By PATRICK GOWER
A liquor store owner has complained to the police about foul-mouthed and drunken women rugby players who he says abused him on their way to a weekend game.
Tom Hennessy, who runs Cheep Liquor in Ngaruawahia, said the Navy team's behaviour outside his shop on Friday night was
"utterly obscene".
The Devonport-based team, which includes some civilians, was on its way to play the Waikato women's NPC team in Hamilton the next day.
Mr Hennessy said they climbed off the bus and dumped a large sack of rubbish on the ground outside his shop.
He asked them to pick up the sack and they did, but only after abusing him.
Shortly afterwards, three team members carrying bottles confronted him when he refused to serve one of them because she was drunk.
"It was volatile situation," he told the Herald yesterday. "They were all very pent up and because there was a lot more of them than me I really had no choice but to call 111."
The women got back on the hired bus and it was then driven towards Hamilton.
But as it pulled away, said Mr Hennessy, one of them threw the paper rubbish sack from the bus and on to the car park, where it burst open, spewing out its contents.
The next day, the Navy team were thrashed 0-104 by Waikato.
Mr Hennessy laid a complaint with Ngaruawahia police and with the Navy.
Navy spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Ant Carter said naval police would investigate today.
"If they find this to be true, then we would find that totally unacceptable and we would take appropriate action," he said.
Mr Hennessy said he had no idea at the time of his complaint that the women were from the Navy, and could not understand why they had acted as they had.
"Everyone who drives past will be saying, 'Look at Ngaruawahia, look at how they treat their town', but its actually their own Navy that has done this."
The 50-year-old said he had refused to clean up the mess and had instead put up a large sign on State Highway 1 naming the team and outlining what had happened.
The team had seen the sign on their way home yesterday and had stopped to clean up the rubbish and apologise.
He had not accepted their apology and had again called the police. The team had left before police arrived.
Mr Hennessy said he was upset. "I don't want alcohol to be used as an excuse by the Navy. Don't blame the alcohol, blame yourself."
By PATRICK GOWER
A liquor store owner has complained to the police about foul-mouthed and drunken women rugby players who he says abused him on their way to a weekend game.
Tom Hennessy, who runs Cheep Liquor in Ngaruawahia, said the Navy team's behaviour outside his shop on Friday night was
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.