1959-1960 “A” Boys Soccer Headmasters Provincial Champions
BACK ROW (L-R): Ed Clark (Manager), Wally Jackson, Ron Buckley, Jim Gillis, Bob Flecknell, John Sproule, Bob Hannam, Jack Walker (Coach). FRONT ROW (L-R): Allan Leonard, David Pick, David Urquhart, Bill Jackson, Mike Shaffner, Howie Jackson, Roy Mansfield. BELOW: Bob Durling, John Ferguson, Oscar Miller.
Bob Durling
John Ferguson
During the 1950s and 1960s, Bridgetown Regional High School was blessed with an outstanding group of male and female athletes. It is not surprising that BRHS was the most dominant school in the province winning numerous provincial titles in all sports during this time.
The 1959-60 “A” Girls Soccer Team, which won the provincial title, was inducted into the Bridgetown Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 : it is only fitting that the 1959-60 Senior “A” Boys team be inducted this year. Many of the athletes on the “A” Boys Provincial-Winning Soccer Team were also on the volleyball and track and field teams that won provincial titles in this same year.
The 1959-60 “A” Boys Soccer Team will be remembered for not only winning the provincial title, but also for going undefeated during the soccer season. This team was accustomed to success as it
had already won the “B” Boys Provincial Soccer title the previous year. There were a number of reasons for the success of the soccer team that year. The skill level of the athletes was certainly a
major factor. The outstanding coaching of Jack Walker was vital to the success of the team. As well, there was some additional help to the team’s victorious season. During the 1950s, Ken Buckley and Sydney Flecknell had arrived from England bringing their sons Ron Buckley and Bob Flecknell with them. The skill level of these two athletes greatly helped the team. The knowledge and advice that Ken Buckley and Sydney Flecknell provided proved to be helpful to the team, in most cases. The constant criticism of the referee during most of the games led to many ejections of Mr. Buckley from the playing area. Many bets were taken to see how long he would last at each game.
After completing the regular schedule, the boys went on to win the Western Valley Congress title by defeating Annapolis and Digby. Following that victory, they were able to defeat West Kings in a close, hard- fought series. This was followed by a victory over Liverpool who represented the South Shore Zone. Bridgetown won by a score of 5-0 with Allan Leonard getting the shut out. Thus the stage was set for the provincial finals against Halifax Municipal High School in a sudden- death game.
The Bridgetown boys showed great spirit in this game. By the end of the first half, the score was 3-0 for Bridgetown on goals by Bob Flecknell, Bob Durling and Wally Jackson. In the second half, the play was changed to an effective defensive game that prevented Halifax from mounting much of an attack. Two standouts in this half, due to their defensive skills, were fullback Ron Buckley and halfback John Sproule. Wally Jackson scored his second goal of the game in the second half on a fine pass from Howie Jackson. After Halifax scored its only goal of the game, David Pick replied with a goal for Bridgetown. The final score was 5-1 and Bridgetown had earned a well- deserved provincial championship.
With the victory, this magical soccer season came to an end. It will be remembered by many, for not only the victories, but also the camaraderie and lessons learned by working together. The Bridgetown Area Sports Hall of Fame is honored to include this soccer team among the other great sports teams that have been inducted.