EXETER CITY FIRST WINNERS OF SOUTHERN CUP.

DEVON RIVALS BEATEN BY A GOAL TO NIL.

Wednesday, May 2nd 1934.

EXETER CITY 1 TORQUAY UNITED 0,

at Home Park, Plymouth.

A goal fifteen minutes after the start of the second half made the City the first winners of the Southern Section Cup. Breter earned the distinction by defeating their South Devon rivals, Torquay United, in the final of the competition, at the ground of the Plymouth Argyle club, Home Park, on Wednesday evening.

Exeter City. Chesters; Gray and Miller; Clarke, Webb, and Angus; Scott, Poulter, Hurst, Wrightson, and Barnes.

Torquay United. Maggs; Davies and Rees; Lievesley, Welsh, and Pickersgill; Steele, Orr, Flavell, Hutchinson, and
Bird.

Referee:- Mr W.J.Lewington, of Croydon.

The game, played on the Argyle ground before 6,000 spectators, many travelling down from Exeter, opened on a sensational note, Torquay advancing as if to sweep the Grecians off their feet. Tearaway and helter-skelter attacks down the centre boded ill for the City, and when Webb was adjudged to have handled barely outside the penalty area, the position looked very bad. A free kick was unwarranted, for the offence was entirely accidental, but Torquay were also unlucky, for Flavell's grand shot sped low into the corner of the net, only for the point to be disallowed because Steele had unwisely moved into an offside position. Torquay continued to make valiant efforts in the hope of securing an early lead, but the City were stern and steady in defence, and waged a rearguard action that was faultless except for a tendency to clear with high kicks instead of keeping the ball on the ground. The only time Exeter appeared likely to score before the interval happened when Hurst brought Maggs to his knees with a low drive.

CITY IMPROVE.

While Torquay had been the better side in the first half Exeter were undoubtedly masters of the situation afterwards. The United defence was nothing like so convincing, when they had to face the wind, as the City rearguard had been in the first half, and Tapp was a very weak link at left back. Wrightson soon exploited the loopholes in this moderate defence and he adopted the correct procedure by drawing opponents to him before parting with the ball to unmarked colleagues. From one such move the Torquay crossbar was rattled by Hurst with a shot that Maggs could not have saved, and after a few more minutes of Exeter pressure the all-important goal was scored. Poulter passed forward to Hurst, who shot straight at Maggs. The United goalkeeper fell as he parried the ball, which went to Scott. The winger's pass into the goalmouth with Maggs out of position was easily kicked into the net by Hurst. The City should have increased their lead, for Scott missed the goal after a miskick by Tapp had left him with only Maggs to beat, while Hurst headed over an empty net with the goalkeeper yards away.

PRESENTATION OF THE CUP.

At the close of the game the Cup was presented to Clarke, the Exeter captain, by Mr Louis T. Bellatti, the chairman of Crystal Palace, and each of the City players and the trainer received a medal. The official attendance was 6,198.