Babbacombe F.C.
| Full name | Babbacombe Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 | |
| Dissolved | 1921 | |
| Ground | Plainmoor, Torquay | |
| League | Plymouth & District League | |
| 1920–21 | 8th | |
|
| ||
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
Formed in 1903, Babbacombe joined the Torquay & District League at the start of the 1904–05 season. Becoming champions on three separate occasions between 1904 and 1908, the league also included local rivals Ellacombe and (later) Torquay United. 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 Walls Hill home to Plainmoor in a groundshare arrangement with Torquay Town.[1]
Both Babbacombe and Torquay Town joined 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 (3): 1904–05, 1906–07, 1907–08
Seasons
Season Division Position Pl. W D L F A P 1904–05 Torquay & District League 1st 1905–06 Torquay & District League ? 1906–07 Torquay & District League 1st 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