Rugby club may launch compensation claim against rival
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012Brixham Rugby Football Club is considering launching a compensation claim against Berry Hill after they failed to show up for a fixture.
The Gloucestershire side’s no-show has left Brixham out of pocket, which was not offset by the 5 league points awarded to Brixham.
Chris Forster, chairman of Brixham, said the estimated loss ran to around £6,000. This comprised of lost gate money, sponsorship, and bar takings.
Forster said: “League rules do allow for compensation claims in certain circumstances and we are looking into what they are. Berry Hill cried off on us at 9.20 on Saturday morning. There was no warning beforehand, no phone call to say they were having problems.
“It was too late to cancel the buffet lunch for the sponsor’s 100-odd guests, so £500 of food went to waste on top of everything else.
“What Berry Hill did was deplorable. At the level of rugby we are playing at, things like that simply should not happen.”
Whether or not Brixham will launch a compensation claim will depend on the wording of the league rules.
The lack of notice could entwine Berry Hill in a compensation battle as had prior notice been given to Brixham, then outlay by the rugby club could have been saved.
The consolation for Brixham is that though they may have lost around £6,000, they do receive 5 points towards promotion which may pay better and bigger dividends next season than the £6,000 gate money and sponsorship they would have had Berry Hill shown up.