Originally published August 12, 1957
AN Imperials Football club selector, who said he had a 10 pound bet on the opposition team Mildura, on Saturday was disqualified until the end of the 1958 season for fighting a Mildura player.
The man, Kenneth (Curly) McIntyre, appeared before the Sunraysia Football league Independent Tribunal following an incident at the end of the first half in the football match at No.1 Oval, Mildura, on Saturday.
The disqualification means that McIntyre will be unable to hold any official position with any football club until the 1959 season.
The Mildura player involved was Laurence Gathercole, centre half forward, who was found not guilty by the tribunal of fighting with McIntyre.
Gathercole and two Imperials players will also face the tribunal to answer further charges arising from the No.1 Oval disturbance.
Charges against Gathercole and McIntyre were laid by officiating central umpire Ken Westlow.
Westlow charged Gathercole with fighting an unknown Imperials official at the end of the second quarter and the unknown Imperials official, later identified as McIntyre, with fighting Gathercole.
Westlow said in evidence there had been a bit of a disturbance just before the end of the quarter.
He said the siren sounded soon after the disturbance and as he was leaving the field a man wearing an Imperials blazer, whom he took to be an official, passed him on his left side.
“I could hear this official abusing a Mildura player and as I turned my head to see what was going on, I saw the official and No.7 of Mildura straggling each other,” he said.
Westlow said he did not see any punches thrown.
He agreed with the tribunal that it was not so much a fight as a wrestling match.
Gathercole, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, said he was leaving the field when McIntyre came to him and began abusing him.
He said he brushed past McIntyre and told him not to be a fool.
“Next thing I knew McIntyre had a headlock on me, and to prevent the incident developing into something worse I grabbed him.”
Gathercole said he did not throw any punches but he grabbed McIntyre to save a “big blue” developing.
McIntyre, who was identified by Westlow as the Imperials official he had stated as unknown on the report sheet, also pleaded not guilty.
He said in his defence that “things were pretty rough” just before the end of the quarter.
“After the siren sounded I walked out onto the ground and spoke to Gathercole.
“I told Laurie he was making a fool of himself and to cut it out.”
Questioned by the tribunal as to why he had spoken to Gathercole, McIntyre said that he knew Laurie was a bit like himself when he was playing football.
“I had a tenner on Mildura as I thought they would beat Imperials and I reckoned that Laurie should wake up to himself.”
McIntyre denied struggling with Gathercole, and said he was being held by about five or six other people.
He admitted he had hold of someone.
Imperials won the match by nine points after breaking away in the last few minutes of the game.
