ALMOST 100 years to the day since the first Bradford City player died in the First World War, the bantamspast Museum are holding their annual dinner to celebrate City winning the FA Cup in 1911.
The event will be staged at the Bradford Club tomorrow (7pm) – exactly 104 years to the day since City’s greatest achievement.
One of the members of the triumphant city team was centre half Gerald Kirk who died on April 24, 1915 at Poperinghe in Belgium.
He was also a keen billiards player, and reports in the Bradford newspapers suggest that he played at a high level against some of the best players of the era. To honour his memory, an exhibition billiards match will take place after the dinner in the Bradford Club’s stunning billiards room, featuring Bradford’s 2011 English Amateur Grand Masters champion Richard Lodge and the city’s best player, Mark Hirst.
The historic Hey’s billiards trophy – named after the Bradford brewery – will also be on display.
A solid silver depiction of a billiards match, it was played for annually in aid of the Bradford Hospital and Convalescence Fund, and is still being competed for by snooker teams across Bradford.
All profits from tomorrow evening will be donated to the Bradford Burns Unit.
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