Here are some guidelines for team captains or other club members submitting match reports to the local papers or the club’s website administrator, Ben Scott.
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The deadline for sending match reports to the local papers is 10 am on Tuesday morning, but it’s best to get them sent in as soon as possible after the game. The earlier the reports are filed, the more likely they are to be published.
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The three local papers who may be willing, if they have space, to carry reports on Minety’s games are:
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The Wilts & Glos Standard (wgssport@gwent-wales.co.uk)
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The Malmesbury Gazette & Herald (gazettesport@newswilts.co.uk)
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The Swindon Advertiser (sport@newswilts.co.uk)
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Match reports need to be crisp and short. The maximum length for first team reports is 250 words, while the maximum for second team reports is 150.
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The sports editors at the local papers don’t have time to do a lot of corrections to reports. If you’re submitting a report, it’s your job to make sure that the spelling and grammar are correct. If they’re not, the papers won’t use it.
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Essential information to include in a report:
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the names of the two teams taking part
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the name of the relevant league or competition
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the date of the fixture
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the final score
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the names of Minety’s scorers in the order in which they scored, including goal kickers as well as try scorers
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Other information which is also useful in a report if you have it and there’s space:
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the half-time score
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brief descriptions of tries
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details of the opposition’s scores (names and/or positions of players, type of move, when in the match)
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the conditions (weather, wind, playing surface etc)
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any significant or unusual incidents (yellow cards, injuries etc)
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We don’t make negative or critical comments on the referee’s performance.
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The papers will sometimes include a photograph as well as a match report, or sometimes instead of a match report. The photo needs to be sharp and clearly show players’ faces. Always include in your e-mail the names of the players shown in the photograph.
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Send match reports and photographs for inclusion on the club website to Graham Cooke.