A FOOTBALL INCIDENT

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 25, 29 July 1926, Page 9

A FOOTBALL INCIDENT

SENIOR PLAYERS REPRIMANDED.

During tho first division A match between Marist and Hospital, played at Porirua on Saturday in the Charity Cup competition, two players, one from Marist and one from Hospital, were ordered off the field for "ungentlemanly conduct." The matter was investigated at the executive committee meeting of the Wellington Football Association last evening. The incident was described by Mr. G. Goflin, the referee, who said that about 20 minutes before the final, Marist were pressing, and the ball ranc between the players. The ball was cleared. i\nd as the witness turned awny he thought he saw a blow. When he turned back, he saw both players striking at one another. It was most unpleasant to have to order them off, but he wanted to commend the action of the pkjyers, and the members of both teams, in the way the decision to leave the field was taken. Mr. Goflin considered it would be very unfair for him to say who struck tho first blow. He could not say who was the aggressor. The Marist player, detailing .the mci-, dent, said the ball was passed to him, and the Hospital played bumped him, and they both went down. Witness just pulled his leg away, and when he got up he was struck, and lie got a bit wild. The Hospital player was unable to attend, but wrote stating that when he was getting up off the ground he received a kick in the stomach. Mr. W. Duncan (to the Marist player): "You may have kicked him?" —"If it was done, it was done accidentally." Mr. Goffin said he did not see a kick. The Marist player added that as they both went down together he pulled hi; feet away. Mr. Goffin said the game was ihe usual game played between these two teams. A hard game, with no quarter given, but a game with no ill-feeling. After consideration, Mr. W. Auld moved that as the whole thing was done on the spur of the moment, both players be severely reprimanded. Mr. B. Morton moved as an amendment that the players be suspended for two playing Saturdays. The amendment was defeated by 3 votes to 7, and the motion was carried.