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On a weekend where there was no action whatsoever in the Uxella League with days of persistent rain causing waterlogged pitches across the board, the thoughts of many of the longer serving members of the league turned to a name synonymous with Bridgwater football when it emerged that founder member Dave Hobbs sadly passed away on Saturday (8th December).
Mr Hobbs, a Life Member of both the Bridgwater and District Sunday League and the Somerset Football Association, had a long association with the league stretching back to the mid-1960's.
The 1965-66 season saw the birth of the Bill Brown Cup, which saw Dave officiate as referee and linesman in many ties all the way to the final on 1st May 1966 which took place at Bridgwater Town FC's old Castlefields ground. The success of the competition combined with the general football fervour that swept the country that glorious summer following England's World Cup triumph led to the formation of the Bridgwater Sunday League.
The competition kicked off for the first time at the beginning of the 1966-67 campaign with a single division and immediately thrived to the extent that a second division was added the following season. The following years saw Dave take on many of the key roles that kept the league running, including Referees Appointments Secretary and Fixtures Secretary, a role which became a particularly tricky to fulfill as less pitches led to more sharing of grounds and the continual growth of the league eventually saw four divisions operating during the mid-eighties. On top of dealing with the logistics by hand, in the days before home computers, Dave continued to referee matches right up until 1980 when ill health forced him to hang up his whistle.
The name of Dave Hobbs will continue to be associated with the Bridgwater Sunday League for as long as Sunday football is played in the town. In 1990 he donated a trophy to the league in memory of his late wife who sadly passed away in 1988. The much-coveted Dave Hobbs Cup continues to be contested as the flagship cup competition with teams from all divisions contesting on an annual basis.
As a mark of respect to the huge contribution Mr Hobbs made to Bridgwater Sunday football there will be a minutes silence before kick-off for all games next weekend.
(Story First Published: 09.12.07) |
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| | | | | | | | Div 1 Table Summary
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| Team |
Pts |
| Maltshovel | 30 | | Red Tile | 27 | | Tiger Old Boys | 19 | | Quantock Pride | 17 | | Cannington | 16 | | Abbey Moor | 15 | | Blake OB | 14 | | Flag Old Boys | 10 | | Middlezoy | 9 | | | | |
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| | | | | | Div 2 Table Summary
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| Team |
Pts |
| Highburn | 44 | | Grasshoppers | 41 | | New Foresters | 36 | | NM Sports | 34 | | R.O.F. | 34 | | Puriton | 33 | | Huntspill | 22 | | Knowle | 16 | | Admirals | 14 | | Q. Pride Res. | 10 | | Ramblers | 8 | | North Petherton | 4 | | | | |
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