GORDON THOMPSON MEMORIAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 98, 28 April 1939, Page 4

GORDON THOMPSON MEMORIAL

SCHEME BEGINS TO-MORROW DISCIPLINE AND BEARING OF 4 CLUBS A competition being promoted as a memorial lo the late Mr. Gordon Thompson is being opened to-morrow by the Wanganui PvUgby Referees’ Association, with the oflicial backing of the Wanganui Rugby Union. Its purpose is to encourage cleanliness and uniformity of dress, punctuality, good behaviour and general discipline of players, on and off the field on Rugby , days. It will apply not only to senior teams, but to every team in a club. ' The manner in which the competition will be carried out is this: A committee of referees has been appointed and a card will be issued to each referee officiating to-morrow, on which to award points for—(a) conduct on and off the field and in relation to the spirit of the game, (b) for punctuality on the field of play, both at the kickoff and when the game resumes after half-time, (c) loyalty to captain and adherence to the rules and preparation of team slips, (d) appearance of the team as regards dress. Ten points , will be the maximum under each of the headings. The referee who awards the points will do so confidentially, the card being handed to a committee which will keep the positions of the teams secret until the season is over. In Wellington a similar competition, promoted to the memory of the father of the All Black, J. L. Griffiths, resulted in a marked improvement in the bearing and dress of the teams. One team even went to the extent of insisting that blacking be used on boots, that every jersey should be uniform in colour and cleanly washed. Even bootlaces had to be correctly and uniformly used. The public took the scheme to heart and applauded the best dressed teams.

In Wanganui allowance is to be made for clubs maintaining several teams, as against others fielding perhaps one, two teams at the most. It is easy to keep one team up to the mark, it is stated, but hard and expensive to keep several. That aspect is not being lost sight of. Every player taking part in Rugby to-morrow in the Wanganui championship and city grade games will play a part in either raising or lowering his club’s place in a competition which is expected to be even more successful in Wanganui than in Wellington.