BUNGLING OFFICIALS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 697, 25 February 1933, Page 9

BUNGLING OFFICIALS

Attack by Manager of the Auckland Swimmers. "ANTAGONISM IN SOUTH." (Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, February 25. Interviewed on his return home with the victorious Auckland swimmers today, Mr Leo Kenny, the manager of the team, said: “ I am still hopeful of our having the next championship meeting.” On being questioned about the refusal of the conference of delegates to allot the next meeting to Auckland, and about his subsequent announcement that Auckland would not be in future represented at the championships held away from this city, he added: “We still have a chance of appealing to the New Zealand Council because the conference’s decisions are merely recommendations to the council. The officials at Napier made mistakes which affected us. “ Thomas was clearly second in the 100yds yet the judges did not give him a placing. Even people who were otherwise against Auckland agreed that Thomas finished in second place. Another instance of bungling by the officials was given in the 440yds men’s championship, the competitors having to swim 66 yards farther than was necessary. “We lost the water polo final because the referee changed his mind, and gave a wrong ruling after giving a correct one. At full time Canterbury and Auckland had each scored one goal, and it was decided to play an extra four minutes in two two-minute spells. Smith, the Auckland captain, won the toss, and before deciding which end of the bath to defend he asked the referee, Mr S. Berry, of Hawke’s Bay, whether the game would continue for the full four minutes, or whether it would stop as soon as a goal was registered. The referee assured Smith that the game would continue even if one team did score, and so the Auckland captain elected to defend the deep end, which is harder to defend, but just as the teams were preparing to resume the game the referee came up and told Smith that the game would stop immediately a score was registered. Of course, Smith immediately expressed a wish to defend the shallow end, but the referee, contrary to the rules, would not allow him to do this. Canterbury obtained a score because Symes, instead of standing in line with the rest of the team along their own goal line, stood five or six yards up the_ field. The referee did not see him doing this, and consequently in the race for the ball he beat our centre, Thomas, by five yards. Symes passed the ball to his team mate, who transferred to Stokes, and this player scored with a long shot. This ended the game, and we had lost the championship for another year. “As in other things there is much antagonism in the south toward Auckland at swimming, and there was hardly anybody except Auckland swimmers barracking for our team during the game. However,” concluded Mr Kenny, “ our convincing Shield victory compensated for all our disappointments.”