EFA Centenary ArtEFActs: 1986 Kinnaird Cup Hip Flask

This flask was produced by Ballantine’s Whisky to celebrate its sponsorship of the Kinnaird Cup competition between 1984-1986.

The shape reflects the brand’s famous square bottle, supposedly designed so that it could be easily concealed in the briefcases of American salesmen during prohibition.

The company was started as a grocery business in Edinburgh in 1827 by George Ballantine. In 1836 Ballantine’s branched into whisky and spirits and was so successful that it received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1895. By 1984 the company had become a subsidiary of Hiram Walker and it is now part of the Pernod Ricard group.

The commercialisation of the sport in the 1980s was not without controversy, as was noted in A History of Eton Fives.

“Some of the old guard were appalled. It even forced a very sick Alan Barber, the President of the EFA, to drag himself along to a committee meeting to voice his objections to what he saw as the destruction of the amateur game as he knew it.”

The sponsorship of individual EFA competitions started in 1977, when Tetrad, a sofa manufacturer from Preston, sponsored the Midland Tournament. By 1980, Saab was sponsoring the Midland and Kinnaird Cup competitions, as well two new contests specifically arranged for the sponsors, the London and Northern Tournaments.

NatWest supported the County Championship between 1981-1991, and the short-lived International Tournament (1981-1987) was opened and shut by Rolflex Doors. The longest partnership (so far) has been with Holmwoods insurance, which survived the company being acquired first by HSBC and then by Marsh Ltd over a 30-year period.

The EFA’s current sponsor, Advanta Wealth, started its headline sponsorship in 2018, encompassing all competitions, events and the three-division league.