League match result still in doubt

Press, 5 July 1977, Page 32

League match result still in doubt

The official result of last Saturday’s premier grade rugby league match between Marist-Westem Suburbs and Papanui will not be known until after a special meeting of the code’s board of control next Sunday. Mr Tony Drake, the referee of the game, will be requested to attend the special meeting to clarify why play was terminated when Papanui was leading by only 8-4 with 10 minutes of the second spell remaining. A letter of protest from the Marist club was received at last evening’s meeting of the board, and after a short discussion in committee it was decided that no competition points would be awarded until the matter was fully resolved.

In the letter, the Marist secretary (Mr Bill Whitehead) said that journalists who had been at the Show Grounds were unanimous

I that short time had been played. The rugby league reporter of “The Press,” after being asked by the referee on the adjoining ground to keep a check on time because the official clock was inaccurate, also noted that the second half of the Marist-Papanui match began at 3.21 p.m. and stopped at 3.51 p.m. Mr Whitehead wrote that the action of one board member who queried the length of the second spell with Mr Drake as he left the field was further confirmation. “If the referee claims, as I believe he did, that fulltime was played, then I can do no more than suggest he invest in some new apparel for his wrist. It is nothing short of ludicrous for you to accept point blank that the referee is the sole judge of fact. We all know that it is paramount for all concerned to adhere to the rules of the game at all times, particu-

larly the man in charge,” the letter said.

“I appreciate the conditions prevailing might have prompted the referee to follow the example of the man in charge of the game on the No. 1 ground, but the two were quite different matches,” it said. Mr Don Wilson, the referee of the match between Eastern Suburbs and Linwood on the No. 1 field, stopped play 15 minutes early when Eastern was in front by 34-3. He did so after consulting both captains and vice-captains, later supplied a full explanation to the board, and his action was upheld under the laws allowing the termination of the game by mutual agreement. No such approach was made to the Marist or Papanui captains by Mr Drake, and there was no mention on his report card of why the match was ended prematurely.