Francis Birley

Francis Hornby Birley (14 March 1850 – 1 August 1910) was an English footballer who played as a half back. He won the FA Cup three times in the 1870s and made two appearances for England in 1874 and 1875.

Birley was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, the son of Thomas Hornby Birley J.P. (1815–1885) and Anne Leatham (1820–1866). His uncle was Hugh Birley, who became Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Manchester from 1868 to 1883.

At the age of 13, Birley started at Winchester College where he remained until 1868. He was an all round sportsman who played for the school at both cricket and football. As a cricketer, in 1867 he took 7–73 as the college beat Eton College, and in 1868 as captain he took 4–41 and 2–25. He was also a keen athlete and was the school champion at the pole vault and high jump.

In 1868, he went up to University College, Oxford to study law. He was one of the first to study Law separately at Oxford (it had previously been taught as a joint honours degree with modern history). He was not a great academic, achieving only a third class Bachelor of Arts degree in 1872, although he was more successful as a sportsman. In his time at Oxford he threw the hammer against Cambridge University in 1872 and represented the university at football. As a cricketer, although he played in the fresher's match he did not get a game for the University, although he did win a University College cup in 1871 for throwing the cricket ball with a distance of 107 yds 2 ft 1 inch.

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