27 Mar Allan Dobson
It was with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Allan Dobson yesterday, previous President and Life Member of the Huddersfield Veterans Bowling Association, and highly respected county referee. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to all of Allan’s family and friends.
A while back Allan recalled for our newsletter pages the experience of his first men’s senior county appointment as referee, Cheshire v
Wales. In his own words:
Uniform check: Blazer with name badge and BCGBA referee badge, decline not to wear gold star presented to senior referees in Yorkshire. I spent thirty years wearing uniform in a previous life and I’ve no wish to look like an Argentinian General. BCGBA referee tie, sun hat, waterproofs, black woolly hat.
Factor 50 sunscreen, banana, bottle of water – matches start at 2pm and end approx 5pm, no break for the match referee. (Hope bladder behaves, had to nip behind privet hedge at Paddock C&BC once during a ladies county match!)
10.30am set off for Knutsford, arrive 12 noon, 1 hour to practice time.
Mug of tea and introduce myself to officials of both sides.
Pre-match checks, walk round the green (any obstructions near the gutters?), check 12 jacks and mats (prefer the ones with circles, better to accurately measure to centre point if long tapes are needed).
Meet appointed measurers (now ‘Assistant referees), brief them (‘Watch my back’) and check their equipment. 1pm practice commences, home team 15 minutes, 5 minutes break then away team 30 minutes. Brief both teams and captains, must inform me prior to striking (plenty of spectators around green completely oblivious to what’s happening on the green), no stamping/running down the line (they’ve heard it all before but I go through the motions), finally enjoy the game and play in a good spirit.
1.50pm Loo!
1.59pm After spectators and players are welcomed by the Cheshire President, first players called to the green, shake hands, hand away player jack and mat and away we go.
I was hoping for a quiet uneventful afternoon – how wrong could I be.
The Welsh team had arrived by coach with many of their supporters in full voice carrying crates of lager. Half way through the game one guy fell full length onto the green (how come they never spill a drop?).
As the afternoon continued the decibel level grew louder and a group of young men standing at a corner of the green were clearly becoming troublesome. The Welsh Vice-President tried to intervene but was getting nowhere.
One lad in particular was becoming a right pain and I warned him about coming onto the green. Eventually his behaviour was completely out of order and I asked the two measurers and Cheshire officials to have him removed from the greenside.
On the green things were fairly orderly, the only situation I had to get involved in was when one of the players was insisting to play a mark along the side of the green and wouldn’t lead the jack until the mark was available. His opponent made his displeasure known by leaving the green and sitting down on a bench! This was clearly bad sportsmanship, but not specifically covered by the Laws of the Game.
I had a quiet word with the bowler regarding playing to the spirit of the laws and it did some good. A few years later I was an assistant at a Yorkshire versus Warwick and Worcester match at Elland and the same situation occurred. I know plenty of bowlers and referees who think it is entirely acceptable, I’m not sure.
After the match I always thank my measurers/assistants for their work. I verify the match result with the team managers and later phone the chief executive BCGBA with the team scores.
A quick drink and free tea and back home by 7pm. £30 match fee plus 32p per mile mileage.
As a footnote, I received full backing both from Wales and BCGBA for my action and the individual in question was banned from attending county matches for 12 months.