Was this the right call? And, if so, where is it stated as such in the rules?
Under Scorers' Duties, Rule 2-11-11 states: "The official scorebook shall remain at the scorers' table throughout the game, including all intermissions."
While there is no penalty listed for breaking this rule, the Referee may invoke a combination of 2-3 ("The Referee shall make decisions on any points not specifically covered in the rules") and an unsportsmanlike technical foul 10-1-8.
Obviously, there is good reason not to allow teams to wander off with the official scorebook since pernicious personages might make some editorial revisions to it ("Dammit, all of A1's block attempts were clean yet the official called three fouls...where's that eraser?").
In a sub-varsity game, if i have no reason to suspect dastardly intent, i'll let them off with a stern lecture about why the official scorebook needs to stay at the table.
Varsity staffs should know better. I think i would want to issue a T in this instance, but i'm not so sold on that call that my partner couldn't talk me out of it. I'd also be more likely to give the T to the team that supplied the Official Scorer as keeping the scorebook at the table is one of his duties.
In all cases, i'd take the time to review the official scorebook with the Official Scorer and the other team's scorer to ensure that no alterations were made...
|