FOLLOWING on from last week's article in which we looked at the Crook Town football tour of Barcelona of 100 years ago, the south Durham side were not the only ones out there in the spring of 1921. Burnley, Newcastle United, Cardiff Corinthians and the Civil Service were also represented.

Burnley and Newcastle were professional clubs in the Football League while Cardiff Corinthians were a non-league club in Division 1 of the Western League, and the Civil Service were amateurs playing in the Isthmian League in London. There does not seem to have been an organised tournament but all the British visitors played friendlies against the Spanish giants.

Crook Town played Barca four times: on March 20, they lost 5-1; on March 29, they lost 4-1; on April 2, they lost 2-1 but on April 3, they held out for a 1-1 draw.

Finally on their tour, on April 5 Crook met the Civil Service in the final of the Barcelona Cup. They won 2-1 with Harry Thompson scoring the winning goal two minutes from the end of extra-time. He signed for West Ham the following season, and later played with New Brighton in the Football League.

l Thanks this week to Sarah Dellar for her translation work, to Paul and Michael Manuel for their photographs and information and to Dave Kidd for his help with the photographs.