Issue 43/24 13th November 2024
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
QUALIFIED - JAMES RIST
Congratulations to James Rist on completing all the requirements to become Qualified.
Thanks to Steve Tonkinson and everyone helping with James’s training.
James Ford-Bannister - Director of Training
QUALIFIED - CALEB EMERIEWEN
Congratulations to Caleb Emeriewen on completing all the requirements to become Qualified.
Thanks to Mark Niven and everyone helping with Caleb’s training.
James Ford-Bannister - Director of Training
FINANCE HOLIDAY
The next payment run will be processed w/c 25th November.
Emails will not be monitored from my sunlounger.
Referees are reminded that an invoice template is available on the website and only requests to pay for the season should be forwarded to Finance.
Stuart Tabberer - Director of Finance
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
Micah Adeolokun | 66 | ARU Rhinos | TUF | 3 | After the play was over, #66 was seen going into a group of opposing players, forcibly pushing and shoving a player. Several seconds later, as #66 was being separated from the opposing players, in a clear separate act, #66 used a tirade of foul and abusive language directed toward the opposing team. | 8th December 2024 v DMU Lions | |
Jayden Thompson | 39 | Brunel Burners | ASS | 4 | With 0:33 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, after the play, #39 engaged with an opponent which took both players to the floor. The players were separated and then #39 re-engaged with the opponent, standing over the player (who was still lying on the floor.) Whilst separating the players for a second time, #39 contacted an official. | 17th November 2024 v Oxford Lancers 1st December 2024 v Brighton Panthers | |
Jake Steele | 79 | Solent Redhawks | FPF | 4 | Head-butted an opponent. | 26th January 2025 v RHUL Bears | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Shadrach Athur | 74 | UWE Bullets | TUF | 4 | #74 committed two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. The first was for shoving an opponent long after the play had ended. The second was for disparaging comments made towards an official. | 17th November 2024 v Durham Saints 1st December 2024 v Loughborough Students | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Birmingham Lions | Field markings were in black and faint. Team areas were marked with cones. The chain set once needed repair. No numbers or nine-yard marks. Brian Yates #29 | 16th November 2024 v Exeter Demons |
Bournemouth University Bobcats | 100-yard field, which had been remarked since the last game but is still missing the 9-yard marks, team areas, and coaching areas. Officials assistants were often slow and occasionally uncooperative. Oliver Maskell #221 | 17th November 2024 v Bristol Barracuda |
Brunel Burners | Changing rooms were in the Sports Centre, which was a five-minute walk from the fields via main roads. No limit lines. The game balls presented were below legal pressure so required pumping up. The chain broke once during the game. Andrew Murrell #608 | 17th November 2024 v Oxford Lancers |
Coventry University Jets | Changing rooms were not lockable. Field markings were in a dark colour and slightly offset from other sports markings. Multiple game balls deflated during the game. Kieran Smith #102 | 17th November 2024 v Hull Sharks |
Derby Braves | Three-yard marks marked every five yards on field. ARU conceded the game at the start of the fourth quarter due to having too few players. Andrew Lovell #559 | 8th December 2024 v Lincoln Colonials |
Durham Saints | The markings are there but are becoming very faint. No team areas. Kenneth Glover #71 | 17th November 2024 v UWE Bullets |
Edinburgh Napier Knights | Field surface was very soft underfoot, but a very well marked out field. Gordon Galloway #7 | 2nd February 2025 v Glasgow Tigers |
Exeter Demons | 90-yard field with seven-yard end zones. Field lines in red with yard line extensions in blue. No numbers or nine-yard marks. Team areas marked with cones on one sideline only. Car parking is now chargeable (£1) via PaybyPhone app. Euan Paterson #165 | 8th December 2024 v Portsmouth Destroyers |
Heriot-Watt Wolverines | Field markings were in blue and faded, making them difficult to see. Team areas marked with cones to the 20-yard lines. Front and rear stakes were too small, making them difficult to see from the opposite sideline. Gordon Galloway #7 | 24th November 2024 v Edinburgh Napier Knights |
Imperial Immortals | No team areas were marked. With 1:47 remaining in the second quarter, a visiting team player suffered an injury and reported neck/back pains. The onsite medic advised that he could not be moved off the field and an ambulance was called for. 60 minutes after this suspension the ambulance still had not arrived and the crew was required at Brunel for the second game of a double header. After discussing the various options with both Head Coaches they agreed that the playing time for the remainder of the quarter and subsequent quarters would be shortened to zero minutes, and the score at the time would be declared final. Andrew Murrell #608 | 17th November 2024 v Kingston Cougars |
