That ball takes stange bounces
 

NF

Free kick - K pooch kicks high, short and toward the sideline. Kick hits the ground and bounces high and backwards toward the sideline. U blows his whistle and throws a flag for the kick going OOB. About that same time the ball comes bouncing back onto the field of play. Conferred with U, who confirmed the kick OOB, R chose to put the ball in play 25 yds from the FKL - no problem.

After the game, U tells me what really happened. Before the kick touched anything OOB, a K player jumped from the field of play and while airborne, batted the ball back into the field of play. How many of you call this illegal batting in this situation?

What if he secured the ball while airborne and flips/tosses it back into the field of play?

K touched the ball prior to it hitting the ground?

It would be an illegal bat.

But what really happened if the actual post-game description by the Umpire is true was an IW. Talk about making multiple errors on the same play.

Same String...different take. I think what you have is an illegal touch. Take the ball there. What you basically have though is no option. IW rekick.

Since team-R selected to put the ball in play 25 yards from the free kick spot, that would rule out an illegal touch. That could only occur during a free kick in the 10 yard zone between the free kick lines.

If the ball did not touch the ground, we have first touching and KCI.

KCI for sure. First touching only if it was in the 10 yard neutral zone as that is the area where K cannot legally touch the free kick.