THE FISHER CASE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10653, 7 August 1924, Page 3

THE FISHER CASE.

TO BE HEARD ON AUGUST 18, TIMARU PAPER ANSWERED. A special meeting of the S.C. Rugby Union will be held on August 18th next to hear the appeal lodged by the Temuka Football Club on behalf of J. Fisher, ONE OF THE PLAYERS who was ordered off the ground during the Temuka-Star football match on a recent Saturday afternoon.

Commenting on this case yesterday a Timaru contemporary stated that “ninety per cent, of the public appear to believe that the whole story has not been told.” That is perfectly correct. The whole story certainly has not been told. Continuing, the same paper states that “spectators who have deluded themselves into the belief that, from the grandstand side of the oval they heard the remarks of the referee and players ulttered at a distance of forty yards cannot, however, expect to be given much credence.” The same remarks could be well applied to the referee, who was fully TWENTY YARDS AWAY when the incident, which after all was a legitimate tackle, took place. And it might also be stated that people 100 yards away could clearly hear the remarks the Star player addressed to the referee. However, the reporter of this paper was not 40 yards away from the incident. In fact, he was right on the line, and but a few yards from the scene of the incident, so perhaps his evidence at the hearing of the /appeal will be given some credence.

The statement that “Fisher is emphatic that Thomson did nothing which warranted his ordering off” in correct us far as it goes, and the spectators are just las emphatic that Fisher did nothing which warranted HIS ordering off. However, the conduct of the Star player AFTER HE HAD BEEN ORDERED OFF, and BEFORE HE LEFT THE FIELD should be carefully investigated hy the Rugby Union.