Kingston Cougars | Well-marked 100-yard field in white. The limit lines are only marked on the home team's side of the field. Team areas were marked out with cones but coaching and team area lines were marked with cones on the home team’s sideline only. Kick-off was delayed by 20 minutes due to the late arrival of medical cover. The changing room was well-appointed but not lockable. Tim Ockendon #481 | 19th January 2024 v Canterbury Christ Church Chargers |
Lancaster Bombers | 80-yard field marked in blue, with other sports markings in different colours. The coaches and players boxes were too close to the sideline but both teams were well disciplined and gave the crew plenty of room. A poppy was marked at midfield for Remembrance Sunday. The balls that were handed to the officials before the game required significant inflation. Lee Taylor #183 | 26th January 2024 v Staffordshire Stallions |
Leeds Gryphons | 80-yard field. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Several other sports markings were present in close proximity to the end zones. Team areas were missing but marked out using cones. All three game balls were actually overinflated and required adjusting prior to use. David Hewitt #607 | 9th February 2025 v NTU Renegades |
Lincoln Colonials | 90-yard field that had been freshly marked. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, numbers, or team areas - but there are coaching areas. A couple of the yard-line extensions are crooked but overall a well marked field. The field is on a slope along its length and is uneven in places. Changing rooms were an issue, with no separate room for officials. Both teams were meant to be provided a room each, but only one changing room was available as the second room was actually the ladies’ changing room at the university sport centre. Therefore, the crew needed to wait until both teams were changed to use the public facilities. A disabled toilet was offered by staff but was not suitable as an alternative. Michael Hansford #594 | 17th November 2024 v Derby Braves |
LJMU Fury | Field markings below full standards. No nine-yard marks or numbers. No limit lines, team areas or coaching boxes. Several of the main lines were crooked. Two small changing rooms supplied for 4 officials, a separate area was used for pregame and halftime discussions. Steve Hall #512 | 2nd February 2025 v Northumbria Mustangs |
MMU Eagles | No coaches or team areas marked. Kick off was delayed for 15 minutes due to a broken down box, which was fortunately replaced by a loan of equipment from another local team. Two end line pylons were missing and replaced with cones. During the game two game balls were lost into the neighbouring trees. John Roberts #145 | 17th November 2024 v Northumbria Mustangs |
Nottingham Gold | Coaching boxes less than six feet from the sidelines and the team areas were less than 12 feet from the sidelines. Goal line and sidelines were double marked and all yard lines were double marked in different colours. After three requests for a chain crew, they were available for briefing less than five minutes before kick-off. Richard Whitby #136 | 7th December 2024 v Loughborough Students |
Nottingham Green | Coaching boxes less than six feet from the sidelines and the team areas were less than 12 feet from the sidelines. Goal line and sidelines were double marked and all yard lines were double marked in different colours. Richard Whitby #136 | 24th November 2024 v Hull Sharks |
Oxford Lancers | The changing rooms were in the pavilion, which was quite a long walk to the playing field. The playing surface is surrounded by a rope fence in wooden posts which do not allow much room for the teams on the side-line but cannot be moved. Keith Wickham #423 | 24th November 2024 v Brighton Panthers |
Southampton Stags | 90-yard field, remarked to a very good quality. All three game balls required further inflation. Game was suspended for ten minutes in the fourth quarter on the advice of the medic who was looking after a few injured players and required further help from another medic on site. Oliver Maskell (221 | 1st December 2024 v Swansea Titans |
Sussex Saxons | Three-yard marks were marked at the two-yard line. The lines on the field were all blue, apart from the end lines, which were marked in white. A blue line exists and was used as the end line, but it meant that the end zones were each approximately 11 yards deep. Chains kept breaking throughout the game. One member of the chain crew changed at half-time. There was one injury that took longer than ten minutes to treat. Dean Wright #553 | 24th November 2024 v RHUL Bears |
