BRUTAL PLAY AT FOOTBALL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7825, 18 June 1909, Page 3

BRUTAL PLAY AT FOOTBALL.

To the Editor. Sir, —Will you kindly let me know, through your valuable paper, if a referee has the power to make any footballer who is wearing toe-plates or any plates remove his boots before playing, or even after the game has started ? ,My reason for asking is: I was present at the football match on Thursday afternoon played between Borough A and a team of very small boys from Hampstead, on the High School ground, and during the game one of the Borough's very biggest boys, who was wearing heavy boots, kicked a tiny boy (Hampstead) m the mouth. I leave you to imagine what the little laddie suffered, although he pluckily played an. The same big-Borough boy was rery brutish m the way he knocked the little boys about. Surely something could be done m the future to Jtop any repetition of the above. A LOVER OF THE RIGHT. [The following is the Rugby rule that applies under circumstances like those described by our correspondent : " Hacking, hacking-over or tripping up are illegal. The referee shall have full power to decide what part of a player's dress (including boots and projections thereon, buckles, rings, etc.)' are dangerous, and having once decided that any part is dangerous, shall order such player to remove the same, and shall not allow him to take further 'part m the game until such be removed."—Ed. Guardian.]