Babbacombe
Full nameBabbacombe Football Club
Founded1903
Dissolved1921
GroundPlainmoor, Torquay
LeaguePlymouth & District League
1920–218th

Babbacombe Football Club was an English football club based in Torquay, Devon. The club existed from 1903 until 1921 before merging with Torquay Town to form Torquay United.

History

A Babbacombe club played friendlies in 1903–04, but the club was properly formed in 1904 in time to join the Torquay & District League at the start of the 1904–05 season, becoming champions twice in 1907 and 1908. The league also included local rivals Ellacombe and (later) Torquay United. In 1908, Babbacombe moved up to the East Devon Senior League and in 1909 up again to the Plymouth and District League. Babbacombe won the East Devon Senior Cup in 1910 after being beaten finalists in 1908 and 1909. By 1910, there was feeling throughout the town of Torquay that their three most successful football teams should amalgamate in order to create a single professional club. Although Babbacombe refused to take part in a merger, Torquay United and Ellacombe agreed to pool their resources and became Torquay Town. Ironically, despite wishing to remain independent, Babbacombe now moved from their Palk Arms home (at the lower end of what is now the Golf Club) to Plainmoor in a groundshare arrangement with Torquay Town. They had previously played at the upper end of what is now the Golf Club in Petitor Road and prior to that at Walls Hill.[1]

Torquay Town joined Babbacombe in the Plymouth & District League at the start of the 1910–11 season. However, while Torquay Town initially flourished in their new league, Babbacombe struggled to compete. In the 1911–12 season, Babbacombe finished bottom of the table while their newly created rivals were crowned champions. Despite this, by the 1913–14 season, Town's form began to suffer and they finished below Babbacombe in what was the Plymouth & District League's final season before the outbreak of World War I.[1]

When the league resumed in 1919, Babbacombe again ended the season above their local rivals. Nevertheless, when Devon's two most successful teams, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City, became founder members of the Third Division South in 1920, the desire for Torquay to have a Football League club of its own became too great even for Babbacombe to resist. So, at the end of the 1920–21 season, Babbacombe merged with Torquay Town and, after reviving the name of Torquay United, were eventually elected into the Football League in 1927.[2]

Honours

  • Torquay & District League
    • Champions (2): 1906–07, 1907–08

Seasons

Season Division Position Pl. W D L F A P
1904–05 Torquay & District League 6th 14 5 0 9 29 30 10
1905–06 Torquay & District League 2nd 18 13 3 2 70 28 29
1906–07 Torquay & District League 1st 14 12 1 1 56 12 25
1907–08 Torquay & District League 1st 12 10 1 1 33 12 21
1908–09 Torquay & District League 3rd 14 8 0 6 33 35 16
1909–10 Torquay & District League 2nd 16 10 3 3 48 21 23
1910–11 Plymouth & District League 12th 24 6 1 17 35 53 13
1911–12 Plymouth & District League 16th 30 2 2 26 29 103 6
1912–13 Plymouth & District League 12th 26 6 7 13 34 56 19
1913–14 Plymouth & District League 6th 26 11 4 11 58 60 26
No competitive football played for the duration of World War I
1919–20 Plymouth & District League 6th 24 9 7 8 39 39 25
1920–21 Plymouth & District League 8th 22 9 1 12 48 60 19

References

  1. 1 2 Edwards, Leigh; Gibbes, Jon; Lovis, John (1999). Torquay United, The Official Centenary History, 1899–1999. Yore Publications. ISBN 1-874427-38-0
  2. ↑ Holgate, Mike (1999). Torquay United Football Club 1899–1999. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-1814-9
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