Wigan’s Shelford sent off

Press, 4 January 1988, Page 16

Wigan’s Shelford sent off

By

PETER O’HARA

NZPA London Wigan’s latest Kiwi import, Adrian Shelford, was one of four players sent off in a British rugby league match labelled the “chamber of horrors.” Shelford was making one of his first appearances for the club when he was ordered off in the match, drawn 15-15 with Warrington.

Three others also went in the first 20 minutes before the match turned into an exciting display of league skills and left a series of fights behind. The “Daily Telegraph” newspaper said though that the “20 minutes of insanity at Warrington” was another blow to rugby league. “A game that should have shown the British

game, at its best was reduced to the near farcil.” The “Guardian” said the first quarter was “a chamber of horrors” in which Warrington’s Les Boyd spent 10 minutes in the sin bin and two players from each side were sent off. Shelford went after a brawl. Wigan saw its championship prospects fade as a result of the draw.

The fortunes of the former Kiwi coach, Graham Lowe,, have slid after he won four major trophies last year and started 1987-88 with a string of scalps including the Australian champion, Manly.

Dubbed then as unofficial world club champion, Wigan has since crashed to a succession of defeats which has caused mutter-

ings at Central Park. “They are not the power they were,” the “Guardian” newspaper said. “The machine has begun to splutter and the security of their defence, on which so much of their success was based, has been penetrated with increasing ease.”