Men’s Team Managers Since 1978:
D. Newton, N. Sheere, B. Olver,
A.R. Walker, A. Hill, G.A. Deacon,
N. Horsley, J. Ryder, A. Jeavons, D. Cliffe,
J. Dunn, D. Skews, N. Beckett, M. Hodge,
G. Battams, P. Andrews, M Chrimes, M, Jones, C Holman, S Westlake, B Washam
Record Victory
SWPL League: 12-2 (a) v St Austell 1st December 2007
Record Defeat
SWPL League: 10-0 (h) v Wadebridge Town
17th November 2012
Dobwalls Football Club: A Brief History
A truly definitive history of the football club at Dobwalls has been pretty hard to get down on paper over the years. With old hands moving away and new moving in, it has been hit and miss on obtaining the actual story of the club. New evidence had come to light hinting at Dobwalls Football club being almost 2 decades older than previously thought.
The earliest record found to-date shows that Dobwalls, were competing in ‘the Foot Challenge Shield competition” in 1922. Playing against the likes of StCleer, Widegates, Polperro, St Neot, amongst others in a league format. No final league table can be found and one cannot say how successful Dobwalls were, but it proves the village had a team in the early days.
In 1923 at the AGM of the Liskeard and District Football league, the first season of football had been declared an “unqualified success”. The League secretary, Mr R M Botterell, extolled the virtues of the standards of football played by comparing it to the semi-professional leagues of the time. At the AGM, 3 new teams (Lostwithiel, Callington and St Germans) joined the existing 14 L & D League teams, ‘with the addition of Dobwalls’. This would indicate that Dobwalls didn’t play in the parent league in the 1922/ 23 season but only participated in the cup competitions.
The next mention of Dobwalls is September 1938, where they had entered both the Liskeard and District league and the knock out cup tournament.
In 1938 fixture congestion played a big part in Dobwalls reaching the Isaac Foot Cup final. Two teams Torpoint st James and Torpoint Institute were scheduled to meet in the first round of the cup competition, but they were unable to play the fixture in the required time. The opponent’s in the next round (the semi-final) were Dobwalls. Represented by a Mr Phillips, Dobwalls objected to the extension of time allowed for the Torpoint teams to play the fixture.
The allotted time came and went, the secretary of Torpoint St James, wrote that both teams had found it ‘impossible to arrange the fixture’ and as a result both teams were eliminated from the competition. This meant that Dobwalls were now in the final, and faced either Morval United or Harrowbarrow on the 4th of May 1939.
In the final, played in Liskeard, Dobwalls lost their centre forward Sibley through injury in the first half. Morval United, with a goal from Hocking and a penalty from Penrose two minutes from time gave them a 2-0 win over Dobwalls.
During the war Dobwalls Football team continued to play with friendly matches against the American troops based at Doublebois
Post war Dobwalls played their home matches at Penmount Farm. This was their home up until the late 50’s when Mr. Russell Opie sold the farm to Mr. John Southern, this land purchase saw the team move to a pitch on Treheath Farm owned by Mr. Higman.
The team was disbanded for a couple of years in the early 60’s but was reformed soon after. The old goal posts and nets were found in the store underneath the Church Hall where the team once again entered the Liskeard & District League. But the nomadic lifestyle continued and the team moved to a pitch owned by Mr. Harfoot of Lantoom Farm. It is there the club stayed and in 2001 bought the land now know as Lantoom Park.
League Action
The team in the early days competed in the Liskeard & District League and played in this league right up until its dissolution when the league joined with others to form the Duchy Football League. Dobwalls were members of this league for a number of years and then joined the Plymouth Combination League.
More recently still, Dobwalls were one of the founding members of the South-west Peninsula League and reached the Lawrence Durning Charity Cup Finals on two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013, but failed to win on either occasion.
League Records:
- 1922 Original members of Liskeard and District Football League.
- 1939 Original members of Liskeard and District (Wartime) Football League.
- 1965 Founder members of the Duchy League.
- 1975 Joined Plymouth & District League; 1975-76 Div 2; 1976-79 Div 1; 1979-80 Div 2; 1980-81 Div 3; 1981-82 Div 3; 1982-1986 unknown; 1986-87 Div 2; 1987-88 Div 1; 1988-89 Div 2; 1989- 93 Div 1; 1992-93 Div 2; 1993- 94 Div 1
- 1994-2001 Duchy League;1996-97 Div 1; 1998-99 Div 1,
- 2001-02 Duchy Premier League
- 2002-06 East Cornwall League
- 2006-07 East Cornwall Premier Division
- 2007- Present; Founder member of South West Peninsula League Division One West
Launceston Cup
Dobwalls Football Club is recognised as one of the most successful teams in the Launceston and District Cup in recent times, and the club enjoyed its most successful spell in the early Naughties, winning cups and promotions galore under the stewardship of John Dunn.
In the 2015/16 season, Dobwalls restarted their reserves under the guidance of Steve Luscombe. Starting in the Duchy 5 division, they were runners-up in their 1st season. In 2016/ 17 the reserves became Duchy Division 4 Champions and twice Launceston Cup finalists winning once.