Horowhenua Rugby Union.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 August 1911, Page 2

Horowhenua Rugby Union.

MANAGEMENT GOMMITTE.

LEVTX-FOXTOX MATCH

SOMF, PLAIN' SPEAKIXG

\ meeting of the Management Coin mi it-Lee of the Ho-rowhenua Kug[,v Union was held last evening '['1,0 Chronicle oflice, Oxioi c 1 st.i Jet, iov in, Alr J. . 3 the lloii Kiinniti J'li-l IM-r, Mtl ' * • It. 15urge (secretary). ]rXIOK KEPKESEXT ATI A T E AIATCTTFS.

The AVcllii.:ifcv.u Union wrote sugt!ie LUh September lor the hi;i : or^rcpi'esent-ativc niatcn, but the Secretary reported that he uad w - ten back saving that 1 a \ would not be smtaole, and askm^ for a later date. The question as to wiiether the 't' j. slujnltl l„> "■ Wwl " nesday was then ermsir.erod The secretary that i U'ov ai ranged a Satim-ay for' Wellington, they could an om . for Wednesday with Ulnierston \ T orth. thus giving the college a chance to play their two n,at,dies. The .secretary moved that Wc.Uin- t be asked to iix a Saturday, and that Palmorston North be invited to .scud their juniors to Levin on :1 . Wednesday for preference. The chairman seconded the. motion which was agreed to. SIT AX X OX'S TROUBLE. The following letter was received! from Air Grimstone, hon secretary of the Shannon Football L-Luo . - I was very much surprised to see in Monday's'Obronide a not ice to the effect that Shannon had forleited the matc.li to ltui Alai on Satin-day last. Although a very poor team, rolled up. there wa.s never any intuition of forfeiting. . Air Karauti said that the match was oldv a scratch one. Shannon could not get :i. team at all. On the motion of the secretary (lie letter was received.

I',FID'S ABSENCE. Some eoinnieiit has been caused iu with Boid's absence from the Palmorston North match, and in ibis eenneetiun the Mlowtng letter was received from Mr of Fox ton :--"l wish to state that ill cntmeetion with "Roid's non-atten-dance at Pa.lmeiNlon on Saturday, and the absence of excuse for same, was ent-ii'olv mv fault. IWd a.sked me on the Friday preceding the match to bo sure to notily Mr W lno|ev so that he oould communicate with vou. T told him T would attend to the matter, but regret to say that T completely o\-erlook-efl it. uniil a few minutes to three._ T was then informed by Air AMiihley that the match was timed to start at 2.25. «nd oonsncpieutly too late to bo of use. On iltr l inili'Mi of Mv I'.n.stlicr it was decided to hand l'-o letter to senior selector. di. c :ouatjfic.\tion^.

Tho Now Zealand liueby Football Union lonvarde-1 toe following notifications: Please note iho following dwji'alifieations confirmed by this Union: Ota go Union. U. Young, till end of .1 line. UM'2. for lighting on the field : AYa'cranni Union, C. Hoiig, till July nist. 1015. for using bad language a l ,id r*'!using to obey the rob'U'oe; Southland Union, A. Dickson, for life, for striking a referee. THPj FOXTOX-T.KYIX AIATCH.

I The following letter was received ! I'mm Dr. Adams, of Koxt-nn--As a jsouior I'otv'i'oo nr.-dor your jnri.sdic-•-.11 orev, it (ins-! of thn Lev- | in-W'an ; i(-roi\s-|'',ixtou match umlei j dispute, ( ns]ioct:'ully -ask your per- ; iiiis.sion to mako a slatement ro the ;.above inat'.di and the referee's -ro- | port. As members of the .Execii- ! tiv<» and rel'erees of t.lu: Union, it ; nuwt bo admitted that wo hold 'these positions to see that fair play :is prfivided for all. and we have plac!ed on our shoulders'n. responsibility .we should not, and. in the interests of good football, most not abuse. I am sure no thing would appeal t'o i you, for nothing anneals to bo more : miserable than miscarried justice, ; since those responsibilities are vost--1 od in us. | .Vow I do not desire to refer to the dispute re no! allowing time for :a. kick off beyond to say that in- ' sufficient time was allowed, -but f i appm-inte tho fact that in the hur'rv of a fast match a referee may I consider w liat is naturally insuffi- ! cient time a.s sullioiont time; howjever. wore T the referee in the dis- : putod niatcli, when throe member-.s ;of tho K.xoc,'iti\-<v proson-t at thn ; match o,pposefl mv statement- that ! ample time was aUowo:!, out of fairness to tho injured side I should- : feel that a mistake lial- possibly ■been made, ami I should- give way. j I'e th< i second part of the referee's i report, viz., I.liat Fo\toji Ava-s warn- ; ed on several oc-asions for lagging, ; 1 object inovt "midiaf ically. On | seeing tho report, and thinking that ; from my observance of the match ['there was some in the j report, f interviewed the captain of ! the Koxton team, and -asked him .how manv times ho was warned for i wasting time, and he was astounded lat tho suggestion. and answered ' i that he was only spoken to once ! when (ho referee informed him that jif anv appealing was done lie was | the man to d-o it. T, myself, saw this warning, which was the only warning witnessed by me. Now, gentlemen, lie fore a roforoo can warn a. whole team the game must be stopped, and no such stoppage _- took place within ray view. ~ * I bog of you not bo brand mo a? a grumble,r, but I like good, clean sport, and will always fight for it. A\ o are all apt to make mistakes, hut most of us would own u.p to them rather than label a team with such a foul accusation as that of wasting time to .s-usr.nin a lead. A.s an old footballer, in my mind, as it is foul play for a. team to . wasto time, so is it- foul for a referee- to falsely avcuso a t-e-am of such miserable tactics. Trusting that this very important matter will meet with your earnest and fair consideration, amd trusting that the evidence before you will allow of your settling the whole dispute finally to-night.

