DISCIPLINARY CASES

GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS

DISQUALIFICATION OF GAVIN TAYLOR

It has come to light that the disqualification of Gavin Taylor of Chiltern Cheetahs on 16th July was his second of the season - he was also disqualified on 21st May. This means his suspension is now for 2 games (he served one of them at Southern on Sunday).

AZTECS @ CARDINALS SUNDAY 30TH JULY

The Aztecs would like to applaud the BAFRA recruitment officer for the new faces that are being brought into the zebra fraternity. The Aztecs Offensive Line were especially impressed by the female official refereeing our game on Sunday (not Larry!), and openly invite her to officiate as many of our games as she'd like.

Charlie Wilson

JOHN NASH

One of Chiltern's officials, John Nash, died suddenly this morning. Details of the funeral will follow in due course.

Brian Yates

BAFRA MEMBERSHIP LIST

One of my first tasks as Acting General Secretary is to produce an up-to-date membership list, update the web with this information, ensure that all active members with email receive Newsflash every week, and to give access to the members'-only area of the website to all members. In order to achieve this, I am attempting to obtain information from various sources and it is taking a little time.

Those of you are receiving this Newsflash I would ask that you access the members' area of the web and check that your details are correct as I am using this for the basis of the new list. If you are aware of anyone not receiving Newsflash or who has not yet received a password for the website, please pass along my apologies and advise them that I'll get there eventually.

Roger Stangroom
(Acting) secretary@bafra.org

INCIDENTS INVOLVING DUNDEE HURRICANES

At the game between Glasgow Tigers and Dundee Hurricanes on 9th July, two Dundee players were ejected and three Dundee personnel were reported for misconduct during incidents after the game. As a consequence, the BAFRA Board took the decision not to assign officials to Dundee games until we have confidence that incidents of abuse and intimidation would not recur.

BAFL took prompt action and suspended the three people for misconduct. However, after appeal, one of those people was exonerated (sufficient doubt existed about the identity of the player and his precise involvement in the incidents), while the suspension of one was upheld and the other converted into 12 months probation.

BAFRA has now received an apology from Dundee and sufficient assurances that steps are being put in place to prevent a recurrence. BAFL will also be sending a league observer to their remaining games this season. As a result, the BAFRA Board has decided to resume assigning officials to Dundee games, beginning with their fixture on 6th August.

If anyone has any questions about the matter, please feel free to contact me.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

A SMALL BLACK EQUIPMENT BAG

I have acquired a small black equipment bag someone left at the London Blitz. It contains a whistle, game data card and a silver dollar. According to the data card, the official also called the Plymouth v Chiltern game. If they get in touch, I will return it to them by some means.

Brian Yates

BAFA ACTION AGAINST BSAFA

You may have read on various websites or forums that BAFA has suspended BSAFA (British Student American Football Association) from participation in the running of the organisation. This is because of outstanding debts over payment of BAFA registration fees for their members. Until last week, the sum outstanding was over £21,000 though a partial payment has reduced the debt to approximately £9,000. However, the debt has been outstanding since April (some of it since January) and follows a pattern of late payments of fees that has occurred over several years. The BAFA Board has tried repeatedly to get this settled.

This action is directed against BSAFA and not against college teams or players. We fully expect the college league to go ahead in October, and the decision does not affect BAFRA's coverage of those games.

If anyone has any questions about the matter, please feel free to contact me.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

PASSER BEYOND THE LINE

Play: With eight minutes left in the second period, it's third and 10 from Team A's 30-yard line. A1 drops back to pass but instead decides to run. He advances to his 33-yard line, then throws a backward pass to A2, who catches the pass at his 27-yard line. And from there throws a forward pass that goes well downfield.

Ruling: A2's pass is illegal because it was thrown after A1 had taken the ball beyond the neutral zone. Once the ball in possession of a Team A player has crossed the neutral zone a forward pass may not be thrown.

Reprinted with written permission from Referee magazine.
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