During his visit to the north east, RFU President Robert Horner stopped off to see Malcolm Shorney, Chairman of the Durham Referees’ Society and the North Federated Society.

They discussed refereeing issues, including: recruitment and retention of match officials; training (Malcolm is one of the 12 Regional Referee Trainers for the RFU, covering Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland); coverage of matches and rewarding and recognising volunteers’ efforts.

The President, former Chairman of the RFU Referees’ Committee, has agreed to be the main guest speaker at the annual Durham Referees’ Society dinner on Friday 6th February 2004.