Umpires ruin two more Gold Cup matches
By Antje Derks
Saturday saw two more Gold Cup league matches ruined by over-zealous umpiring. The first game saw Les Lions II take on and beat Lechuza Caracas 11 – 10. The match itself was very even and could have gone either way. However, once again the umpires felt unable to remove the whistles from their mouths, blowing a staggering 43 so-called “foulsâ€. Most of these offences could not be agreed upon and therefore ended up with a throw-in.
This obsessive use of the whistle really interrupted the flow of the game and made it very tedious to watch for spectators. The one-tap rule was brought in for example to speed up the game and has worked to a certain extent, but now the whistle-happy umpires at Cowdray are taking everything way too literally.
The second match of the day between Azzurra and Salkeld was equally boring due to the umpiring. This time we counted 34 whistles. This match was also tight, with Azzurra squeaking victory 12 – 11.
Let’s hope the guys in the black and white stripes get a grip before the final. Joe public will be bored stiff if their current performance continues.