# Ayrshire Cup

The Ayrshire Cup was an annual association football regional competition in Scotland. The cup competition was a knockout tournament between football clubs in the historic county of Ayrshire. The Ayrshire Cup was first held in 1877–78, the trophy being a solid silver vase, 30 inches high, and valued at £100, designed by Messrs John Cameron & Son. The first winners were Mauchline.
The competition was most recently held in the 1997–98 season, when it was won by Kilmarnock. Although the Cup has not been competed for since, discussions have taken place between all the major participating clubs (Ayr United, Girvan and Kilmarnock) who have stated that they would welcome the return of the Ayrshire Cup.

## History

The Ayrshire Cup was first proposed by two medical students who tried to persuade Ayr United to invest into the competition. After failing to persuade the club, John Wallace, who was a local from Kilmarnock, offered to and did put in the finances needed to organise the event including allowing the town to choose the final venue of the cup.
The first time the Ayrshire Cup was competed for was in 1877–78, with the first winners being Mauchline. 26 clubs entered the first year of the competition, consisting of Catrine, Largs Western, Beith Thistle, Dalry Rangers, Kilmarnock, Kilbirnie, Ayr Academicals, Kilmarnock Cricket and Football Club, Kilmarnock Portland, Kilmarnock Dean, Kilmarnock Hawthorn, Kilmaurs Floors, Irvine, Mauchline, Burnfoothill Ramblers, Maybole Carrick, Tarbolton, Beith, Maybole Ladywell, Cumnock, Rankinston Mountaineers, Lanemark, Stewarton, Kilmarnock Star, Vale of Irvine, Girvan, and Hurlford.
The number of entrants for the cup peaked prior to World War II at over 40, however by 1946 Ayr United and Kilmarnock were the only entrants. In 1978–79 Girvan Amateurs joined the competition,. The last winner outside the 'big two' (being Ayr United and Kilmarnock) was Beith who won it in 1926–27.
Before penalty shoot-outs were introduced in 1970–71, if a cup final was tied it would be given to the club who won it the previous year. The last cup final was played in 1998 between Kilmarnock and Ayr United with Kilmarnock coming out victorious and as the last winner of the Ayrshire Cup.
The Ayrshire FA was dissolved in June 1999 when it was merged with the Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire FAs to form the West of Scotland FA. This was because the memberships of these associations had fallen below the 7-club threshold placed on them by the Scottish FA.

## Performance by club

| | Club | Wins | Last win | Runners-up | Last final lost |
| 1 | Kilmarnock | 43 | 1998 | 28 | 1997 |
| 2 | Ayr United | 26 | 1997 | 29 | 1998 |
| 3 | Hurlford | 6 | 1911 | 7 | 1912 |
| 4 | Galston | 6 | 1925 | 6 | 1924 |
| 5 | Ayr | 4 | 1910 | 3 | 1909 |
| 6 | Annbank | 4 | 1895 | 2 | 1903 |
| 7 | Beith | 3 | 1927 | 4 | 1938 |
| 8 | Stevenston United | 2 | 1920 | 2 | 1922 |
| 9 | Kilmarnock Athletic | 2 | 1883 | 0 | |
| 10 | Ayr Parkhouse | 1 | 1902 | 3 | 1910 |
| 10 | Kilbirnie | 1 | 1888 | 3 | 1893 |
| 11 | Kilmarnock Portland | 1 | 1882 | 2 | 1879 |
| 12 | Lugar Boswell | 1 | 1881 | 1 | 1883 |
| 13 | Mauchline | 1 | 1878 | 0 | |
| 13 | Kilmarnock Athletic (1888) | 1 | 1897 | 0 | |
| 15 | Girvan | 0 | | 3 | 1982 |
| 16 | Lanemark | 0 | | 1 | 1907 |
| 16 | Saltcoats Thistle | 0 | | 1 | 1901 |
| 16 | Saltcoats Victoria | 0 | | 1 | 1894 |

## Ayrshire Cup Finals
### Key

| (R) | Replay, or repeat if original match was declared void |
| (SR) | Second Replay |
| ‡ | Match void |
| * | Match went to extra time |
| † | Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time |

