A FOOTBALLING mystery spanning 27 years has finally been solved. The missing football used in the 1903 FA Cup Final when Bury beat Derby County 6-0 has finally turned up - in a Match of the Day soccer exhibition in Birmingham. A massive search was launched for the ball which disappeared 27 years ago, after it was loaned to London for a special exhibition. When organisers of the London show, Football Hall of Fame Ltd, suddenly went bust, the ball was never seen again - until a few days ago.
It was discovered by St John Healey, who works in the commercial department at Gigg Lane. The ball is being used as part of an exhibition by the Football Association, which is part of the global bid to bring the 2006 World Cup home to England.
The ball was found gathering dust in a store room at Lancaster Gate, the FA's London headquarters.
Delighted club chairman Terry Robinson said: "I've given the FA permission to continue using it to try to get the World Cup staged in England.
"But we want it back after that. I don't think there will be any problem. Successive boards of directors at the club have all tried to solve the mystery of the missing ball." Riddle
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Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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