UCL Emperors | Short-yard line extensions were small and only completed shortly before kick-off. The field surface is devoid of grass in places. The balls provided were fairly old and dirty. Changing rooms have no working light or toilet, but are lockable. Lee Wood #517 | 26th January 2025 v UEA Pirates |
Warwick Wolves | Changing rooms were not lockable. Field markings were in a dark colour and slightly offset from other sports markings. Kieran Smith #102 | 2nd February 2025 v Leeds Gryphons |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Canterbury Christ Church Chargers | 90-yard field with 8-yard end zones faintly marked in blue with other sport markings in white, red and yellow. No limit lines, numbers or 9-yard marks. Team areas incorrect size and coaching line at incorrect depth. Changing room was not lockable or private. Tim Ockendon #481 | 1st December 2024 v Greenwich Mariners |
Cardiff Cobras | 90-yard artificial field marked in Yellow. Team area markings were missing but marked out using cones. The chain set has a new chain, but one post remains very bent. Stuart Tabberer #348 | 1st December 2024 v Exeter Demons |
Chichester Spitfires | 90-yard rugby field. End zones are short and not necessarily the same size. The team areas were marked to 12 yards instead of 12 feet. Changing rooms were neither private nor lockable, but the crew were able to leave bags at reception. Daniel Clarke #311 | 9th February 2025 v RHUL Bears |
City Wolfpack | 80-yard field with eight-yard end zones marked in pink with other sports markings in white. Main yard lines were approximately 5.5 yards apart. The short yard-line extensions at the sidelines and the hash marks were not a consistent distance apart. No team areas, limit lines, numbers, or nine-yard marks. The visiting team protested the field markings prior to kick off and with 9:07 remaining in the second quarter (with the score at 26-6) they refused to continue with the game citing player safety and injuries to their already small (24 players at KO) squad. Tim Ockendon #481 | 2nd February 2025 v Imperial Immortals |
Edinburgh Mavericks | The game was played under floodlights. Lines were faint and the lights made it worse. Team areas were marked with cones. There was a significant injury to a Glasgow player, causing a stoppage of approximately 10 minutes. Gordon Galloway #7 | 24th November v Stirling Clansmen |
Hull Sharks | No limit lines. No team areas but marked out with cones. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. There were several other sports markings on the field, some in close proximity to the end zones. NFL-width hash marks. One game ball needed inflating prior to the game. David Hewitt #607 | 19th January 2025 v Leicester Longhorns |
Leeds Beckett Carnegie | Field markings fall below full standards. John Roberts #145 | 24th November 2024 v Durham Saints |
Leicester Longhorns | Changing rooms were lockable, but the field is a fair walk (5-10 minutes) from the changing rooms. Krister Halvorsen #77 | 24th November 2024 v Coventry University Jets |
Liverpool Raptors | A well-marked 90-yard field. With 5:17 remaining in the third quarter, the game was delayed for 16 minutes due to an injury to Liverpool #63. Steve Hall #512 | 1st December 2024 v Leeds Gryphons |
Loughborough Students | No three-yard marks or coaching boxes (other sports lines approximated for team areas.) Joel Pearson #405 | 24th November 2024 v Nottingham Gold |
Manchester Tyrants | Well-marked 100-yard field. However, the markings were dark blue and became difficult to see under floodlights as the game went on. Steve Hall #512 | 24th November 2024 v MMU Eagles |
Newcastle Raiders | No limit lines. No nine-yard marks or numbers. There were several other sports markings on the field including some in close proximity to the end zones. David Hewitt #607 | 1st December 2024 v Warwick Wolves |
Plymouth Blitz | The pitch was marked with NFL-width hash marks, so cones were used to mark the correct width. Numbers marked on the field on the major yard lines were incorrect and were five yards out of sync. Sideline markers were used to mark the correct yard lines. Changing rooms were very small for officials. Dave Moore #92 | 26th January 2025 v Gloucestershire Gladiators |
Portsmouth Destroyers | 90-yard field painted in a mix of orange and red. Lines were probably around two inches thick and many of the main lines were very faint - the crew were informed that they would be repainted in a more "permanent" paint in the next few weeks. Team and coaching boxes were marked with cones. Changing rooms shared with players and not lockable, members of the public come and go to use the toilets in the corner of the room throughout pregame and half-time. There was a change to the chain crew during the 1st half due to injury. The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth was in attendance and was the VIP at the coin toss. Oliver Maskell #221 | 17th November 2024 v Cardiff Cobras |
