You're on Hampden time

by PAUL DAFFEY

IN Victoria last week, the Hampden league held its first round in which it abided by a Victorian Country Football League directive to keep in line with the AFL on the duration of quarters. It proved an unsettling experience.

Hampden people had resisted orders to reduce quarter from 25 minutes plus time-on to 20 minutes plus time-on until it was pointed out that the competition might be liable for damages if a player were injured late in a long quarter. On Saturday Hampden timekeepers duly tried to keep up with umpires who whistled time-on and time-off during breaks in play.

The clash at Mortlake between the top two teams, Terang-Mortlake and Koroit, started at 2pm. The half-time siren went at 2.50pm and the match was all over at 4.06pm. Supporters were left with almost three hours to fill in before a club function.

Discrepancies over the duration of quarters were never a problem just down the road, at Kolora, where timekeeper Tom Vickers had a policy had a making every quarter 27 minutes. The only time he altered the duration was if a stretcher was brought out.

Vickers died last year after several decades as Kolora timekeeper. His legacy was discussed last Saturday when Kolora-Noorat hosted a reunion.

This article first appeared in The Age on 7 May.

11 May 2008

If you'd like to comment on this story email us and we'll put your contribution on our new-look letters & comments page.

Disclaimer