Eye-gouging incident in Maidstone sparks rugby fans' outrage
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by Chris Hunter
An alleged rugby eye-gouging
incident in Maidstone has triggered an internet debate on the
state of the sport.
Clarence Harding, 26, was blinded
in one eye after being injured while playing for Gravesend against
Maidstone on Sunday, January 17.
Police are now investigating the
circumstances of the injury.
Reports of the incidents have been
posted to rugby websites and the forums of rugby teams across the
country since the weekend.
At
rugbynetwork.net a fan identified as "Samquin" wrote: "I
worry that some idiots think this is part of the game. The RFU
needs to be firm. Any club with a continuing poor record of this
type of behaviour may need to be penalised to ensure they root out
the perpetrators.
"Lifetime bans from playing are
necessary."
On the same forum another fan,
"Twickenham Yeti" added that the offender, if found guilty, should
"serve a substantial sentence of imprisonment to ensure that the
game we know and love does not become more discredited."
At
therugbyforum.com a player identified only as "Fa'atau82"
wrote: "This is actually my local club. I have been gouged before
quite seriously and it's affected my vision, so i feel for
Clarence. I just hope they get the scum who did this, ban him for
life, and for Clarence to get something out of this. It's appaling
at any level, but when absolutely nothing is at stake, for me.. it
makes it that much more sinister than just trying to get an edge
over an opponent."
Let us know your thoughts
below.
Gravesend Rugby Club released a
statement about the incident at the weekend.
In it Mr Harding, who plays at
number eight, described how he felt a finger in his eye while
he was on the floor handing the ball back to his teammates.
He added: "It was over in an
instant but it dawned on me very quickly that something pretty
serious had happened. The ball was nowhere near my head at the
time."
Gravesend club chairman Graham
Haggar said photographs taken at the time were currently being
studied.
The club, currently top of London
One South division, has written to Maidstone Rugby Club to demand
an investigation.
Mr Haggar said he was "deeply
concerned about the horrendous injury" and that no Gravesend player
had ever suffered an injury of this kind in the club’s 100 year
history.
He added: "We are anxious to
cooperate with any investigation to establish exactly what happened
in the match and we will support our player and his family in any
way we can.
"Without wanting to prejudge an
investigation we regard eye-gouging as sly, cowardly and vicious,
as does the rest of the rugby fraternity. It has no place in our
sport or in any other activity.
"Any player found to have committed
such an act should be banned from rugby for life and should face
the full weight of the criminal law."
Police say they are investigating
an allegation of grievous bodily harm in which a 26-year-old man
sustained a "serious injury to his eye" during a rugby match at the
sports field at Mote Park, at about 2.20pm on Sunday January
17.
Saturday, January 30 2010
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