Reading Knights | Generally well-marked field. End lines were marked in blue with all other lines in white. Team areas were marked to the 25-yard lines. Some lines were faint. Limit lines less than 18 feet in some places. Two small changing rooms for the officials, neither of which are lockable. The car park at SportsPark has signs up saying that parking is chargeable on Sundays, but the Sports Centre reception staff confirmed that it is, in fact, free parking on weekends. Peter Parsons #321 | 24th November 2024 v Hertfordshire Hurricanes |
Sheffield Hallam Warriors | Posts are set a yard back from the marked end line. The changing room was too small for a crew of five. The home team had a few jerseys of an old design, predominantly burgundy rather than predominantly black, due to their new kit not arriving in time. Joel Pearson #405 | 8th December 2024 v Hull Sharks |
Solent Redhawks | 100-yard field, mostly marked in yellow apart from the midfield line (white) and the majority of the ten-yard lines (dark colour). Team areas were marked between the 25-yard lines. Peter Parsons #321 | 2nd February 2025 v Oxford Brookes Panthers |
Staffordshire Stallions | NFL-width hash marks. Andrew Lovell #559 | 17th November 2024 v Lancaster Bombers |
Stirling Clansmen | While the individual yard lines/hash marks had been remarked, the five-yard markings and sidelines were very faded. Team areas were marked with cones. As the weather stayed dry, the visiting team's green jerseys contrasted enough with Stirling’s alternative black jerseys. Ali May #42 | 8th December 2024 v Edinburgh Napier Knights |
Swansea Titans | 100-yard field with numbers and NFL-width hash marks. One goal line was very faint at one corner and needs re-marking. No three-yard marks or coaching/team areas (the team areas were marked out with cones.) Amir Brooks #593 | 24th November 2024 v Bournemouth University Bobcats |
Tarannau Aberystwyth | Kick-off was delayed for one hour due to the Away team forgetting some Jerseys. As such, quarters were reduced to ten minutes due to light concerns. However, the away team were able to provide two of the three game balls. Kieran Smith #102 | 16th February 2025 v Plymouth Blitz |
UEA Pirates | Very faint lines were difficult to see in the sunlight. Team areas were marked with cones. Chain set needed repair once. Brian Yates #29 | 17th November 2024 v UCL Emperors |
UWE Bullets | No Limit Lines. Two small changing rooms were provided, so the crew was split up - but the rooms were lockable and had showers. Oliver Maskell #221 | 7th December 2024 v Durham Saints |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: 1st and 10 at the A-29. Prior to a legal snap, there is movement by both offensive and defensive lines and multiple flags are thrown. The players then come together and A57 strikes B98 in the groin. After discussion, it is concluded that offensive lineman A66 had false started which caused the movement by both offensive and defensive lines
|
Last week | Play: 3rd and 4 at the B-8. B98 intercepts QB A12’s forward pass in the end zone and starts to run with the ball. While B98 was running with the ball, B52 clipped A62 in the end zone. B98 is then tackled by the face mask by A66 in the end zone. Team A were in an illegal formation at the snap
Team B gained possession of the ball with clean hands, however enforcement of their foul will create a safety, so Team B will accept offsetting fouls, the down will be repeated. |
MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: 59 seconds remain in the game, Team A have two timeouts remaining and are trailing by six points. 4th and 10 at the B-40. Team A attempts a Hail Mary pass which is intercepted at the B-2 yard line. Team A were in an illegal formation in the snap.
|
Last week | Game Situation: On a crew of five, what fouls should be recorded (in writing) by which officials? What details of the fouls should be recorded? Answer: {M5.12.1} All officials should record all the fouls they call, all fouls that involve a disqualification and all Unsportsmanlike fouls. {M5.12.2} On a crew of five, the Line Judge should record all fouls called by all members of the crew.
|
Date | Event | Contact for details |
2025 | ||
BAFRA Directors | |||||
President | David Parsons | General Secretary | Richard Moger | ||
Finance | Stuart Tabberer | Operations | Oliver Maskell | ||
Recruitment | Susannah Taylor | Training | James Ford-Bannister | ||
Director without Portfolio #1 | Peter Parsons | Director without Portfolio #2 | Steve Tonkinson | ||
The opinions expressed in this Newsflash are those of the contributors, and not necessarily of BAFRA or its Directors. All Incident Reports to be submitted via www.bafra.info. Deadline for articles submitted by email (newsflash@bafra.info) is midnight Tuesday. |
