SURF LIFE-SAVING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22071, 29 March 1935, Page 9

SURF LIFE-SAVING

PIRATE SHIPPE PLATE REFEREE'S DECISION UPHELD A dispute created by the action of the referee, Mr. H. C. Sidford, m postponing on March 10 the competition in land drill for the Pirate Hhippe Plato was the subject of a long discussion at tbo meeting of the Auckland Head Centre of the Royal Life-saving Societv last evening. A . let^ er , I f ar ort the dispute was received from the Auckland Surf Life-saving Association, which advised that a member of the Milford Club had been suspended from all association activities until it received an apology from him. Tho Auckland Head Centre s secretary. Mr. J- F- > Langley. said that two of' th - teams entered in the competition protested to him against the Milford member s participation on the grounds that they would bo disqualified-if they competed wilhinm; He told the teams they would not be dis qualified because the centre had no official notification of tho suspension. The chairman, Mr. K. ,C. Reid, said ho was one of tho three judges appointed., Thoro was a misunderstanding whether a judge would officiate, and Mr Sidford decided to postpone the contest. Mr. A. Dicker said a week before the contest he asked Mr. Langley not to include him among the judges. However, on the day he decided to act, us lie heard that unless he did. a postponement would be mnde. The competition, he claimed, had not been postponed on account of a snortace o£ judges. It , ~ Mr. Sidford said when he called the judges together, Mr. Dicker was not prepared to officiate. As tho rules definitely stated there must be three judges, he toKl the team captains there could be no competition. Furthermore, Eastern United and Milford girls" team rfcised the question Of •the Milford member's participation, the former team refusing to contest the plate if he was a member of the Milford team. Mr Sidford thought it was in the general interests of life-saving to determine upon a postponement, rather than to cause trouble between tha Surf Association and *^Thc^MHford member concerned said that when the conference of captain* was called, the question of judges had already been settled He told Mr. Sidford that a ruling of the Surf Association could not apply to a competition controlled bv the eontre. ' On ihe motion of Mr. Reid. it was decided that Mr. Sidford's action wns in »c----cordnnce with , the regulations. Referring to the Milford meniber's suspension, Mr. Reid asked-how it was Possible for ally member of a team. suspended by the Surf Association, to be disqualified from a competition hold by the centre. _ The chairman of tho Surf Association, Mr. A. Gardner, explained that it wall recognjsed that no one could compete against a suspended member of another club. This applied even if the suspension was not imposed by the centre. The meeting eventually agreed to ask the New Zealand Council for a ruling on the suspension - It was also decided to return the Pirate plate to its donor and to request him to present it as>a trophy for a competition held by the Surf Association. The chairman renorted that Mr. .T. C. Fislienden, of London, a vice-president of the Roynl Life-snvintr Society, who visited Auckland recently, was impressed by the work being done by the centre and by the Auckland Surf Life-saving Association. Evidently the centre wns held in high estimation by' the central executive, London. The centre appointed Mr. L. Clarkson, of Christchurch. its delegate to the New Zealpnd Council, in place of Mr, L. Scott.