THE final of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup tomorrow evokes memories of an epic victory in the football competition 50 years ago.

In May 1966, little Quarry Nomads caused one of the biggest upsets by carrying off the trophy.

Usually, the competition was dominated by leading county teams such as Oxford City, Headington (later Oxford) United, Witney Town, Thame United and Banbury United.

But against all the odds, Quarry, a tiny club based at Headington Quarry in Oxford, battled their way to the final with a team of factory workers, plasterers and bricklayers who played football for fun.

In the semi-final, they scored a memorable 1-0 victory over Oxford City with a last-minute goal, then beat Chipping Norton 2-0 to lift the cup.

They were never expected to get anywhere near the final, let alone win it.

As a young sports reporter, I was privileged to be at Oxford United’s Manor Ground at Headington to see the Oxfordshire Senior League side win the trophy for the first and only time.

I wrote: “A crowd of 1,602 saw Quarry master their Hellenic League opponents and carry off the blue riband of Oxfordshire amateur soccer with goals from Les Smith and Mick Washington.

“It was a thoroughly deserved triumph for Quarry, whose giant-killing exploits this season – including that sensational victory over Oxford City in the semi-final – have given a tremendous boost to Senior League football.

“Chipping Norton, whose passage to the final included a 2-1 win over Witney Town, had a fair share of the play but lacked the power and ideas to crack the tightly-knit Nomads’ defence.

“In contrast, Chipping Norton’s rearguard was too easily prised apart and with better control in the goalmouth, Quarry might have won by a much more decisive margin.”

Maurice East, who grew up in Headington Quarry and, like his father, played for the Nomads, describes it as one of the greatest cup runs in the history of Oxfordshire football.

He recalls: “Quarry were asked to change their traditional black and white strip for the final, but were so short of resources that they didn’t even possess a second set of shirts. Desperate for help, they had to borrow the shirts off bitter local rivals Barton FC to wear in the final.

“Ten years ago, Quarry Nomads amalgamated with Oxford City to create Oxford City Nomads who currently compete in the Hellenic League. It’s a nice coincidence that this year, City will be playing in the final and that the Nomads are once again by association part of the Senior Cup story 50 years on.”