Over one hundred years ago, the then Northern F.C and RFU President, William Cail, was involved in managing the split between the Rugby Football Union and the Northern Union (later to become the Rugby Football League). That may have been William Cail's claim to fame in the eyes of rugby in England and internationally, but he is much better known to students of Tynedale RFC's history for other reasons - for William Cail was also a referee!

An extract of the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Northumberland Rugby Union, reporting a Tynedale v Percy Park cup-tie, recorded the following:-

"April 2nd 1889
Northumberland Rugby Union AGM
President - Mr. Cail
Vice Presidents - Messrs. R.M. Henzell and R.H. Robb
Mr. Williamson was re-elected Hon. Secretary and Mr. Cail Hon. Treasurer."
"Mr. Cail told of terrible experiences he had had, refereeing a replayed cup-tie at Hexham, and after relating them to the meeting it was proposed that, if Tynedale entered the cup competition next season it would be subject to the ties being played on neutral ground"

"Only the efforts of visitors and police prevented Mr. Cail being thrown into the river."

In case you think that William Cail surrendered meekly to this treatment, his report to the county committee at its next meeting showed otherwise. During the game he said that, if he blew his whistle he was hooted and, if he did not blow his whistle he was also hooted. One Tynedale committeeman, he alleged, called him "a scoundrel" and flourished his stick at him while, as he left the ground afterwards, the crowd began to throw clay at him. Mr Cail retaliated by striking one man and getting hold of another by the neck!!

A letter from the Tynedale club's secretary, Mr. William French, in reply, pointed out that the man whom Mr. Cail, by his own admission had struck, was " a half-deaf and blind old fellow aged sixty years or so." Furthermore, the letter added, following the first game with Percy Park at North Shields, a large number of Hexham people were "displeased at Mr. Cail for hitting twice on the mouth with his fists James W. McIntyre, one of the Tynedale players, when on his knees protesting against the play of a member of the Percy Park team (as no quieter or more unassuming young man plays football than McIntyre)."

William Cail was a man of many parts, referee, Treasurer, President of Northern, President of Northumberland and President of the Rugby Football Union - and certainly not one to be cowed by abuse or bad behaviour.

Who said that abuse of referees was a recent phenomenon?

ERNIE AVERELL
In 1911 strange things happened in a semi-final match of the Northumberland Senior Cup. It was a match which Tynedale were not expected to win. Their opponents that day were Northern whose team was probably the most powerful, at any rate on paper, that the Newcastle club has ever put out. It contained five International players, J.A.S.Ritson and A.D. Roberts (England),J.G Scoular (Scotland), O.J.S. Piper and T. Smyth (Ireland).The rest were International triallists or County players. Ritson lived in Hexham!

After a great tussle Northern appeared to have had the game won, but five minutes from the end, with Tynedale three points in arrears, when the game seemed to have been lost, William Robb picked up after a loose scrum, passed to J.W. Stephenson who found an opening and sent E. Averell away down the touchline. The wing three-quarter got the try that levelled the scores, and with the final kick of the match William Robb added the goal for victory.

The final was against Percy Park at the Royal Grammar School ground, Newcastle. Tynedale won a very tense game by 7 points to 6. Jack Scott, the stand-off, was carried shoulder high to the club’s headquarters in the North Eastern Hotel, having dropped the four-point goal which secured victory.

Ernie Averell’s interest in rugby had been kindled at St. Bees School, Rockcliff RFC and Durham University. They subsequently recognised his ability as a winger. He played in the five eighths position in 1905 against the All Blacks!!!!

In 1910 he found his way to Tynedale, and reports say that since the cup victory no man has been a more enthusiastic supporter of the game and the club. When he died in 1948 it was reported that he was one of the most ardent supporters of rugby at Dene Park and in the County during the past half century.