Stephen Snoddy referees 1,000th match

  • February 1, 2024

Stephen Snoddy reached a very significant milestone by officiating at his 1,000th match for the Society on Saturday 27th January when he refereed Wilmslow v Warrington.

Stephen said, “It was a wonderful open match played in great spirit by both teams who were out to enjoy their rugby. There were only seven penalties, no foul play and no cards. After the match I was presented with a Wilmslow RUFC tie and a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey. So enjoyable was the friendship and hospitality shown to me I stayed to 21:30 – I just love rugby!”.

Stephen joined M&DRURS in 2007 after a distinguished playing career with North FC (now Belfast Harlequins) and he played scrum half, representing Ulster at junior level. His first appointment was Burnage 4th 34 v 15 Didsbury Toc H 4th .

He knows this because he keeps meticulous records of all his matches, recording the score, drop goals, penalty tries, cards issued and a one-line anecdote about anything that is memorable or unusual about the match.

His achievement even caught the eye of Sir Bill Beaumont, Chair of the IRB who posted a message of congratulations on X (formerly Twitter). @BillBeaumont ‘Outstanding dedication to the sport!’

When asked what advice he would give to anyone of any age starting out to referee Stephen said, “Give it a go, you have the best seat in the ground, and it is a positive contribution to this great game of rugby.”

(Photo credit:  Nick Jones, Wilmslow RUFC)