The English championship of 1890 again obtained a meagre entry, but the pick of the English clubs were engaged. As already mentioned, Burton won in 1888, the year of the insti tution of the contest, and as in the succeeding year they again won, beating Hanley in the first round by two goals to love, Nautilus in the semi-final by three goals to love, and Amateur in the final by two goals to love, their victory for the third successive year was confidently expected. They, however, suffered defeat in the final at Birmingham, Hanley winning by six goals to love. The absence of some of their best players may have been the cause of such a crushing defeat, but it was the opinion of good judges that Hanley would have won in any case.
The Manchester League was formed about this period, the A.S.A. rules being at once adopted as those to be used by the clubs engaged in its competitions. Mr. Herbert Dean was elected secretary, and in a very short time the League was at work. The system during the first year was to play one match against each other club entered, the choice of bath being drawn for. Mayfield, Gorton, Osborne, Swan, Leaf Street, Chalmere, Tyldesley, Stalybridge, Oldham Seal, and Stretford were the clubs that constituted the League, but the Swan Club afterwards withdrew, because the League ruled against them over a protest and the Y.M.C.A. thereupon undertook to play all their matches. The Mayfield Club won the League championship after being victorious in every game, and scoring eighty-five goals as against seven scored by their opponents. England again suffered a reverse in the International match, which was played at Glasgow in October 1891, under the rules of the Scotch Association ; but the defeat served a good purpose in the in terests of the pastime, as the officials of both bodies then at tempted to assimilate the two codes, and in April of the following year, 5892, an international conference was held at Liverpool, the delegates being G. H. Barker (Liverpool), chairman,
A. Thomson (Manchester), H. Thomsett (Leicester), A. J. Foster (Birmingham), and the writers as representing England, Loudoun Hamilton (Glasgow), A. Graham (Glasgow), and J. Lamb (Edinburgh League), representing Scotland. Prior to the meeting of the conference, the Midland, Northern, and Southern Associations had agreed to a revised set of rules, and these were submitted to the meeting at Liverpool. The Scotch style of play was adopted almost in its entirety, as well as their time-keeping rule, aimed at the prevention of a system of winning by delay, which had become too common in England. The great fight was over the goal-posts, but after a long discussion those in vogue in England were accepted by the International Board on a division. The opposition came from the Scotch Association, under whose rules goal-keepers stood on the side of the bath to defend their goals, and as the substitution of the English rule entirely altered the play of their men, it was natural that the subject should occasion prolonged argument. The English delegates reasonably maintained that in a swimming game the players should be swimming, and not standing on the side of the bath. In the course of the next few months the recommendations of the International Board were considered by the governing associations, and unanimously accepted by them. Since then Ireland and Wales have joined the Board, and various alterations have been • made from time to time, the assimilated code now being as follows :