ABSTRACT
It was while discussing Darlington's match against Durham College and their Cleveland Cup final against Darlington St Augustine's in February 1887 that 'Offside' reiterated his call, first publicised the previous September, that Wharton should be picked for England. Based solely upon form it was a legitimate plea. Beyond this consideration, according to the meritocratic principle of selection, there should have been few others. Even if we include bureaucratic eligibility criteria such as birthplace precedence would not disqualify Arthur. J.F. Prinsep, an India-born footballer for Clapham, had won a cap in the 1870s. And anyhow, the Gold Coast, like India, was a British colony. Like Prinsep, Arthur too was a 'gentleman'.
