Post by Jon on Dec 9, 2023 13:40:50 GMT
Badgers Hill at Frome was actually the second away ground that the new Torquay United ever played on. An FA Cup game at Minehead on 10 September 1921 was followed by a replayed FA Cup game at Frome on Thursday 29 September 1921.
I explained previously how Frome's dogged resistance at Plainmoor and a penalty miss by Dapper Frayn cost us an eagerly awaited friendly with Argyle's first team - although it did give rise to Plainmoor getting its first sight of the great Jack Leslie:
torquayfansforum.co.uk/thread/13472/jack-leslie-plainmoor-28-21
I had thought that we had requested the replay to be on the Thursday to avoid clashing with the Argyle game (although now a reserve fixture).
But according to Frome's historian :
Coleford Athletic refused to reschedule a midweek league encounter at Badgers Hill which meant home games on successive evenings and both were lost, the Cup replay going the way of the visitors 3-1.
www.weareba11.com/post/frome-town-vs-torquay-united-fa-trophy-preview-we-ve-met-before
Star of the show for Torquay was Hele boy Reg Stuckey. The WMN and Somerset papers had Stuckey down as notching a hat trick, but the more trustworthy Torquay papers said that our first goal was a penalty scored by captain Sam Davis. Davis had actually risen to the rank of Captain in the Great War, but had only just taken over United's captaincy from dodgy player-coach Fred Mortimer (not the real one!) who had been dropped.
greensonscreen.co.uk/gosdb-players2.asp?pid=230
Stuckey did have the ball in the net three times, but the first was controversially disallowed. Davis could actually claim to have matched Stuckey's two goals as Frome's goal was going wide when deflected in off Sam.
Seventy-one years later. Torquay United made their last (until today) visit to Badgers Hill for a Western League game. Amazingly the accidental star of the show was the grandnephew of the star of the show in 1921.
Reg Stuckey's nephew George Stuckey was an incredibly high profile Torquay United fan and his son Bruce a very successful winger. Bruce played in the old first division for Sunderland and scored the goal at Plainmoor that put United 1-0 up against the mighty Spurs in 1971.
By 1992, Bruce was 45 years old and long since retired from playing when he was appointed United's reserve team manager. He registered as a player "in case of emergency".
On 10 October 1992, the emergency happened. United travelled to Badgers Hill and "due to an administrative mix-up" had no registered goalkeeper. Stuckey named himself in goal! United coasted to a 3-1 lead with goals from Matt Gardiner, Andy Davies and Mark Lockyer. When Frome drew back to 3-3, Bruce had had enough and took himself off with Andy Davies taking over between the sticks.
Frome went on to clinch a 4-3 win with an incredibly soft penalty.
I explained previously how Frome's dogged resistance at Plainmoor and a penalty miss by Dapper Frayn cost us an eagerly awaited friendly with Argyle's first team - although it did give rise to Plainmoor getting its first sight of the great Jack Leslie:
torquayfansforum.co.uk/thread/13472/jack-leslie-plainmoor-28-21
I had thought that we had requested the replay to be on the Thursday to avoid clashing with the Argyle game (although now a reserve fixture).
But according to Frome's historian :
Coleford Athletic refused to reschedule a midweek league encounter at Badgers Hill which meant home games on successive evenings and both were lost, the Cup replay going the way of the visitors 3-1.
www.weareba11.com/post/frome-town-vs-torquay-united-fa-trophy-preview-we-ve-met-before
Star of the show for Torquay was Hele boy Reg Stuckey. The WMN and Somerset papers had Stuckey down as notching a hat trick, but the more trustworthy Torquay papers said that our first goal was a penalty scored by captain Sam Davis. Davis had actually risen to the rank of Captain in the Great War, but had only just taken over United's captaincy from dodgy player-coach Fred Mortimer (not the real one!) who had been dropped.
greensonscreen.co.uk/gosdb-players2.asp?pid=230
Stuckey did have the ball in the net three times, but the first was controversially disallowed. Davis could actually claim to have matched Stuckey's two goals as Frome's goal was going wide when deflected in off Sam.
Seventy-one years later. Torquay United made their last (until today) visit to Badgers Hill for a Western League game. Amazingly the accidental star of the show was the grandnephew of the star of the show in 1921.
Reg Stuckey's nephew George Stuckey was an incredibly high profile Torquay United fan and his son Bruce a very successful winger. Bruce played in the old first division for Sunderland and scored the goal at Plainmoor that put United 1-0 up against the mighty Spurs in 1971.
By 1992, Bruce was 45 years old and long since retired from playing when he was appointed United's reserve team manager. He registered as a player "in case of emergency".
On 10 October 1992, the emergency happened. United travelled to Badgers Hill and "due to an administrative mix-up" had no registered goalkeeper. Stuckey named himself in goal! United coasted to a 3-1 lead with goals from Matt Gardiner, Andy Davies and Mark Lockyer. When Frome drew back to 3-3, Bruce had had enough and took himself off with Andy Davies taking over between the sticks.
Frome went on to clinch a 4-3 win with an incredibly soft penalty.