Local League: Plymouth's Mike Dobson and Dave Mills step down after a century of service

Following over a century of combined service to basketball, Chairman Mike Dobson and Treasurer Dave Mills have stood down from their positions on the committee of Plymouth and District Basketball League.

Both men have been involved with the league as players, coaches and committee members and have been a constant of the Plymouth Basketball scene stretching back to the 1960s. Their commitment to the sport has been incredible, helping basketball to go from strength to strength in the area.

New Chair Daniel Stevens said: "Dave and Mike have done a great service to the league over the years and leave big shoes to fill. It is a great honour to be voted into the position of Chair after being an active player in the league for many years.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing and being Chair and as the new committee comes together, we are looking forward to further developing basketball and the league within Plymouth and to continue Dave and Mike's legacy."

Throwback! Left - Dave Mills (tracksuit) coaching the Plympton team, Right & Centre - Mike Dobson

Dobson started playing basketball at Barne Barton Secondary Modern school in September 1967. At that time his PE teacher and coach was the legendary Frank Pocock, who went on to be the co-founder and, for many years, coach of Plymouth Raiders.

In 1969 Mike joined Plymouth YMCA, it was during this time that he played with actor Charles Dance and crossed paths with Dave Mills as the team won the league.

His involvement with Plymouth basketball continued from there, helping to run a number of local sides, including the latter iterations of the YMCA teams, the Kitto Nomads, Kryptons and Strollers.

For the last 30 years Dobson has mainly coached – only occasionally rolling back the years to put on his sneakers.

In 2018, the league celebrated their 60th anniversary and Mike scored one of the most impressive three pointers of the tournament, something that will live long in the memory of those in attendance!

In 2011 he moved to the position of Chairman within the Plymouth league, a role he fulfilled for over a decade.

Mills grew up in the city and attended Plympton Grammar School where he first found his love for the game in a very successful school team. He returned to Plymouth in the 1970s where he coached successful school teams in the then city-wide school league.

Under Mills' guidance, Plympton gained considerable success in the Southern League as well, also reaching the semi-finals of the Basketball England National Founders Club, organised for non-NBL clubs, only to be thwarted by the other Plymouth based team, the Kanaries who went on to win the competition.

Mills led the push for the club to join forces with the Kanaries, helping to found the Plymouth Raiders’ team which entered the National League in 1983. He was on the club's original committee and took the role as Development Officer.

A teacher by trade, Mills continued to promote the sport at school as well as at senior level until his retirement, retained his interest in the sport by providing administrative support for both the Raiders as well as the local league. More recently he moved to the position of treasurer within the league.

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