Police had to be called to a junior football match after a 'Wild West-style' brawl involving dozens of parents broke out. The fighting began after a woman threw beer over another parent, and spread from the touchline to the stand.
A 15-year-old player was handcuffed and led away for questioning by officers after the referee took both teams off the pitch. The scenes unfolded at the Hertfordshire County FA Under-16 cup final between Harvesters FC from St Albans and Wormley FC.
Many adults had been drinking in the clubhouse bar at Letchworth for an hour and a half before the match kicked off at 2.30pm on Sunday. Trouble flared in the 58th minute of the game when Harvesters scored to take a 2-0 lead, and it is understood some players may have celebrated in front of the opposing team dugout.
A woman spectator was seen throwing a glass of beer over the father of one of the Harvesters team. Meanwhile, a substitute from the same side began remonstrating with parents from Wormley. Within seconds players and parents clashed in a melee which lasted more than ten minutes.
'It was really like a Wild West brawl,' said one neutral witness. 'Grown men and women on both sides were trading punches. Drink was a major factor.' The referee, football writer and broadcaster Mick Dennis, took the teams off the pitch during the uproar.
Last night the 56-year-old, a qualified referee for more than 14 years, said: 'Some people were suggesting the game should be abandoned but my instinct was to finish the game. 'After discussing matters with the police they were also happier for me to finish the game than abandon it and that is what happened. I think it was the right decision.'
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