In 1938, the Leicester Mail captivated its readers with a series of talent competitions, one of the most popular being a challenge to select Leicester City’s most ‘skillful’ XI. Readers were tasked with choosing their dream team from a list of 30 formidable players given below:
The contest proved so incredibly popular that the newspaper extended the submission deadline and, in a clear sign of its success, doubled the prize money to a substantial £100 – a sum equivalent to a remarkable £8,600 in 2025!
An esteemed adjudication committee, comprising City director W.H. Squires, Leicester Mail Sports Editor Jake Littlewood, and former Fosse player A.E. Pudan, had the challenging task of selecting the “winning” team. In the end, thirty-four astute readers submitted all-correct entries, each receiving a handsome cheque for £2 19s 0d.
The ‘most skilful entry’ in the opinion of the Adjudication Committee was as follows:
1. McLaren – goal
2. Black – right back
3. Osbourne – left back
4. Smith- right half
5. Sharma left half
6. Bambe – left half
7. Adcock – outside right
8. Hine – inside right
9. Chandler – centre forward
10. Lochhead – inside right
11. Liddle – outside left