Minutes' silence.

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

Notwithstanding the fact I'm not sure what the plural of minute's (minutes') silence is, I usually have a request to do a pre-match minute's silence every other season or so. This season I have had four!

The first was actually a minute's applause. Three were for club members who had died of natural causes (one of those was not old - the first one and the applause) and one was for a poor lad who took his own life (in his early 40s). This was the 2nd of two suicides within a year or so at the same club - very sad indeed.

They were all, as is inevitably the case, impeccably observed.

If it's any use to anyone I:-

• Find out where the club want the teams to line up and which way they want them to face.
• I alter the door knocking to suit.
• Tell the Captains at our pre-match chat how we're doing it reference the two points above.
• Make sure when we go out we immediately line up as per and do not go off into a huddle or anything else that'll make me have to blow the whistle and/or round them up.

I also tell Captains I'll allow a bit psyching up cuddling as soon as the silence is over before we start.

 

[Zebra1922]

Door knocking? Blimey

 

[Dickie E]

a minute is a long time when you're standing trying to surreptitiously look at your watch while not wanting to appear disrespectful

 

[SimonSmith]

Not at all.
Cross your hands in front of you, watch hand angled in. Look respectfully at the ground. Problem solved.

 

[TigerCraig]

At the New South Wales State Junior Championships last year we had a number of touching incidents.

A player for Warringah 5th grade in his early 20's died playing on the Saturday. On the Sunday I was refereeing at the Under 15's 9each age group plays pool games at a different location) and we had minutes silences before each game.

After the last game (which involved Warringah) all the players from all the competing teams came out onto the field, formed a circle and knelt while the captain of the Parramatta team (a very large Polynesian boy) said a prayer.

By coincidence the finals for all ages on the Monday were played at Warringah's home ground, so more minutes silences there.

In a nice end to the season Warringah 1st Grade won the Shute Shield grand final at the end of the year, with the dead boys brother in the team

- - - Updated - - -

At the New South Wales State Junior Championships last year we had a number of touching incidents.

A player for Warringah 5th grade in his early 20's died playing on the Saturday. On the Sunday I was refereeing at the Under 15's 9each age group plays pool games at a different location) and we had minutes silences before each game.

After the last game (which involved Warringah) all the players from all the competing teams came out onto the field, formed a circle and knelt while the captain of the Parramatta team (a very large Polynesian boy) said a prayer.

By coincidence the finals for all ages on the Monday were played at Warringah's home ground, so more minutes silences there.

In a nice end to the season Warringah 1st Grade won the Shute Shield grand final at the end of the year, with the dead boys brother in the team