BAFRA Newsflash 47/06

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ISSUE 47/06	27 November 2006

DISCIPLINARY CASES

NAME	#	TEAM	CODE	Q	OFFENCE	SUSPENDED
26 November
NONE

GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS

HOME TEAM	REPORT	NEXT HOME GAME
26 November
UEA Pirates	Field markings had been burnt into the ground, but were very faint and very little paint had been used. Roger Stangroom #180	10/12/06
ARU Phantoms	No coaching box, team areas or limit lines although on home team side cones were used to mark team area. Only 1 goal, so used approved BAFA rule. APU had no footballs, used visiting teams. Kicked off 10 minutes late, ran 12 minute quarters. Brian Yates #29	18/02/07
Sunderland Kings	No 5-yard lines, no hash marks at the inbounds line (2 solid lines from goal line to goal line) field numbers at sidelines marked on pitch, no 9 yard marks, no yardage markers outside sidelines, no pylons at end zone, no goals at all, only one ball provided. Invoice paid through student union so crew was not paid. Tzvi Lindeman #381	03/12/06
Portsmouth Destroyers	With the score at 22-6 and with 14 minutes remaining in the 4th Quarter and Portsmouth being awarded a 1st Down at their 38 yard line an injury to a Portsmouth player occurred. The ambulance was required to take the player to hospital and gave a minimum return time of 1 hour. It was agreed between the referee and two head coaches that the game should be ended at that point as, even if the ambulance returned at the end of the minimum time, there would be insufficient light to conclude the game safely. Portsmouth only had one set of goal posts. Keith Wickham #423	18/02/07
Bath Killer Bees	Game was cancelled at the last moment by the Groundsman as the field considered unfit. Both teams, and officials, turned up for the game. Apparently Pete Thom was assured that the game would be played, by phone on 25/11/06. Payment not made as no one was available. Wasn't expected. Both teams and crew turned up to play. There was a sign on the dressing room door. Ray Grace #272	03/12/06
Essex Blades	Only two balls available 1 low pressure and slick. No Coaches box, team area ran whole length of the field. Hashes and five yds plus 3 yrd marked in end zone. 90 yd pitch. Field marked in blue which blended into the green. Had to change chain crew at kick off as they did not want to do it, replacements were slow and constantly moving. Only one ball boy provided. Martin Cockerill #345	09/12/06
Tarannau Aberystwyth	Game suspended for 15 minutes while an injured player was attended to, game suspended for a further 15 minutes when the ambulance/medical cover left the field to transfer the player to a NHS ambulance. Pete Thom #200	09/12/06
Edinburgh Timberwolves	No Ball Boys, No Team Area, hash mark >60' and of varied distance apart, Field Numbers were very small and about 6' from sideline. Philip Nurse, Edinburgh General Manager said he could not pay officials unless he got an invoice in advance. He also said he had sent an email to BAFRA earlier in the week requesting an invoice but it did not arrive. When asked to whom he sent the email request he said he couldn't remember. Davie Parsons #425	09/12/06
UCH Sharks	Before the game the Referee handed the Game Management the Invoice. The Management said " we can cover the fees after the game". 20 Minutes after the Game the Management informed the Referee that they could only pay 2 officials. This was declined by the Referee and the Management were informed that the team would incur a £25.00 default fee. Field Markings: Team areas were not defined; only a squiggly line on the home side and nothing on the away team's side. Only 2 Pylons to each Goal Line no Pylons on the End Lines or at the Hash Marks. Line Numbers 6 yards from the sideline and only on the Home team side. No Limit Lines. Game Delayed 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Officials Assistants: Ball Person on Home Side changed 3 times. Chain Crew changed personnell at half time. Special thanks to Natalie the "Hull Cheerleader" who worked the away sideline as Ball Girl all game, she was very good! Chris Jarvis #10	09/12/06
Southampton Stags	End zones only 8yds deep. Team area lines only 10ft from sideline. Goal posts tied to fence and approx 2yds beyond end lines. These are all due to restricted space within fence surrounding field. No limit lines. No numbers. Two wires stretched across field approximately 8ft from ground. They did not interfere with play. Game was forfeit by Surrey Stingers with 7'21 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Jim #31	03/12/06
Warwick Wolves	Away team had to provide one of the game balls. With the Oxford coach accusing the chain crew of bias in the second quarter, Warwick agreed to change them at half time. Pete Thom #200	04/02/07

EDITORIAL

There has been some discussion on the BAFL website recently concerning the length and composition of cleats (studs). The full discussion may be viewed at http://www.gridironuk.co.uk/talk/showthread.php?t=2513, but the point I was concerned about is that the players are saying that we are inconsistent in dealing with player's kit.

