Kent districts football club. Kent districts football club. Kent districts football club.
[wptb id=6371]KDFC Speech at Winter Sports Reunion 2011
Written by Roy Dolan
Although football was played during the war years in Nyabing, there is not a lot known about it. There was a football oval on Chinocup Road, which is the road up to where Ben Sutherland lives, and it was played in the Salmon Gums which I am pretty sure was located where Grantley Smith’s place is now.
After the second world war there was apparently football played during 1946-48 and Nev Badger said that when he came home from school in 1946 he played football with a Kent side in Katanning. Bill and Evan Hobley said there was definitely local football in 1948 when his parents left the farm. The Holmes and Altham boys from Pingrup played, but after a year or two for some reason, the competition fell through. Apparently, it started up again in 1951.
Prior to that, in the years that it fell through, Nev and Bill Badger and Col and Len Holmes were Pingrup residents and they would travel to Katanning to play in the Katanning Association. Nev said it was a big trip – they would be up at 5am to feed the horses and, if they couldn’t get a truck, they would go in on a motorbike to Katanning. It was 125 km from their place to Katanning, play football, and ride home again. They played for a club in Katanning called Imperials while Col and Len Holmes played for another club called Rovers.
1953 Premiership Team
Back Standing: (L-R) Viv Langley, George Sargent, Ken Solly, Tom Lawless, Eugene Mills, Keith Stephens, Mac Toms, Fred Mills, Albert Guelfi, Erwin Mills, Allan Gerhardy, Max Langley, Bulla Stephens.
Front: David Reeves, Charlie Tuffley, Winston Reeves, Les Altham (in front), John Hayter, Dickie Sargent, Phil Haddleton, Richard Atkinson.
When Bulla Stephens came on the scene back in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s the club was reformed but it had no money. Team members would travel into Katanning on the back of trucks and sometimes they had no covers on which would have been pretty cold. The players were given wool and the wives, girlfriends and supporters knitted jumpers for them. Apparently, the jumpers (coloured either navy or black with red) were made with different sized needles so when they were washed they went all sorts or crazy colours and sizes.
Eventually, the club got a red jumper with a white V in the very early 1950’s. The club actually won the B Grade premiership playing in the Katanning Association in 1953 in their red and white Guernsey’s.
1966 Central Great Southern League.
Kent Districts Football Club
Nyabing-Broomehill Junior Footballers 1967
Back: David Goodchild, Wayne Tuffley, Derek Bachelor, Alan Goodchild, Frank Ripper,
Richard Treasure.
Middle: David Lillyman, ? Hansen, Evan Sewell, Shane Anderson, Michael Green.
Front: ? Hansen, Ian Bachelor, Kim Taylor, Bevan Badger, Kim Anderson, Kevin Beattie.
At the start of 1954, George Sargent (who owned the farm where Nev Badger is now), became president of the club and donated money to have the George Sargent medal made for Fairest and Best player of the league team.
After winning the premiership in 1953, the club played in the A Grade section in the Katanning Association which consisted of Rovers, Imperials, Kojonup and Kent.
In 1960, the Katanning and Tambellup Associations combined to form the Central Great Southern Football League. The new league consisted of Australs (Rovers and Imperials merged to became Australs) Wanderers, Tambellup, Broomehill, Ongerup and Gnowangerup. After the first year, Broomehill pulled out, then Ongerup broke away from Gnowangerup and formed the Ongerup Football Association. Cranbrook also played for a while.
The Guernsey had to be changed because Gnowangerup wore red and white. Kent changed to a white guernsey with KDFC in red stripes across it and, on a wet day, that looked horrible. So Kent changed to green and gold which was played in for quite a few years.
Kent Reserve Premiers 1971
Rear: (L-R) Frankie Williams, Roy Dolan, Graeme Crosby, Lloyd Jury, Peter Johnston, Terry Hobley, Verdun Hayward, Tom Green, Max Cheetham, Jack Cheetham, Tom Collis, Eugene Mills, Ron Collins, Neil Hobley, Phil Martyn (President).
Front: John Green, Allan Bolton, Keith Butcher, Jamie Bolton, Mick Penny, Eric Hayward, Mick Patterson
At the end of 1971 things were not going well for Kent and the club was not winning a lot of games. Members decided to break away from the CGSFL and move into the OFA in 1972. Once again, the team colours had to change because Jerramungup had the green and gold. Kent changed to the brown and gold and, recently, to white and brown.
When Kent first arrived in the OFA in 1972 the team narrowly missed winning the premiership which was probably because of a debatable umpiring decision in the last quarter!! In the second year it went through and won an A Grade premiership. The team won again in 2001. The Reserves have had a lot better success, winning Premierships in 1982, 86, 1999, 2001 and 2002.
Juniors 1978
Back: Peter Clegg, Brendon Carson, Barrie Addis (Coach), Michael Ogle, David Long.
Third Row: Ivan Saya, Darren Mills, Mark Ogle, Darryl Beattie, Duane Jury.
Second Row: Andy Mills, Grant Collins, Andrew Darwood, Michael Jury, Tom Breen.
Front: Darren Long, Joseph Davies, Mark Poyner, Jason Stephens, Roy Addis, Clayton Butcher.
1982 Reserves Premiers
Back: (L-R) Kerryn Stephens (trainer), Craig Bamess, Graham Hobbs, Darryl Stephens, Neil Emery, Phillip Emery, George Patterson, Michael Hobley, Gary Cheetham, Kevin “Kiwi” Harman, Peter Johnson, Wayne Tuffley, Graeme Crosby, Rick Gornall, Jeff Gale (Trainer).
Front: Mark Poyner, Darren Schloithe, Darryl Beattie, Keith Butcher, Kevin Beattie, Bob Guelfi, David Long
1982 Junior Premiership. Coach Robbie Stephens.
Back: Mick Jury, Willy Johnson, Roy Addis, Bruce Foxall, Jason Stephens.
Middle: Mark Dye, Scott Pollard, unknown, Quenton Johnson, Andrew Darwood, Grant Collins, Michael Stephens, Collin Phillips.
Front: Wayne Gale, Darren Long, unknown, Joe Davies (holding Shield), Daniel Ramm, Stephen Hersey
2002 Reserves Grand Final Team
2005 Juniors after the Preliminary Final, Coach Mark Patterson
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