ROUGH FOOTBALL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22469, 13 July 1936, Page 10

ROUGH FOOTBALL

REFEREE STOPS GAME BOTH TEAMS LEAVE FIELD B GRADE RUGBY MATCH There was an abrupt ending to a senior B Rugby football match played at Gribble-Hirst Park on Saturday between Kdon, tho leading team, and Manukuu. A quarter of an hour after tho commencement of the second spell tho referee intervened and stopped tho contest owing to excessive rough play on both aides. JJoth teams then left the field. 111-feeling was caused when a Manukau forward was ordered to leave the field after he had allegedly late-tackled an opposing player, who was in the act of scoring a iry. The scorer was rendered unconscious and the forward left the field immediately. From this stage onward tempers became frayed and there was much heated argument on both sides. Several incidents of rough play then occurred and, as the position became worse, the referee ordered both teams to leave the ground.

INCIDENT AT SOCCER REFEREE LEAVES FIELD OBJECTION TO BARRACKING There was an unusual incident in the principal Association football match played at Blandford Park between Comrades and Mount Albert Grammar Old Boys on Saturday, the referee declining to resume after half-time owing, he said, to the hostile attitude a section of the spectators had adopted. Another referee controlled the match in the second spell. As tli3 teams were leaving the field at the interval, a spectator suggested loudly that tho referee should be changed, and this evidently proved too much for the official. Turning to tho spectators in the grandstand, he said* "If you want a better referee, get one for yourselves." The referee stated subsequently that he had no fault to find with the behaviour of-either team, but ho was not going to stand abusive criticism from the spectators. His failure to penalise the teams for certain minor infringements during the game had been done deliberately with the object of keeping tho play moving. He expressed the opinion that referees were entitled to protection from such barracking. Surprise at the action of the referee was expressed bv the secretary'of tho Auckland Football Association, Mr. W. Harrison, who did not consider tho barracking abusive at any stage of the game. On the contrary, be thought the spectators' remarks had been of a very mild nature.