There have been several posts from officials in this trail, and even one from someone called "ruleschair" who was being very facetious - not sure who that was - about the hardness of a cleat. The one that is probably most relevant is the one from "With_Two_Flakes" who makes the point that each coach signs a declaration that all players in his team are wearing correct equipment. Another point that is made is that some "refs" carry a card with a cut-out (obtainable from Honigs and other Referee suppliers) of the correct size of cleat, so that an immediate spot-check can be made is one is suspicious.

I suppose the point of all this rambling is to say that whilst it is the coach's responsibility to ensure that a cleat meets the rule (1-4-7), we should do the odd spot-check and also have with us the means of checking the cleat length - the hardness we will leave to a metallurgist to confirm at a later date. Remember question 1B in this year's exam? Rule 9-2-2d states that anyone wearing cleats of more than ½ inch in length results in Disqualification for the remainder of the game and the team's next game [S27, S47]. Penalize as a dead-ball foul at the succeeding spot, and Team B fouls do not require a first down. Team timeout.

Whilst I am on the subject of the BAFL discussion board, see also this clip discovered by Keith Wickham http://youtube.com/watch?v=rLEs8zWCizU - I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Finally, I have just spent a "fascinating" evening updating the website with all the latest addresses and locations of the BCAFL teams (see http://www.bafra.org/teams/bcafl.htm). Please let me know if you find any errors or omissions.

Roger Stangroom
newsflash@bafra.org

NEW MEMBERS

Please join me in welcoming the following new members to BAFRA:
Randall Liss from Redbrook, Alun Price from Derby, Chris Cook from Chelmsford, Tom Hotchkiss from Southam, Chris Cook from Lolworth (yes, really another Chris Cook, Ed) and David Shephard from London.

Davie Parsons
training@bafra.org

PRE-PAID TEAMS

The following teams have prepaid for the season:
Bristol Bullets, Staffordshire Stallions, Teesside (UT Cougars), Royal Holloway Vikings, Surrey Stingers, Warwick Wolves, Kent Falcons, and Birmingham Lions. Anybody doing Loughborough Aces or Tarannau Aberystwyth should be paid prior to kick off.

Charlie Dean-Young
finance@bafra.org

HIGH SCHOOL RULES QUESTION

A high school football official, suggests the reason the Giants seemed shocked when Devin Hester of the Bears ran a missed field goal back for a touchdown against them is that they thought they were playing a high school game! Under high school rules, any kick into the end zone is a touchback; you can never run the ball out.

Lehde notes, "The fact that kicks can be run out of the end zone in the pros and college often translates into undeserved booing of officials in high school. The bedlam starts when a kick is touched, then rolls into the end zone, and a touchback is called. Fans want the ball to be live if it's been touched, but in high school, it's not.

Example from an October game in which I was the back judge. A punt is going to be fielded at the 35-yard line, but the return man muffs it and the ball is loose. The coverage men try to recover, but end up kicking the ball backwards, toward the goal line. A melee ensues, during which the ball inches closer and closer, and finally bounces into the air and breaks the plane of the goal line. I immediately blow my whistle and signal touchback, while the kicking team falls on the ball in the end zone and the fans start screaming because they think it's a touchdown. The kicking team's coach was completely befuddled by the explanation: A kick remains a kick until it is possessed, not touched. Since the ball was batted around for 30 seconds without ever coming into possession, it was still a kick that crossed the goal line, and therefore a touchback."

Randall Liss #376

TRAINING DAY FOR NEW RECRUITS AND NEWER OFFICIALS

Just a note to remind everyone, if you intend coming along to the above event, please send me an email at training@bafra.org.

