TIMES have changed – or have they – following is an excerpt from a set of club rules published in 1902. They make particularly interesting (and relevant?) reading:
11. The Captain, Sub-Captain, and Secretary shall select the elevens for matches. Any member who has received four days’ notice of his selection, and who is unable to play and fails to give two clear days’ notice of the same, shall be fined one shilling, unless he provide a substitute, or tenders a reasonable excuse.
12.That any member wilfully destroying or damaging any property belonging to the Club, shall restore it at his own expense within one month; and that on refusal to do the same, the Committee shall deal with the case as they think fit.
13. That should the conduct of any member on the field be inconsistent with the character or interest of the Club, the Committee shall for the first offence caution such member, for the second offence fine him and for a third shall have power to expel him from the Club and not permit his presence on the ground.
14. That all fines shall be paid within one month of infliction, and that any member refusing to do so shall be expelled from the Club and ground.