### Finals

| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | Attendance | Notes |
| 1877–78 | Mauchline | 4–3 | Kilmarnock Portland | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | 5,000 | |
| 1878–79 | Kilmarnock Athletic | 1–1 * | Kilmarnock Portland | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1878–79 (R) | Kilmarnock Athletic | 2–1 * | Kilmarnock Portland | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 4,000 | |
| 1879–80 | Beith | 1–0 | Kilbirnie | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | 5,000 | |
| 1880–81 | Lugar Boswell | 5–0 | Annbank | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 5,000 | |
| 1881–82 | Kilmarnock Portland | 4–0 | Kilmarnock | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1882–83 | Kilmarnock Athletic | 0–0* | Lugar Boswell | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1882–83 (R) | Kilmarnock Athletic | 3–2 | Lugar Boswell | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 4,000 | |
| 1883–84 | Kilmarnock | 2–2* | Hurlford | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1883–84 (R) | Kilmarnock | 1–0 | Hurlford | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1884–85 | Kilmarnock | 2–0 | Hurlford | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | 3,000 | |
| 1885–86 | Kilmarnock | 2–1 | Ayr | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1886–87 | Hurlford | 4–1 | Kilbirnie | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 6,000 | |
| 1887–88 | Kilbirnie | 4–3 | Hurlford | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 5,000 | |
| 1888–89 | Hurlford | 2–0 | Ayr | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 6,000 | |
| 1889–90 | Annbank | 3–2 | Hurlford | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 7,000 | |
| 1890–91 | Kilmarnock | 7–1 | Hurlford | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1891–92 | Annbank | 3–0 | Hurlford | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1892–93 | Annbank | 5–2 | Kilbirnie | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1893–94 | Hurlford | 2–2* | Saltcoats Victoria | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1893–94 (R) | Hurlford | 2–1 | Saltcoats Victoria | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | 5,000 | |
| 1894–95 | Annbank | 2–2* | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1894–95 (R) | Annbank | 4–2 | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1895–96 | Kilmarnock | 7–2 | Galston | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | 5,000 | |
| 1896–97 | Kilmarnock Athletic (1888) | 1–1* | Kilmarnock | Beresford Park, Ayr | | |
| 1896–97 (R) | Kilmarnock Athletic (1888) | 3–0 | Kilmarnock | Somerset Park, Ayr | | |
| 1897–98 | Kilmarnock | 9–3 | Galston | Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1898–99 | Kilmarnock | 6–3 | Galston | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1899–1900 | Kilmarnock | 4–0 | Ayr Parkhouse | Somerset Park, Ayr | 4,000 - 5,000 | |
| 1900–01 | Ayr | 1–1* | Stevenston Thistle | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 6,000 | |
| 1900–01 (R) | Ayr | 2–1 | Stevenston Thistle | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 3,000 - 4,000 | |
| 1901–02 | Ayr Parkhouse | 1–0 | Galston | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1902–03 | Galston | 4–3‡ | Annbank | Beresford Park, Ayr | | |
| 1902–03 | Galston | 1–1‡ | Annbank | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 3,000 | |
| 1902–03 | Galston | 2–0 | Annbank | Somerset Park, Ayr | | |
| 1903–04 | Galston | 4–1 | Beith | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1904–05 | Ayr | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | Beresford Park, Ayr | 5,000 | |
| 1905–06 | Ayr | 1–0 | Ayr Parkhouse | Beresford Park, Ayr | 3,800 | |
| 1906–07 | Hurlford | 3–1 | Lanemark | Somerset Park, Ayr | | |
| 1907–08 | Galston | 2–2* | Kilmarnock | Somerset Park, Ayr | | |
| 1907–08 (R) | Galston | 2–1 | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1908–09 | Hurlford | 1–1* | Ayr | Beresford Park, Ayr | | |
| 1908–09 (R) | Hurlford | 1–0 | Ayr | Beresford Park, Ayr | | |
| 1909–10 | Ayr | 1–0 | Ayr Parkhouse | Somerset Park, Ayr | 5,000 | |
| 1910–11 | Hurlford | 3–2 | Ayr United | Beresford Park, Ayr | | |
| 1911–12 | Ayr United | 2–0 | Hurlford | Beresford Park, Ayr | | |
| 1912–13 | Galston | 3–3* | Ayr United | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1912–13 (R) | Galston | 2–1 | Ayr United | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1913–14 | Galston | 3–2 | Stevenston United | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1914–15 | Stevenston United | 0–0* | Kilmarnock | Riverside Park, Galston | | |
| 1914–15 (R) | Stevenston United | 2–1 * | Kilmarnock | Riverside Park, Galston | | |
| No competition from 1915–16 to 1918–19 due to World War I |||||||
| 1919–20 | Stevenston United | 1–0 | Galston | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1920–21 | Kilmarnock | | | | | |
| 1921–22 | Kilmarnock | 5–2 | Stevenston United | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1922–23 | Kilmarnock | 5–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1923–24 | Beith | | Galston | | | |
