BEING A GOOD SPECTATOR

Chronicle (Levin), 10 July 1946, Page 3

BEING A GOOD SPECTATOR

A WORD IN SEASON Tho art of being a good spectator at a ltugby football match is not ono that can be acquired at a momeut's notico. The spectator 's apprcnticeship is loug and hard, wrote J. AL. Ivilburn, who claimed that only years of experience could impart that polish and assuranco so greatly to be envied in the masters. He eontiuued, "The stages of learning are'many and varied, from the 'spec- | tator-timid ' of ordinary dress and Imodest silence, to the 'spectatorjgraduate' of plus fours, club searf, und lirm opinions, and sueh intcrmediate periods as the 'speetator-remiuisecut' . and the ' speetator-querulous ' to bb ! gone through. , "It is in tlie hope tliat tliey may i provc helpful to the many probationer spectators 'who join t'he tlirong at the ! time of the home internationals, that tlie l'ollowing liints are given. They ; are taken from the unpublished ' Vade : yieeum of the Eootball Spectator,' by an author who preferred (and very i wisely so) to remain anonymous, and ithey'eovcr the wliole iield of Vspectat- ; ing' from the moment of entry into I the ground to the time of leaving the ; car-park, witli special annotations for the interval. ■ "Safely inside the ground," says the author, "it is not absolutely neeessary to get into the wrong seat, but if • you can possibly do so the subsequeut • coui'usiou will help to pass the time of waiting, and will attraet attention. to yoursolf; should you be particularly fortunate, you may even interest tho : piess photographer, though this is an ' unlikely feat for a mere beginner. The highest achicvemcnt of a spectator is,. of course, to be passed over the heads of the crovvd to tho ambulance inen, thereby ensuring notoriety, a restorative and one of the best seats in the ground. ; " Wheu vqu ha liually decided upoa your seat, do not foree your way iu botween your neighbours; iiasks have been broken in this way. "The good spectator will not cheer both teams as they corne out on to tho iield; this indicates impartiality wTiich is tho most elementary of niistakes. ('hoose, therefore, the team you propose to honour with your support, and hencel'orth ignore unytliing good that may be j done by the opposing iifteen. You can distinguisli ono side from the otlier by •the dill'erently coloured jejseys, and if ' you watch carel'ullv you will observo that both teams are not playing towards the same goal. ' ' Those men leaning upon oue another and murinuring indistinguishable words are not ihe victims of severe in- ■ digcstion. Tlieir doubled-up attitude is all part of tlie game, and the whoJo aiass is called a scrum. Its chief purpose is to proi ide a pcriod of rest for the other players who may have to run at any moment. "Wheu the bull is kicked among the spectators it does not become the property of anyone securing it. It must ; be returned so that the formalities of ; the game may be preserved. A certain | amount of diseretion is allowed, though, ; in the niatter of time, depending upon ! tho state of tlie match. If you must ' lltld an' btitTet' fd¥'SLout/-restleSiityh'e'i'|y, 1 the gentleman in front has a hat. "The smali ligure dift'erently dressed from ihe otliers is the referee. Do not, in any circunistances, applaud his work. It is his business to distract the crowd ' wlien there is dissatisfaetion with the ; players; a skilled referee can do this with scarcely an cffor-t. : "Whenever you arc particularly excited stand up; this will bring you to . the nolice of the people behind, who ! will tell you to sit down; ignore tliem, , littJe real damage is ever done to spec- ' tators. "The wliole art in beeoming a suej cessful spectator lies in beeoming eon- ' s; icuous. To this end as many ques- • tions as possible should be asked and Tui 1 explanation should be insisted upon witli rcl'erence to the goalposts, the while lines across the iield, those gontlemeu in plus fours who are running up and down the toucli-line waving 'little llags and, of vital importance, tho ' score.

' ' Wlien you are temporarily at a loss for i'urther questions, tlie ejaculation of sueh phrases as ' wcll liit,' 'it will soon be tlie tea interval,' ' oil'side, ' will reveal your interest and show that yo'u are also cunversant with the prineiplos | oi" other games. I " It is a good plan to keep silent at , lialt'-tinie, ensuring attention and popu- ! larity for yoursolf by gJances of withering seorn upon those arouud you who • are discussing tlie events oi' the lirst | half. A little gentJe jabbing oi' the j spectator in front will help to keep ( your i'eet warm.

"Wheu play coutinues you must wait i'or a niomentary silence and tlien unnouuce loudly your estimate of the hnal score. If you are right your reputatiou j is ntade; if you are wrong nobody will ; remember your prophecy. "^lore action should be introduced at ! this stugc of Ihe game; wlien a taekle j is m;.de on tlie iield it is permissible to' ■ grasp a neiglibour round the ueck, silencing any protcst with a tightening of the grip.* This can be put down to rcflex- action should explanation be deemod necessary. "At the end of the match somcthiug must be thrown; the occasion will provide the objeet, but only as a verv last resort should your own property be used. On leaving the ground it is usual io express dissatisfaetion with the quality of the play, for it is essential to remember that at no period is Kugby football as good as it was. "It iS fatal to confcss that this is tlie 1 best match you ever saw, for you will be iinniediately suspected of having scen no other, and in anv casc sueh expressions as 'the groatest game of all timo' are the privilege of the sporting prcss. Individual players should not be mcntioned unless some pcrsonal relationship can be claimed. "X.B. — Yoice pastilles are a eonfession of weakness and should bo used only witli the utmost secrecy. The real clue to a successl'ul sliout is to be found in a well-known advertising phraso." Witli tliese principles firmlv in luiud, any spectators should be able to find value for the price of admission to a Rugby football match, and a little experience should enable excellexit vanatious to be brought into use.