The Carngham Linton Football Netball Club is an Australian Rules football and netball club from Linton which competes in the Central Highlands Football League. They previously played in the Western Plains Football League and the Lexton Plains Football League.
History of football in the district The first published team list for the Carngham Football Club was published in September 1878 for a match against Skipton, played at Carngham, which resulted in a draw. Then in 1879, there was newspaper reports published for two matches between Carngham and Linton. Carngham won on both occasions. Grenville Football Association was formed in 1901, with Carngham one of its founding clubs, which was won by Smythesdale.
Carngham played in the Grenville Football Association in 1908.
In 1909, the Scarsdale Football Association was formed between the clubs of Skipton, Carngham, Linton, and Scarsdale.
In 1919, the Linton & District Football Association was founded, and Skipton, Carngham, and Linton played in the competition. The Scarsdale Football Club joined in 1923.
Over the years of competition in the LDFA, football fever developed into hatred and bitter rivalry between the local towns. Linton won LDFA premierships in 1919, 1920, 1922, and 1925.
The Linton-Scarsdale District Football Association was formed in 1925, with the addition of Bradvale and Lismore. The name was changed again in 1927 to the Linton-Skipton Association after Carngham and Scarsdale transferred to the Rokewood-Cape Clear Association.
Linton joined the Rokewood-Cape Clear Association in 1930, which became the Cape Clear-Carngham Association in 1934, then the Linton-Carngham Association in 1936, with Skipton again ending the season runner-up to Illabarook.
In 1937, Carngham lost to Skipton in a closely contested grand final, but the tables were turned in 1938 when Carngham beat Skipton. Carngham again won in 1939. After 1940, the association went into recess due to World War II.
After football resumed in the area in 1946, the Linton-Carngham Association was dominated by Carngham, who won six of seven premierships after the war. In 1953, the clubs in the Linton-Carngham Football League all rolled into the Western Plains Football League.
Linton stayed in the Western Plains Football League and won its final premiership and first for thirty-seven years in 1962. The club then struggled for success and players before going into recess in 1968. Carngham would transfer to the Ballarat Football League District section without success until merging with its neighbour in 1968.
Carngham FC Timeline 1878 - 1900: Club established, first match. Club played many friendly matches intermittently against other local towns. 1893 - Western District Premiers: Carngham FC 1901 - Grenville Football Association - Premiers: Symthesdale, 2nd Carngham 1902 - 1907: Club active, but no official competition football 1908 - : Smythesdale District Football Association Premiers: Carngham FC 1909 - Scarsdale District Football Association 1910 - 1911: The club may have been in recess? 1912 - 1913: Linton & District Football Association. Premiers: ? 1914 - 1915: ? 1916 - 1917: Senior club in recess due to World War One. Juniors active. 1918 - Club active, but no official competition football 1919 - Linton & District Football Association: Premiers - Linton FC 1920 - Linton & District Football Association: Premiers - Linton d Carngham 1921 - Linton & District Football Association: Premiers: Skipton d Linton 1922 - Linton & District Football Association: Premiers: Linton d Carngham 1923 - Linton & District Football Association: Premiers: Skipton d Carngham 1924 - Linton & District Football Association: Premiers: Skipton d Linton 1925 - Linton Scarsdale District Football Association: Premiers: Linton d Skipton 1926 - Linton Scarsdale District Football Association: Premiers: Carngham d Scarsdale 1927 - 1934: Rokewood & Cape Clear DFA 1935 - Cape Clear Carngham DFA 1936 - 1952: Linton Carngham DFA 1952 - 1961: Western Plains Football League 1962 - 1968: Ballarat District Football League 1969 - 1998: Western Plains Football League: Carngham FC & Linton FC merge to form Carngham / Linton FC in 1969
Linton FC Timeline 1879 - 1900: Club established and active, but no competition football 1901 - Pitfield DFA - Premiers: Pitfield 1902 - Grenville Shire FA 1903 - Club active, but no competition football 1904 - Scarsdale & DFA 1905 - Grenville Shire FA - Premiers: Linton 1906 - 1908: Club active, but unsure what association Linton played in. 1910 - 1911: Scarsdale & DFA: Premiers - Scarsdale d Linton 1912 - 1914: Linton & District FA 1914 Premiers: Berringa d Linton 1915 - Linton & District FA: Premiers - Linton d Berringa 1916 - 1917: Club in recess due to World War One, but the junior team was active 1918 - Club active playing several matches to raise funds for the Red Cross 1919 - 1924: Linton & District FA 1925 - 1926: Linton Scarsdale & DFA 1927 - 1929: Lismore Skipton FA 1930 - 1934: Rokewood & Cape Clear DFA 1935 - Cape Clear Carngham FA 1936 - 1940: Linton Carngham FA 1941 - 1945: Club in recess, due to WW1 1946 - 1952: Linton Carngham FA 1953 - 1968: Western Plains Football League 1969 - 1998: Western Plains Football League Carngham FC & Linton FC merge to form Carngham / Linton FC in 1969
History of the club After many years of talking, an agreement was reached to merge the two clubs in 1969. Carngham Linton Football Club first took the field in 1969 in the Western Plains Football League.
Over the next thirty years, the club won twelve premierships, including four in a row from 1982 to 1985.
When the Western Plains Football League merged with the Lexton Football League in 1999 to form the Lexton Plains Football League, Carngham Linton Football Netball Club won five of the 12 premierships in that league.
In 2011, the Lexton Plains Football League stopped operating, so the club transferred to the Central Highlands Football League.
Leagues and Premierships Senior Football Carngham Linton FNC (1969 to 2026)
Western Plains Football League (1969–1998) 1974, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1998 Lexton Plains Football League (1999–2010) 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 Central Highlands Football League (2011- ) Nil
Carngham FC (1878 to 1968) Western District 1893 Linton - Scarsdale DFA 1926 Rokewood & Cape Clear DFA 1927 Linton Carngham DFA 1938, 1939, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952
Linton FC (1879 to 1968) Grenville Shire FA 1905 Linton & DFA 1915, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925 Western Plains Football League 1962
League Best & Fairest Winners Senior Football Western Plains Football League 1977 - Hans Verdoorn 1979 - Hans Verdoorn 1985 - Eugene Grigg 1987 - Eugene Grigg 1998 - Nick McIntosh Lexton Plains Football League 2003 - Ross Waters 2009 - Jason Hill
Books Great Plains: The history of football and netball in the Western Plains district. By Michael O'Bernie and Darren Prentice History of Football in the Ballarat District by John Stoward -
References
External links
Carngham Linton FNC Gameday website 1919 - Linton & District FA Premiers: Linton FC team photo 1926 - Linton Scarsdale DFA Premiers: Carngham FC team photo 1952 - Linton FC team photo & names