'We made the goal nets for 1966 World Cup final'

When Geoff Hurst scored his legendary goal for England in the final minute of the 1966 World Cup Final, two men from Dorset were among those waiting to congratulate him.

They had been invited by FIFA because their company, Bridport-based Edwards Sports, had been providing the goal nets for Wembley since the stadium was built in 1923.

Founded in 1884 as William Edwards & Son, Edwards has also been making nets for the Wimbledon tournament since its inception in 1887 and supplied the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The firm follows a long tradition of net and ropemaking in Bridport that dates back to the early 13th Century.

Archie Kershaw, of Edwards Sports, said: "The first match at Wembley, our net was in between the goal posts.

"We have a picture in a catalogue published from the '80s where our nets were being used for the 1953 [FA] Cup final.

"We had that relationship with Wembley and the FA so we were the supplier for the whole of the [1966] World Cup."

Two representatives from the company were invited to witness the team lift the trophy.

"We had Len Parker, who was the production manager, and Henry Dommett, who was the sales manager at the time," said Kershaw.

"They were invited by FIFA to represent Edwards and they had the opportunity to personally congratulate Sir Bobby Moore and Sir Alf Ramsey following their historic achievement."

Ropemaking in Bridport started out as a cottage industry, with long narrow gardens allowing the ropes and nets to be stretched out.

In the 16th Century, it was ordered that all cordage for the Navy was made exclusively in Bridport.

"People would make the nets in their own homes and have them collected and sent across the country," Kershaw said.

For more than a century, Edwards has supplied nets for some of the country's biggest sporting occasions and, although it no longer supplies the FA, it remains prominent in the football industry, supplying clubs nationwide.

In three weeks, Edwards Sports nets will take centre stage again when the Wimbledon tennis tournament begins.

Kershaw said: "We've been supplying Wimbledon for over 100 years now.

"We continue to do so and we hope that we've got another 100 years coming of supplying them with their tennis posts and tennis nets."