PUGNACIOUS PLAYER

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20843, 29 June 1939, Page 19

PUGNACIOUS PLAYER

INCIDENT DURING MATCH FREE FIGHT BETWEEN TEAMS INQUIRY AT.TE AWAMUTU (Special to Times) TE AWAMUTU, Wednesday A free fight between members of the Wharepapa ai?d Hospital teams which occurred at a match played on June 10 was investigated at this week’s meeting of the management committee of the Waipa Rugby Union. Mr R. S. Sinclair presided. The referee, Mr H. Taylor, who attended the meeting, explained that, during an attack by Hospital, a Wharepapa player headlocked Norton, an opposing player, who gave vent to some language. The Wharepapa captain called his team off the field, but the men did net actually leave the field and the match was soon resumed. After the match, one of the native players struck a member of the Hospital team and a free fight started. The captain of the Hospital team eontended that the Wharepapa player had apparently looked for trouble from the start of the match. L. G. Norton was present at the meeting, hut there was no appearance of the Wharepapa player who was a parly to the incident. The committee decided to exonerate the Hospital player, lo suspend the Wharepapa team until the name of Ihe player ordered off the field he given to the union, and to debar the player from further matches until he appears before the union. The chairman reported on Ihe question of flood-lighting the ptayitirg area and staled that the plan submitted for No. 1 area was estimated

I jto cost approximately £95. Owing , to the high cost, it was decided to ; defer the whole matter. I The inquiry as to the status of 11. j Jackson hail been advanced to the | stage that the Waikato Union had ( asked the New Zealand Rugby Union < to advise the date of reinstatement. 1 I