AFTER 33 years of refereeing in the Five-a-Side League, John Rolph has finally hung up his whistle.

A 73-year-old retired bank manager, Rolph has refereed in the league since it started in 1976.

Following the last game of the season, he received a trophy thanking him him for his services and two tickets for the Muratti.

‘It was a big surprise,’ he said.

‘I filled right up. I didn’t expect it.

‘You don’t do these things for plaudits.’

Rolph began his refereeing career in Bolton in 1963.

When he moved to the island in 1971, he became a Guernsey Football Association registered official.

After the Five-a-Side League split away from the GFA along with the other social leagues last year, Rolph went with them so that he could continue to officiate in the indoor game.

He has decided to retire from five-a-side as he was required to stand on his feet for up to three hours at a time, refereeing different matches.

He started to find it hard going.

But he has announced that he has no intention of stepping down from the Business League, where he also lends his services in the middle.

‘When I can’t catch the players going back to the middle, that’s when I retire from that,’ he said.