The Training Day will be held at The Coventry Hill Hotel, Rye Hill, Birmingham Road, Allesley, Coventry CV5 9PH, on Saturday 27th January 2007. This is the same venue we held the 2006 BAFRA Convention.
Hotel Website - Location Map

Please give me a call if you want to discuss the day's programme.

Davie Parsons
training@bafra.org

DECEMBER FLAGDOWN

Reminder - all contributions to Flagdown by 2nd December - preferably in Word format - to be sent to flagdown@bafra.org.

Colin Payne
flagdown@bafra.org

FIELD AUDITS

Paul Sutton reports that in the first two weeks of the college season there were 6 games where no field audit form was sent in. Of the ones that were sent in: one had no information completed to give us a clue as to who the teams were, where it was played or when; seven were incorrectly added up; and one was clearly incorrectly scored as it noted that there was only one goal but then scored the team well for the one set of posts they had!

Please remember:

to do the field audit
to send it in
where there is good end/side of the field and a bad end/side of the field, you always score the worse one
we'll excuse the arithmetically challenged if they can manage 1-3 above!

PS: Lincoln Colonials set a new record for the highest score ever achieved in a field audit - 212.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

PHIL CLARKE - PROFESSIONAL JINX

BAFRA Secretary considers revoking the membership of Phil Clarke (372) after Sunday.

Not content with ruining two teams and three officials' day he decided to inflict his ‘special gift’ on two other teams and four more officials.

After travelling from his home near London to Bath he was greeted by an almost empty car park and news that the grounds man had called the game saying the field was unplayable. Having personally caused the postponement of this game Phil decided to travel down to Portsmouth to work part of the game there.

Arriving in time for the start of the second half Phil joined the crew as Back Judge. At least the game got through one more quarter before an injury forced the abandonment of that game.

Speaking in the changing room after the game Phil said “Why is everybody crossing himself or herself whenever I am assigned to work a game?”

"I am not sure it is fair to say Phil is jinxed", said the white hat, Keith Wickham, clutching a large rabbit’s foot "We will just have to see how things go at Southampton next Saturday night".

Keith Wickham #423

FOUND PROPERTY

Southampton Stags handed me an official's rain jacket on Sunday which they say their groundsman found (possibly as long ago as last BCAFL season). If you think it's yours, let me know.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

JIM'S JOTTINGS

After two major penalties against the receiving team, Team A kick off from Team B's 30-yard line (90-yard field). At the kick, there are eight Team A players lined up to the kicker's right, but only two lined up to his left. The kick is an attempted onside kick, but goes out of bounds untouched at Team B's 20-yard line. After the ball becomes dead, a Team B player commits an unsportsmanlike act.

What options, if any, should be given to the captains? Where do you think the ball should next be put into play?

Answer next week.

KEITH'S KONTENTIONS

Here is one from a real English game.

Not the best camera angle on this play but enough to let you see something happened if you go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2lIzjhon4Q.

This is a fourth down play and as Royal Holloway 13 recovers the ball after it pops up into the air during the exchange there was nothing to worry about. However, what would you have done if the W/R had been the one who grabbed the ball out of the air after it came lose? Remember this is a fourth down play.

I have started a thread on the BAFL forum at http://www.gridironuk.co.uk/talk/showthread.php?p=41914#post41914. Remember this is a public forum so consider how you reply. If you prefer email me at the usual address.

ROGER'S RHETORIC

From last week

Play: Team A scores a touchdown as time expires in the fourth quarter. The score is A6-B0. Team B does not leave the field of play and lines up for the try. Team A's locker room is at the opposite end of the field. QB A16 takes the snap and all eleven Team A players run a convoy into and out of A's end zone and into Team A's locker room.

Ruling: Game is over. The final score is A6-B1. A safety during a "successful" try scores one point.

New this week

A's ball, 3rd and 8, on A's 40. QB A14's legal forward pass bounces off A87's shoulder pad on A's 39 and A87 secures possession of the airborne ball on A's 42. A87 runs out of bounds on B's 46. Four interior linemen were downfield before the pass was thrown.

Ruling?