SAM COLLINS HAT TRICK SCUPPERS CITY IN DEVON DERBY. 
TORQUAY COMBINE BETTER: EXETER WAKE UP TOO LATE.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 31:
TORQUAY UNITED 3 EXETER CITY 1.

Several thousand Exeter City supporters made the short journey down to Torquay today. They travelled by train, car, and bus, to considerably swell the crowd at Plainmoor. Torquay, hunting for promotion, fielded the team which was beaten 6-2 by Southampton. Exeter introduced Roy Whiteside at outside right. The form of the young Irishman in reserve team matches has been very good indeed.

TORQUAY: Kirk; J.V.Smith, Anderton; Lewis, Norman, Lloyd; Shaw, Sam Collins, J.T.Smith, Mills, Tony Collins. EXETER CITY:- Hunter; Doyle, Mitchell; Davey, Harvey, Dunne; Whiteside, John, Iggleden, Murphy, Rees.
REFEREE:- Mr. A. Bond of London.

Torquay fully deserved their three-one win in the local "derby" which had much more good football in it than most games between these two clubs. The best of the football came from Torquay. Only in a brief spell in the second half did Exeter play as they had done in the Christmastime matches. Then, with a bit more punch, they could have equalised. The men Exeter had to fear most were Ronnie Shaw and Sam Collins. Shaw shuffled his unstoppable way along the right wing and goalgetter Collins was always a man to watch in the goalmouth. The City did not watch him well enough on three occasions, and he got a hat-trick. Iggleden scored Exeter's goal just before half-time.

Friendly 
Whipton v Exeter City Reserves 

Without a Southern League match today Exeter City Reserves played a friendly at Whipton, where they beat the local team by 7 goals to 1.