Air J. Smith, referee in the rnatch. put in a letter to the effect that he was very much surprised to hear of a protest by tho Fo-xton club against the match in which l lie was relereeing. It was late when tho game started t.liron,gili the fault of the players so they only ployed short spells. They had plenty of time to bo in their places at the time tho ball was played, for he repeatedly warned them aboqit lagging back, and killing time. Tn that ease, when it happened he reckoned thov wore doing so. Another matter ho must mention was that he thoucht it a vorv unfair thinig for a referee to be kept waiting about till noaalv few- o'clock before a match- was started.

The following sta foment was nut in by Bob TMro. captain of tho Foxton team :—Purine; tho procuress of the cjnme never beard the referee warn any of -his team or any individual player for wasting time.There was one ooonsinn where ho sfco-poed tho «r.m« to cijvp n warn inc. -tUmt wns when lir> told him that he was the onlv onf to do am- appealing to wli"n there-was oroasirMi to do so. Pid not consider that he or anv of his foam deliberately wasted itime. Tt may, liavo bean possible for the referee, to li:<ye warned one of ip§

team without him hearing, but did jiot think ho did so. As far as lie could remember M. Winiata had told him that the referee bad kwdy to report that he had warned the players about wasting time and the protest would ! bo thrown out. Was playing five-eight. Mr Easther put in a statement to the effect that he liea.rd the referee at a line out about 25yd line, in T/Oviu's territory toll the player who was throwing tlio ball in, "Throw the ball in not waste time."

Do not remember to which team tho player belonged. Mr Procter said that he could not tell where play was, but was passing the second ball in to a 1' oxton player when the other ball was over the fence. The player threw the ball down, and the referee told .him to play -with that ball as t-hcy had been piaving with the two right 'through. The referee asked whether players wanted him to stand on a box and "roar" out tho rules to them? They wore supposed to know the rules. He warned players of both teams. Dr. Adams appnrontlv wanted him to bo a parson and preach to the play ere! Mr Easlhor: Yon distinctly remember warning players for wasting time? Mr Smith : Certainly : and of hotli teams I

The secretary moved that no further evidence he sent to the Now Zealand Rugby Union, and that the Appeal Committee be asked to decide the appeal on the facts before them. Dr. Adonis letter was quite nnadmissahle as evidence. Tf the ball was in play time could not be wasted. Dr. .Adams had said in his letter, that be bad not noticed the game stopped for the referee to administer a warning to the team. A referee when a breach occurred warned tho offender committing the breach rather than tho whole team.

Mr Easther thought there -would bo nO harm in sending down the information.

The seon-t-iry slid tlmt- it wns patent from the evidence the referee's report was correct. The following motion hv Mr Eastlier, seconded bv Mr Burge, was adopted That the evidence before the meeting proves that the allegation that the referee did not warn certain players for wasting time is contrary to facts.

ABSENCE. Mr Whihley. of Foxton, telegraphed to the effect that it was impossible for liim to be present that evening. WHAT IS A ''NEUTRAL" REFEREE?

Mr Ivarauti asked that a neutral referee be appointed for the Hui Mai—Tainui match. He .said that Mr Freoniau was to be the referee. Mr Freeman, as everyone knew, was a member of the Tainui club, and it was felt that it would give general satisfaction if a neutral referee was appointed. He (the speaker) had played nineteen years with the Union, and it was the first time he had made any remarks w-ith regard to a referee. He asked Mr Burge, as a member of the Referees' Association, to In ing the matter before his colleagues. Hui Mai would be only too pleaded to pay portion of the referees travelling expenses.

Mr Easther said that is was a matter that could only bo referred to the Referee's Association.

Mr Ivarauti said that the match was put down- to be plavcrl at Otaki. He thought, it should be played either at Manakau or Levin. The "gates" had not 'been very satisfactory at Ofaki.

Mr East-he r remarked that the attendance had nothing to do with the matter.

The Secretary i ni:l that lie was ■prepared to move that the next Hui Mai Levin match be played at Levin After fiirflier disr-iinsion Mr Easther moved and the chairman seconded that the fixtures as pet down be adhered to. This was agreed to. The matter of a referee was referred to the Referees' Association. THE COMBINED MATCH. Mr W. R. Bur'4e was appointed manager of tbo Hnrowhenua portion of the representative team which is to play at Palmerston Nortli on "Wednesday next. The Maoris were defeated at Wellington yesterday by 2li points to ». The following train will represent Levin in their match against Foxton on Saturday, at Foxton :—Stuckev, Heta, Nepia, Lower. Martin, Hitchings, Neville, Hopa. Dixon Close, Walter, Saxon, McTlugh, Pat Winl'ata, Sciascia and Retter.