Post by Jon on May 2, 2013 21:52:28 GMT
An early example of football hooliganism in Torquay took place on 29 January 1921.
You could very probably have guessed that the offenders came from Plymouth but you may be surprised to learn that they were not Argyle fans but Green Waves fans, not visiting Torquay United or Torquay Town but Babbacombe.
Babbacombe won the game 3-2, but some of the Plymouthians who came up on the charabanc decided not to waste good drinking time by going to Plainmoor for the game.
I wonder if they understood the symbolic importance of starting their pub crawl at the Torre Abbey Hotel - the very place where, 22 years earlier, the landlord's son and his mates had founded Torquay United Football Club.
There is another echo of our club's history in that Mr Harris, who came to the polices's aid, lived across the road from an 8 year old boy called Ralph Birkett. Ralph was a decent footballer who went on to play for Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and England. In fact, he was so good that he even played for Torquay United.
Another thing to note is the comment about inexperienced constables in the early 20s. Of course, a generation of coppers would have been wiped out in the trenches.
You could very probably have guessed that the offenders came from Plymouth but you may be surprised to learn that they were not Argyle fans but Green Waves fans, not visiting Torquay United or Torquay Town but Babbacombe.
Babbacombe won the game 3-2, but some of the Plymouthians who came up on the charabanc decided not to waste good drinking time by going to Plainmoor for the game.
I wonder if they understood the symbolic importance of starting their pub crawl at the Torre Abbey Hotel - the very place where, 22 years earlier, the landlord's son and his mates had founded Torquay United Football Club.
There is another echo of our club's history in that Mr Harris, who came to the polices's aid, lived across the road from an 8 year old boy called Ralph Birkett. Ralph was a decent footballer who went on to play for Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and England. In fact, he was so good that he even played for Torquay United.
Another thing to note is the comment about inexperienced constables in the early 20s. Of course, a generation of coppers would have been wiped out in the trenches.
