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what of this weathered trophy they call The Manly Cup.
Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the Manly Cup, an annual home-and-home friendly between the Shady Rest Eagles and Oak Bay Old Boys and on hand for the match and all smiles was co-founder Gunter Beyer.
Beyer and Bill Leach from the Oak Bay Old Boys actually formed the Manly Cup in 1976, and it was first played for in 1986.
Gunter and Bill were teammates down in Victoria in the late ‘60s to mid ‘70s — Beyer with the Victoria Kickers, and then Beyer and Leach with the Oak Bay squad.
Beyer and his wife Lynne moved to Oceanside in the mid ‘70s and he joined the Shady Rest soccer club, aka the Shady Rest Eagles.
Beyer and Leach talked about their days playing in the Victoria leagues and decided an annual home-and-home friendly for bragging rights, would be great to see, and play the great game again with their old teammates.
“It took 10 years to finally get it to work,” smiled Beyer, who is duly proud that from 1986 to present the Manly Cup remains a mainstay for the two clubs.