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Tony’s on the ball as far as rugby is concerned
Tony Pratt is very involved with rugby as a very good referee who has already reached Grade Two and has had experience of officiating at matches in Division Two of the National League set-up, as well as running the line in Welsh Premier games – and he would urge others who love the game to get involved with the whistle as well.
Tony did just that about seven seasons ago and is an active member of the Pembrokeshire Rugby Referees’ Society, where the aim is to give as much support as possible to new members whilst also enjoying a great camaraderie amongst its members which is never more evident than in the county junior finals or the Neyland Junior Tournament, where they congregate, share the duties and a good laugh throughout a long day.
It is the same at the monthly meetings, normally held in Narberth, where the idea is for refs to meet, discuss problems that have arisen during matches and learn from the variety of guest speakers who add to the knowledge that the refs already have. Having a pint or two together also adds to the enjoyment of the evening!
Started through work mates
Young referees receive every help available nowadays but it was a little less organised when Tony set out with the whistle in a youth match between Whitland and St Davids. He started because he was working with Colin Davies and Richard Hughes, colleagues of his in work who are well known in the local rugby fraternity after Colin was chairman of the Referees Society and Richard reffed minor internationals before taking up his current role as a citing officer with the WRU. Tony also received every encouragement from experienced refs like Keith Davies and Eirian Edwards, whilst Keith Bryant and Terry Griffiths assessed him at matches and provided very constructive advice.
Steep learning curve
Ask Tony now and he would say,
“It was a steep learning curve but I enjoyed it from the outset and for the next three years I officiated with youngsters and in seconds matches in the district – and then I must have satisfied my assessors because I was invited to join the WRU’s referees’ panel and started out in divisions five and six of the National League set-up, which meant travelling much further afield.
“Clive Norling was the refs’ supremo than and now the Director of Match Officials is Robert Yemen, and both have encouraged me to raise my standards. As you climb through the grades, though, fitness is something that always needs improving and I have worked hard at that. I train twice a week in the gym, swim two mornings a week and cycle during the summer.”
Gaining experience
“I am currently a Grade Two referee which means I can now ref matches from Division Two downwards and at the end of last season I was given the chance to take charge of two Division One games featuring Narberth against Maesteg and Whitland versus Llangennech. The pace of the game is so much faster but a really enjoyed it, and I am hoping for a few more games at that level towards the end of the season.”
Another way that Tony has looked to improve his own expertise is to take on the role of assistant referee in the Premier Division of the Welsh set-up.
“I went with John Griffiths to flag for top referee James Jones in the Llandovery versus Ebbw Vale match,” says Tony, “and learnt a lot about positioning, playing the advantage rule and giving clear indication to the crowd about decisions made. It was also nice to chat to James afterwards and pick his brains. Nigel Owens is another top referee who has officiated at the highest level and he is also great at giving tips to other refs like me.”
Other sports – and family support
Outside of his refereeing, Tony enjoys most sports, having played rugby for Whitland Grammar School as a scrum half, turning out for Aberystwyth Agricultural College during his student days and also enjoying a spell in New Zealand where he played for a team called Hautupu. They had seven senior sides and Tony was playing for their thirds when it was time to leave the Southern Hemisphere. He also played for St Clears for a couple of seasons but a knee injury forced him to stop playing.
Tony also enjoys football and played in school and college, as well as for Camrose for a while alongside characters like Nicky Elliott, Taffy Williams and Marco Siso.
He played badminton to county level when he was a lad and has started playing the game again now as a means of keeping fit, playing against his son Carwyn (12) and dad Roger, who can still show his son and grandson a thing or two on court. Ask Tony about support for his sport and he would unhesitatingly nominate his dad and mum Jenny alongside wife Karen, son Carwyn and daughter Eleanor (9).
Millennium highlight – and opposite end of the scale
Ask Tony about highlights of his refereeing career and he would be sure to list the Welsh Youth Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium where he took charge of the match between Cardiff and Aberavon which the former team won.
“It was a great day out because I had my Pembrokeshire colleagues Eirian Edwards and Rob Lane as my assistants and Marc Smith as fourth official,” said Tony. “We worked well as a team and the match went smoothly. It was played under lights, with the roof closed, and I will never forget walking out onto the hallowed turf at the Millennium Stadium.”
On the opposite end of the scale, Tony has rarely had the feeling of ‘What am I doing here?’ but can recall one cold, wet Friday evening match under lights in a local derby between Tumble and Amman United where the game started with a huge punch-up and slowly went downhill from there.
“Fortunately, those games are few and far between,” admits Tony with a chuckle, “but they can happen and all you can do is make sure that you keep your eyes peeled and keep a lid on things.”
Luckily, he usually enjoys a good rapport with players and finds that a smile when a comment is made from the stand helps, even if it does question his parentage or his eyesight!
Humour aplenty
There has also been humour aplenty amongst the refs themselves, not least when a group of them at the monthly meeting were invited to officiate at the Newport Sevens. Amongst them was the afore-mentioned Rob Lane, who was in Pembrokeshire with the army, but when the matches started at Newport (Pembs) he still hadn’t arrived – and a phone call revealed that he was waiting for his colleagues to join him – in Newport (Gwent)!
And finally ...
Tony still has a number of seasons left as a referee and he would still like to move up a grade in the near future, but at the moment just enjoys being part of the game and putting something back into rugby. He would recommend being a ref to others, especially former players, because it is the next best thing to playing.
“I wouldn’t have missed a moment,” says Tony, “I have made loads of lasting friendships and got so much more out of it than I could have imagined when I started. I really do enjoy being a rugby referee.”
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