Page 3 - Keynsham Town FC v Bitton 260322

HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE CUP

Good afternoon all and welcome to the players
Our league cup is named after a former Chairman of
the league, Les Phillips. He is noted for bringing
, officials and supporters of Bridgwater United
sponsorship to the league.
who have made the relatively short trip to be
In 1973, Les was elected Chairman. Many have said
with us today. Can I also welcome this
that this was a ‘milestone’ in the league’s history.
afternoon’s referee Simon Laraway and
With a broad smile and a booming voice, Les assured
assistants Chris Martin & Adam Boubrahmi.
everyone that he would do everything in his power
to help the league make further progress. And
progress it did. A sponsorship deal with Rothmans
At the risk of sounding repetitive, we know that
followed worth £10,000 per season. And so the
this afternoon’s clash will be a really tough test
1974/75 season kicked off as The Rothmans Western
for us. Bridgwater are flying , they come to us
Football League.
sitting in fourth place in the table, having
Do you remember the Great Mills Western League?
rounded off a rewarding February for them
That was Les Phillips too. The deal was announced
at Ashton Court on Tuesday 27th April 1982 by Peter
with an impressive 2-0 victory at Bitton last
Bastin of Great Mills and Lawrie McMenemy. The
weekend.
sponsorship deal was worth £100,000 over five years
and introduced a ‘pounds-for-goals’ bonus system.
Mind you, we're not doing so badly ourselves!
In 1988, Les Phillips passed away. This was a great
Last week’s win at Saltash was just reward for
shock. The man who had given so much to the
what I thought was a magnificent team
league was gone. It was therefore decided to re-
performance. Not an easy place to go and on a
name the Challenge Cup after Les and the first
winners in the 1988/89 season were Exmouth Town.
sticky, bobbly pitch, the boys played some really good football, defended superbly
when they had to, and thanks to a second half brace within the space of 3 minutes
Having a cup named after you may not be much reward for a man who had given so much
to Western League Football, but his name will always be remembered and live on in the Les
from Will Hailston (his 23rd and 24th of the season!), came from behind to take all
Phillips Cup.
3 points.
The trophy itself started life in the 1954/55 season as The Western Football League
So, today has all the ingredients for a thriller. Let's hope so and that the weather is
Professional Challenge Cup. This new cup which cost £45-9s-0d was only open to
professional clubs. In those days there was a distinction between professional and amateur
kind enough to us for what we hope, is a bumper crowd, to enjoy.
clubs in the league. Poole were the first team to win the cup having beaten Frome.
Finally, the Western League are working with the Bath-based charity MIND,whose
In 1961/62 The Professional Challenge Cup was renamed ‘The Challenge Cup’ and the first
aim is to promote support for those suffering with mental heath issues and general
winners were Bristol City Reserves.
wellbeing in the difficult times that we have all experienced over the past few years.
For the 2012/13 season the cup was sponsored for the first time by Termination Technology
of St. George, Bristol. This enabled payments to be made to the winners in each round of
Full details of the charities work can be found elsewhere in this programme. The
the cup.
club will be conducting a bucket collection at the gate for those wishing to make a
Source. ‘A View From The Terraces – 100 Years of The Western Football League 1892-1992
contribution to this worthy cause.
by Sandie & Doug Webb
Thank you for coming today and, as always, for your support. .
The Quarter-Final draw for the Les Phillips Cup was made on Tuesday evening, with the
regionalised aspect helping to ensure fixtures are feasible over the final few months of the
season.
Ade Cole Club Chairman
· Tavistock or Helston Athletic vs Exmouth Town or Saltash United
· Bridgwater United or Radstock Town vs Wincanton Town or Shepton Mallet
· Cadbury Heath or Brislington vs Clevedon Town or Ashton & Backwell United
· Keynsham Town or Tytherington Rocks vs Almondsbury or Warminster Town