Saturday, September 4th 1948.

TORQUAY UNITED 2 (Rae 2)

EXETER CITY 1 (Dymond)

Half-time Torquay 1 City 0,
Attendance  14,000.

Over 14,000 people, the largest football crowd ever known on the Torquay ground, watched the United defeat Exeter this afternoon. The previous record gate was 11,625, established in 1927, Torquay on that occasion drawing with Exeter in their first match in the 3rd Division South.

TORQUAY UNITED:
McPheat
Stuttard Calland
Towers Head Lester
Lewis Shaw Rae Conley Cameron

EXETER CITY:
Hoyle
Johnstone Rowe
Bartholomew Davey Walker
Dymond Smart Johnston Mackay Regan

The thrills and good football came in the second half, when Exeter, a goal down and kicking against the wind, began to play football as a team. It was then, also, that Archie McPheat, Torquay's new goal keeper from Greenock Morton, showed his brilliance and pulled off some spectacular saves. In the first half Torquay did most of the attacking, but their poor finishing prevented Hoyle from being really worried. Rae opened the scoring after 28 minutes and added another goal 22 minutes after the interval. Dymond got Exeter's goal a few minutes later.

Southern League

CITY RESERVES 3
BEDFORD TOWN 2.

Exeter had no difficulty in defeating Bedford Town in the opening Southern League match at St James's Park. The Exeter scorers were Harrower, Grant, and Hutchings. Parsons and Ball netted for Bedford.

City team:- Singleton; Warren, Clark; Evans, Coles, Powell; Hutchings, Harrower, Smith, Jeffery, Grant.