Football in Torquay in 1862

So... was the game mentioned here as being played in 1888 on the Recreation Ground between Torquay Athletic and Newton, Association or Rugby Football?

It happened in March 1906 - the pavilion was "practically gutted, nothing but the walls remaining intact". "Insurance for £200 the estimated damage was put at about £500". For the 1906 season "tents were erected for the respective teams and teas were taken under cover of a marquee".

Rebuilding was completed for the start of the 1907 season - "the old world picturesqueness has gone but the ivy will grow again and the building weather in the course of time".

All taken for Ray Batten's excellent "The Torquay Cricket Club A Potted History Of The Club From 1851 to 2004".

Leigh, could you tell me where that extract is from?

The game referred to is definitely rugby - reinforcing that any mention locally of football at that time would by default be rugby unless it specifically said association or soccer.

Tics played at the Rec in the 1888/89, 1889/90 and 1891/92 seasons (1890/91 was at Paignton Cycle Track) before finally settling there in 1904.

The first soccer game at the Rec was on Boxing Day 1888 - Torquay YMCA v Osborne. The first soccer team to play regularly at the Rec was Torbay in 1890/91.

Jon,

It's from 'An Historical Survey of Torquay' by Arthur Charles Ellis.
Printed in 1930

I've got a few other interesting snippets from it that I'm going to pop on the forum, one to do with Mayor William Webb and his sporting legacy...

Thanks Leigh.

I must admit I'd never heard of Webb. I assume the presidency must refer to the original amateur club - I wonder if it means A president rather than THE president.

The stuff on the cricket club - formation date, new ground date, fire date - ties up with Batten. Interesting to see the ground referred to as "Langways Meadow" - yet another name for Cricketfield Road/Cricketfield Lane/Barton Road/Chapel Hill/Chapel Cross/Chapel Hill Cross.

For the avoidance of doubt, I would like to stress that Mayor William Webb was not involved in any way whatsoever with the fire at the cricket pavilion! ;D

Excellent stuff. That ties up all the loose ends nicely.

I had only really used the "full view" search before. The snippet views are a tantalising little glimpse of a much bigger forbidden land.

It reminds me of peaking through the gap in the gate at Barnet to see Stuart Jones' penalty save and wishing I could see the whole pitch until I got into a heated debate with a police officer who thought that if a massive fire broke out I would stay there blocking the exit causing thousands of deaths. I argued that if there was a fire I would move away from the gate. I can't believe I lost that argument!

The Newton College books look like they hold a lot of information on early South Devon sport.

I think this is the earliest known mention of a rugby game played by Torquay Athletic (although arguably not the same club as the current one) on 8 February 1877.

books.google.com/books?ei=Fk0oTdunCIOYhQeZ2OzrAQ&ct=result&id=cvcHAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Newton+Abbot+Coll%22&q=torquay+athletic#search_anchor

75 pages in the 1877 edition mention football!

books.google.com/books?ei=Fk0oTdunCIOYhQeZ2OzrAQ&ct=result&id=cvcHAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Newton+Abbot+Coll%22&q=football#search_anchor

Only 39 pages of football in the 1875 edition and no mention of Torquay Athletic:

books.google.com/books?id=MvcHAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Newton+Abbot+Coll%22&q=football#search_anchor

It appears that residents of the USA might be able to buy digital copies, we in the UK are not. If any American readers could have a look and see what kind of price they are, I would greatly appreciate a PM.

books.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=43729&topic=9259&hl=en

As the digital archives expand, I now see that there was an actual football CLUB based at Barton Road back in 1856 - as this cutting from the Western Times 27 September 1856 shows.



Given that Wrexham, as Barty pointed out, are now claming to have been formed in 1864 despite several clubs coming and going since, I think I will lay claim to Torquay United being founded in 1856 - which leaps us not only ahead of Notts County, Stoke and Wrexham as the oldest professional club in the world, but even pips Sheffield FC as THE oldest club in the world.

I am basing my claim on the fact that the club mentioned above used the same ground as Torquay United did from 1904-05 and 1906-10.

Details of Wrexham's claim are below. I will say that you should never lay much store on press reports of what happened 15 years ago or on formation dates given in football books. I know someone with a shelf full of Rothmans which claim that TUFC was formed in 1898.

www.wst.org.uk/www2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=980:wrexham-fc-oldest-club-in-wales-&catid=24:trust-news