A Notebook of Sport

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22506, 14 September 1938, Page 3

A Notebook of Sport

To-day’s Shield Match Southland’s tenure of the Ranfurly Shield, which it regained from Otago last Saturday, is threatened seriously by the Wellington team, which will challenge for the trophy to-day. After a very “lean” period, Wellington has at last developed a splendid combination, and this year’s team is the best that has represented the province for years. Some measure of its powers can be gained from its remarkable performance in running up more than 40 points against the Taranaki team, which beat Canterbury on Saturday. Wellington, too, gave the Auckland team its first defeat of the season. There are few outstanding individuals in the side, but team-work has been developed to a remarkable degree, and the pack consists of men who keep going from whistle to whistle.

Beginnings of Hockey Hockey in New Zealand had its beginnings on a rough paddock at Kaiapoi, where a number of enthusiasts keenly followed the game in spite ■'f the necessity for using sticks cut from trees and hedges. In 1892 the Rev. H. H. Mathias, who had recently returned from England, where he had played hockey, took charge of the parish of Kaiapoi. No one in New Zealand at that time had heard of hockey as a real game, but soon the vicar gathered round him a number of young fellows who were not playing Rugby. A painted cricket ball was used in the early stages. Mr Mathias, now living at Torquay, England, recalls that a visit by a reporter of “The Press” in the following year gave a stimulus to the game when its future seemed doubtful. Soon after a club was formed at Ashburton by a doctor who had played in England. The formation of the Christchurch and Sydenham Clubs was‘followed by the inauguration of competition play, and for some seasons Kaianoi was unbeaten. The original Kaiapoi players included Mr Mathias, the Methodist minister (Mr Fairclough), a doctor, a solicitor (Mr E. E. Papprill), Lieutenant-Colonel Parsons, a farmer (Mr Clive Parnham), a teacher (Mr Harry Oram), Mr George Oram, now retired customs inspector in Cape Town, Mr Jack Templeton, the Matthews brothers, and Mr Alf. Winterbourne, a carpenter and a fine oarsman. The first interprovincial match was played against Wellington near the close of the century. It was won by Canterbury, George Oram scoring two goals near the end. The first women s club was started about two years later, also at Kaiapoi.