History

Taken from the Devon ASA Centenary Brochure

Devon has always been a water polo stronghold, with county, club, and school teams frequently reaching, and sometimes winning, the National Finals.
It has always played a significant role in county activities, stimulating considerable interest, and, as reported in the History of Devon ASA, it was instrumental in the association’s formation.
In 1894-95, there are many reports in both the Exeter Flying Post and the Torquay Times of water polo activities, and they were governed by the restrictions we have to contend with today, as two players from Torquay Swimming Club, Chalke and Lawes, were both selected for the Middlesex Team to play Kent, and the paper of October 12th, 1894, records that Chalke scored three of the goals in a 7-2 win for Middlesex.
Even having players of such unquestioned talent did not help Torquay SC to success in the Devon League, as the league table published on August 17th, 1894, shows:

What a shame Torquay did so badly, as the Torquay Times of May 18th, 1894 reports: “The Devon County Water Polo Association has been formed, and the representatives of Torquay Swimming Club have their share in the formation.” The report continues: “I hope it will be a success and may Torquay SC be the first to win the polo, and to spare may do worse than hand a little of their surplus cash over to the fund which is being raised for the proposed trophy.” There are no records of the source of the money, but the trophy was undoubtedly acquired. Our oldest trophy, the Challenge Cup, was won by Exeter Swimming Club in 1894, the inaugural year, and they retained it the following year. In 1896, Plymouth Leander was triumphant, only to relinquish the cup to Plymouth Amateurs in 1897, 1898 and 1899.
The Challenge Cup has had a checkered career, with the actual name of the competition altering from time to time, but it is still going strong, and a very impressive cup it is!
In 1900, Dawlish were the champions, but in 1901 there was no competition, and Teignmouth United went on to win in 1902, 1905, 1907, 1910 and 1913. They played in the sea, and Ilfracombe were the champions in 1903. The following year, the Challenge Cup was not contested, and the Dewar Shield, presented by Sir Thomas Dewar, was introduced as the Junior Championship for Division 2; the first winners were Dartmouth ASC. Winners over the following years were Dawlish, Exmouth, Exeter Reserves, Teignmouth Reserves, Plymouth 38th Corp Regiment, and in 1910, Port of Plymouth.
Interest continued to grow, and in 1921 the Junior Division was established; the first winners were Plymouth Amateurs, who remained unbeatable for 10 years.
Over the years, the competitions have evolved: in 1924, the Water Polo First Division was for the Challenge Cup and the Water Polo Second Division (League) for the Dewar Shield. This description of Division 2 suggests that the Challenge Cup was a knockout competition and that there was also a Junior Division. This was most certainly the case in 1934, as the handbook for that year shows the draw.
In the early 1930s, there were numerous newspaper reports of large crowds paying to watch at both Exmouth and Barnstaple’s open-air pools; the Tiverton open-air pool even had a grandstand for spectators.
Dartmouth was once a water polo stronghold, and hundreds of spectators would crowd around the boat floats where the aquatic activities took place.
There are many accounts of County Trials taking place at Exmouth, no doubt the larger, deeper pool was an attraction, plus the fact that the interest was there, and it provided entertainment for a vast number of people.
Devon County were always “fairly” civilised about their water polo, but it was not always the case in Cornwall, a well-remembered story told frequently by an old friend who is sadly no longer with us, Ed Dean. He was refereeing in Cornwall one day, and he made a highly unpopular decision against the Cornish. They were up in arms, and in fear for his life, he ran from the pool, grabbed his clothes, and made a quick getaway in his car, not daring to stop until he was over the bridge. That was a few years ago, but things have not changed much. Even today, there are rules for Devon, but a different set appears to be used in Cornwall, if some of the stories we hear are to be believed.
Another water polo stalwart, Frank Trapnell of Dawlish, remains a County Timekeeper; he was a water polo referee in his youth and, at one time, Chairman of the County Water Polo Referees’ Society. He has many a story to tell of the problems faced by referees when games were played in the sea, with the ever-present problem of falling out of the rowing boat from which he operated, on the sea side of the pitch, of course as a disgruntled spectator, one could always swim out and tip the referee out, as Frank discovered at Teignmouth on one occasion. Scoring goals was an art; you watched the waves and waited for the goal to go up. Poor goalies never had a chance.
In 1983, a revolution took place with the introduction of the Ladies League. Are they tough, much more aggressive than the men? It’s no holds barred in the ladies’ matches when they are competing to win the Dowrant Trophy.
Devon has always been at the forefront of water polo and, for many years, was the only area to run an Under-14s League. This has proved our strength, as diminishing facilities have seen the demise of many water polo teams, and fewer numbers mean we have to work harder to produce a decent county squad; therefore, catch ’em young is our motto. Club who no longer have any involvement with water polo, and were once strong are: Brixham, Dartmouth, Teignmouth, Tiverton, Dawlish, Ilfracombe, Bideford, Salcombe, North Devon Dolphins and Honiton, although Tiverton do, once again, have a thriving club. Salcombe, Teignmouth and Dawlish all played in the sea.