IGNORANCE NO. EXCUSE

NZ Truth, Issue 1184, 9 August 1928, Page 10

IGNORANCE NO . EXCUSE

Impudence Not To Be Tolerated From Seconds

(From "N.Z.- Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative.) When a team trips overseas to do battle, it is essential that it should know the rules governing 1 its branch of sport.

WHEN New Zealand football teams go abroad, they play under the rules existing In the country they invade, and similar conditions' prevail ■when 'a team of Australian boxers visit the Dominion. If Pat O'Connor, manager-trainer for Tommy Barber had 'acquainted himself of the rules of the New Zealand as-, sociations, he would have saved an unfortunate scene. !n his fight with Tommy Grif- ■ fiths, Barber knocked the Dunedin boy down. Griffiths got up to his feet, but took the advantage of the count till nine with his right glove on the floor. According to New Zealand rules, a man is down if any portion of his body other than his feet, is m contact with the floor, but Barber was Innocently unaware of this. . Under Australian rules he would have been at liberty to carry on with the fight, but not so m New; Zealand. It was through Referee Jack Kilmartin preventing him from doing so that Pat; O'Connor shot across the ring the moment the bout was concluded and ticked Kilmartin off about hia knowledge of the rules. When the Australian contingent 'ar-

rived In Dunedin they were furnished with a copy of the rules governing the game m New Zealand, but apparently they thbught it unnecessary to scan them. ' , r Barber got the decision and when the matter was explained to him he was quite satisfied, but not so his manager-trainer. Had Barber cracked Griffiths while the latter was resting, with his glove on the floor, the referee would have had no alternative but to disqualify the Australian. Kilmartin saved Barber from running the gauntlet m this direction, but got no thanks for it so far as Barber's manager was concerned. But whatever may have happened, no second has the right to insult a referee* The incident so far as Kilmartin and O'Connor are personally concerned closed last/Saturday night. The Australian tendered an apology to the referee while Radford and Griffiths were having their gloves tied on. O'Connor advanced to Kilmartin'a corner and with outstretched hand saidi "I owe you an apology, Jack, and here it is."