Final blow for Breslau five

Q&A

Q. Did the former German city of Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland) have a football team before 1945? If so, who were they and what, if any, were their achievements?

A. Breslau had five teams which took part in the German national championship or cup, although with little success. Up to and including 1944, regional league winners competed for the championship at the end of the season in a knock-out competition. Schlesien Breslau reached the semi-final in 1905 but, for reasons unknown to me, had to concede the match to Karlsruher FV. In 1920, Sportfreunde Breslau reached the semi-final, only to lose 4-0 to SpVgg Furth. Another Breslau team, SC Breslau 08, reached the semi-final in 1929, also losing (6-0) to Furth.

Schlesien Breslau got no further than the qualifying round in 1906 and 1907. Sportfreunde Breslau did the same in 1921, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928 and 1930. SC Breslau 08 went out in the quarter-finals in 1925 and 1926 and in the qualifying round in 1928 and 1932. In 1908 and 1910 VfR Breslau, made it to the same round but were knocked out on both occasions.

A fifth team, Breslau 02 (Army based?), went out in the qualifying round of the 1942 championship. One year later, the team was knocked out at the same stage.- Jim Salter, Crewe

Q. Stockport County played Ipswich Town in the Coca-Cola Cup second round first leg on 19 September, the first time the clubs have met. County have now played every other team in the Premiership and Endsleigh League, together with every club to have left the League since the Second World War. Can any other club match this?

A. May I claim a first for Carlisle United, who achieved this feat on Saturday 14 August 1993? On that day their opponents were Wycombe Wanderers, who were playing their first Football League game.

For any other team to have beaten that completion date they would have had to have played the non-league Wycombe in a cup game before then, plus all the present League teams and those who have left league football as stated. So can any other team claim to have done it before "The Cumbrians"? - J Notman, Carlisle

A. Re Stockport playing every club: Carlisle United have done so too. - Andrew Ashbridge, Leek

ANSWERS PLEASE

Q. Whatever happened to Clapham Rovers, FA Cup winners in 1880, runners- up in 1879? - John Kelvie, Crawley

Q. Dermot Reeve, Warwickshire's cricket captain and an England international, was born in Hong Kong. Has the colony provided any other England players in whatever sport? - Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby

If you know the answers to any of these questions or have a sporting question of your own, write to: Q & A, Sports Desk, Independent on Sunday, 1 Canada Square, London E14 5DL.

Fax: 0171-293 2894