REFEREE HIT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 10 September 1927, Page 5

REFEREE HIT.

SPECTATOR ARRESTED

LIVELY DAY AT BALMAIN. SYDNEY, Aug. 27. Rugby League referee Webby Neill was struck by a spectator as he was going into the dressing room at halftime during the Balmain-Eastern Suburbs match at Birchgrove yesterday. A man was then arrested and charged with riotous behaviour. An urgent request was sent out for more police, and they were not long in arriving in a departmental car. T.hc officers rushed into the grandstand enclosure, leaving the car unprotected. This was too good a target for some of the barrackers to miss. The car was stoned from all directions, and considerable damage was done to the machine.

All this came about because of Russell, a Balmain forward, being sent off the field. That happened when Balmain was attacking strongly towards the close of the first half. Toby, the Eastern Suburbs full-back, was tackled by Russell. What occurred then was not possible to see from the press table. When the players' were going off the field a crowd of people rushed to the exit gate and booted Air. Neill. He was making his way through the throng when a man in the crowd struck him on the face. The blow was a hard one, but not sufficiently so to knock out Mr. Neill, although it raised a small lump. The arrested man is a brother of Russell, and a couple of seasons ago was himself a member of the Balmain, team.

The arrest quietened the spectators for a time, but during the whole of the second half the referee was subjected to constant demonstrations of bostili itv. Mr. Neill stated last night that he did not intend to take any action personally, preferring to await the decision of the Rugby League in the matter. The game also had its amusing side. With about a quarter of an hour left for play heavy rain drove the timekeepers' to the shelter of the stand. In his run one of them inadvertently rang the bell, and, naturally, the referee blew his whistle for full-time. The players raced for stand, and were almost off the ground before the mistake was explained, and' they were sent hack to finish the game.