Saturday's game is as intense as the traditional rivalry between the two countries. Photo: Cai Xianmin/GT

It was a day of glory for some and a day of gloom for others as the Shanghai English claimed a dramatic 6-3 victory over the Shanghai Scottish.

Saturday saw the city's English and Scottish communities resuscitate a historic sporting event in a thrilling and fierce football match - the first of its kind in over 70 years - at the Shanghai Rugby Football Club in Pudong New Area. The teams played for the Prentice-Skottowe Cup, which was first established in 1908 and was played annually until 1941.

As bagpipes brought a sense of highland warrior spirit, kilt-wearing Scots launched their emotional challenge against their "Auld Enemy." Remembering centuries of antagonism, football enthusiasts spiced up a sunny afternoon with a sometimes stormy encounter. The English, dark-suited with red rose buttonholes, approached the confrontation with a deadly "refined" English manner, as they put it.

"It's a brilliant feeling and quite inspirational," England's captain David Brady told the Global Times after winning the game. But he admitted the Scots gave them a very hard time. "The Scottish played extremely well."

Though the Scottish side was understandably dour at the defeat, there was no malice. Both teams embraced the fun of the game. "The English were really lucky, but everyone enjoyed it," said Ainsley Mann of the Shanghai Scottish, one of the principal organizers of the event. Brady agreed. "Everyone enjoyed it, everyone got to run around and everyone played."

Looking gloomy

England made the first strike five minutes into the game, but the Scots fought back with enthusiasm and scored just 10 minutes later. Boosted by this the Scots stormed England's goal again and then again, retreating contentedly at halftime with 3-1 notched on the scoreboard and the English looking gloomy.

But the English returned with a touch of luck and the red shirts attacked with ferocity, levelling the score within 20 minutes of the second half opening. As the game teetered on a draw, it became an intense struggle and the Scots played with a lot more vigor but this, unfortunately, resulted in two penalty goals against them. With the score then at 3-5 the English then rubbed salt into the Celtic wounds with a late goal.

Claiming it cheerfully as a victory of finesse over brutality, Brady was proud of his team's style and approach. "We could have done better in the first half … but that's probably because we never played together before. We were pretty awesome in the second half," said the English captain, ignoring a bloodied ear, the result of an enthusiastic tackle or two.

One of the oldest international sporting fixtures in the world, it is certainly enhanced by the intense rivalry of the nations. Prior to Saturday's encounter in Shanghai, both teams were brimming with confidence. "Although Scotland is a small nation, we are a very proud one. Our passion will make us win," said Dave Ingram, the 44-year-old vice president of the Unilever supply chain who played in defense.

The English also showed no fear. "I think we are quite confident and will get the job done when we are out there," England's Jimmy Gerard said. The 29-year-old midfielder is a sports teacher at the Shanghai Dulwich College.

Ragtag teams

After researching the history of the Prentice-Skottowe Cup in the North China Herald, an old English-language weekly Shanghai newspaper, some dedicated Scottish expats decided to restore the game albeit with two ragtag teams of mainly middle-aged enthusiasts.

"I first heard about the cup at the end of last year. One of our members is writing a history of sports in Shanghai. We found that this special game hadn't been played since 1941, so we decided to restart it," said Ainsley Mann, one of the directors at the Shanghai Rugby Football Club.

The Prentice-Skottowe Cup was created in 1904 by John Prentice, a successful ship builder in Shanghai, and E. B. Skottowe. Prentice hailed from Greenock, Scotland, and lived in the city for more than 50 years dedicating himself to the development of football among the expat community. Initially the annual competition was only between the Scots and the English, but later teams with players from China, Portugal and Ireland took part.

Contemporary newspaper reports described how the respective communities in the city took the first encounter incredibly seriously. The North China Herald noted that at the first game between the Irish and English, there were reports of Irish supporters carrying sticks and clubs. Supporters erected a fence around the pitch to protect the English. There were no fences on Saturday.

"I think this history is very important, especially for expats in Shanghai. And we want to keep the tradition going," said Michael Bradly, the Scottish team manager. To get the ball rolling, Bradly said they started drafting the team about two months ago. Although they had managed only a few training sessions together, the team was determined to dampen the English fervor on the pitch.

A flurry of e-mails and messages and hosts from both nations were ready to assemble. "There's an intense rivalry between Scotland and England. If there's any excuse to play against the other, it's very easy to find people," Mann said.

Maintaining some old traditions and replete with a replica of the original cup, the organizers are hoping to continue the legacy of their predecessors, who had helped sports flourish in the city's expat community. "We will be doing this again next year," Mann said.