ Y. Sportin
  • ⚽️ D. N . Y .
  • ⚽️ XI Gorkha Rifles
    ⚽️ D. C. S. C
    ⚽️ Himalayan Sporting
    ⚽️ Mount Hermon School
    ⚽️ Government College
    ⚽️ St. Joseph’s School
    ⚽️ Dyanamoes
    ⚽️ Milan Samity
    ⚽️ Goethals
    ⚽️ St. Paul’s School
    ⚽️ St. Joseph’s College
    ⚽️ S. Lions
    ⚽️ Police
    ⚽️ 107 T.A

This is a part of the glorious Darjeeling Football History. Was anyone of a part of it? Or does anyone know the full names of the abbreviations listed above?

We, Darjeelingays have always been Football fans. Seems like LOCAL FOOTBALL was worshiped by everyone, those days. Local lads who played at the District level were Heroes.

We often hear our elders talk Great things about football and these Tournaments played back then. “Amamamama!! Kya Hunthyo Football Teti Bela!!”- these are the words I heard a lot as I grew up (being a Singamari resident, close to NP ground) and still hear.

Appa often got into the feel (he still does) when he met his fellow football fans, or someone who actually played these great tournaments – ‘Shyam Thapa ko Back Volley… Amamama! … Benu Subba ko dribbling and left kick, dhyyaaammaii !! … Gyachola – most Stylish Acrobatic Goalkeeper… Jiwan Rai – best Striker, majja aauthyo nau, hai?’. One can easily make out by the conversations that LOCAL Football matches and clubs really had a lot of value back then.

Abhoy Gurung, Udoy Subba, Rajen Rai, Kharay Basnet, Wangden lama, Karma Tshering, Chandan Sing Rawath, Surman Subba, John West, Tarun Mukhia and many more famous heros of N.P. Ground.

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Legends of the game – Darjeeling XI team playing against Mahendra Police in Kathmandu
From Left Kundan Thapa, MohanGurung, Uttam Gurung, Udai Subba,Kundan Subba, Devendra Basnet, Poonam Thapa, Hiren Gurung, Sitting, Suren Rai, Prakash Rizal, Mahendra Subba, Dilip Lama, Chamba Bhutia, Suren Pakhrin, Ang Tshering Sherpa., Dhaneshwar Prasad [Via: Darjeeling Football Society]


We still love and watch football. However, it’s all the International Clubs and players that we are after these days. Messi, Ronaldo, Manchester United, Arsenal, EPL, la liga, and many more.

Do we know names of any of the Local Heros these days???
Don’t we have good players?
Are our players not up to the standard?
Are our Local Matches not worth seeing at all?
Does our younger generation even know the names of our Local Clubs?
or Do they even know that there are Local Clubs that still exists??

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT ….

[Writes: Vivek Yonzone]


1 Comment on "Glorious Footballing History – Whence Darjeeling Today?"

  1. Milan Tamang, senior citizen | January 11, 2019 at 1:06 PM | Reply

    New generation is least interested to know many historical places of our place. They do not have the sense of belongingness. If it continues then we will lose our identity. If we ask what is identity, they simply skip and not able to answer correctly. Then what to suggest…..

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