| 1924–25 | Galston | 4–1 | Kilmarnock | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | 1,000 | |
| 1925–26 | Ayr United | 3–3 (agg) | Beith | | | |
| 1925–26 (R) | Ayr United | 4–1 | Beith | | | |
| 1926–27 | Beith | | | | | |
| 1927–28 | Kilmarnock | | | | | |
| 1928–29 | Ayr United | 5–1 | Kilmarnock | Somerset Park, Ayr | 1,000 | |
| 1929–30 | Kilmarnock | | | | | |
| 1930–31 | Kilmarnock | 5–1 | Beith | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | | |
| 1931–32 | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete |
| 1932–33 | Ayr United | 3–1 | Kilmarnock | | 2,000 | |
| 1933–34 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1934–35 | Kilmarnock | 3–3* | Ayr United | | | |
| 1934–35 (R) | Kilmarnock | 8–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1935–36 | Ayr United | 2–2* | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1935–36 (R) | Ayr United | 3–2 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1936–37 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1937–38 | Ayr United | 7–1 | Beith | | | |
| 1938–39 | Ayr United | 2–2* | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1938–39 (R) | Ayr United | 3–1 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| No competition from 1939–40 to 1945–46 due to World War II |||||||
| 1946–47 | Kilmarnock | 4–2 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1947–48 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1948–49 | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition | No Competition |
| 1949–50 | Ayr United | 3–1 (agg) | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1950–51 | Kilmarnock | 6–1 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1951–52 | Kilmarnock | 4–3 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1952–53 | Kilmarnock | 5–0 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1953–54 | Kilmarnock | 5–1 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1954–55 | Kilmarnock | 3–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1955–56 | Kilmarnock | 7–0 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1956–57 | Kilmarnock | 1–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1957–58 | Ayr United | 2–1 (agg) | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1958–59 | Kilmarnock | 4–4 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1959–60 | Kilmarnock | 3–2 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1960–61 | Ayr United | 3–0 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1961–62 | Kilmarnock | 7–2 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1962–63 | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete |
| 1963–64 | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete |
| 1964–65 | Ayr United | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1965–66 | Kilmarnock | 3–1 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1966–67 | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete |
| 1967–68 | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete | Incomplete |
| 1968–69 | Ayr United | | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1969–70 | Ayr United | 2–0 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1970–71 | Ayr United | 2–2 (agg) (5–4p)† | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1971–72 | Kilmarnock | 3–1 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1972–73 | Kilmarnock | 2–1 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1973–74 | Kilmarnock | 1–1 (5–4p)† | Ayr United | | | |
| 1974–75 | Ayr United | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1975–76 | Ayr United | 4–0 (agg) | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1976–77 | Ayr United | 2–2 (6–5p)† | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1977–78 | Ayr United | 2–1 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1978–79 | Kilmarnock | 4–0 | Girvan | | | |
| 1979–80 | Ayr United | 10–2 (agg) | Girvan | | | |
| 1980–81 | Kilmarnock | 2–0 (agg) | Ayr United | | | |
| 1981–82 | Kilmarnock | 12-0 | Girvan | | | |
| 1982–83 | Kilmarnock | 1–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1983–84 | Kilmarnock | 2–1 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1984–85 | Kilmarnock | 2–1 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1985–86 | Ayr United | 2–1 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1986–87 | Kilmarnock | 3–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1987–88 | Ayr United | 2–0 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1988–89 | Ayr United | 2–0 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1989–90 | Kilmarnock | 2–1* | Ayr United | | | |
| 1990–91 | Ayr United | 2–1 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1991–92 | Kilmarnock | 4–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1992–93 | Kilmarnock | 2–1 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1993–94 | Kilmarnock | 3–3 (3–2p)† | Ayr United | | 3,613 | |
| 1994–95 | Ayr United | 4–3 | Kilmarnock | | | |
| 1995–96 | Kilmarnock | 1–0 | Ayr United | | | |
| 1996–97 | Ayr United | 2–0 | Kilmarnock | | 2,176 | |
| 1997–98 | Kilmarnock | 4–2 | Ayr United | | 4,652 | |