POPULAR REFEREE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20985, 23 September 1931, Page 14

POPULAR REFEREE.

RETIREMENT FROM RUGBY. RECORD OF MR. SUTHERLAND. With the excellent record of 12 seasons as a Rugby referee, Mr. F. E. Sutherland has decided to retire and acted in his last official match in the representative fixture between Auckland and Wellington last Saturday. Throughout his career with the whistle Mr. Sutherland has proved one of the most capable referees New Zealand has produced and has enjoyed great popularity among both players and spectators. A tribute to his capabilities is the fact that ho has refereed in'four international matches, while most representative teams have been only too keen to obtain his services. His representative record speaks for itself as he has controlled no fewer than 44 matches. Mr. Sutherland has not only enjoyed great distinction as a referee In his earlier days he was a fine athlete and had a distinguished career in school, club and interprovincial Rugby. He was born at Onehunga, Auckland, 39 years ago, and received his early education at the Onehunga primary school, and played for tho school fifteen. On graduating to the Auckland Grammar School he was not long in displaying his ability at Rugby football, and in 1908, 1909 and 1910 he played for the first fifteen, as a forward, centre-thrcequarter and rover. Jli 1908, the last yea.r in which college representative games wero played, he won a placo in the college representative team. While at tho Auckland Grammar School Mr. Sutherland also distinguished himself as a cricketer of no mean order, and one year won tho cup as the best all-round athlete at the school sports. In 1912 Mr. Sutherland joined up with the College Rifles Rugby Club and a year later played his way into the Auckland B representatives. Ho spent four years at the war, attaining the rank of Major in the Maori Pioneer Battalion. He played for the nativo team, which attained quite a reputation among the forces. On returning to the Dominion Mr. Sutherland again joined the College Rifles Club, and in the first year, 1919, won his representative cap. Ho toured with the Auckland team, which played Taranaki and Wellington Wellington beat Auckland in that match, a shield game, by 24 points to 3. Against Taranaki Mr. Sutherland landed four goals. The following year Mr. Sutherland retired from big Rugby and joined the Referees' Association. In his second year as a referee he controlled two inter-pro-vincial games, Auckland versus Wellington and Taranaki respectively. lie. 10fereed tho only test between New South Wales and New Zealand at Auckland in 1925, and in 1928 lie carried tho whistle in the first test, New Zealand v. New South Wales, a,I Wellington, and in the third test, New Zealand v. New South \\ ales, at Christohurch. Last season Mr. Sutherland officiated in the fourth test between the All Blacks and the British team at Wellington. He was president, of the Auckland Referees' Association in 1927*