Off-side Rule And Tackling To Obstruct

Chronicle (Levin), 12 May 1949, Page 7

Off-side Rule And Tackling To Obstruct

Les„ M.

Murphy)

(By

This week's artiele on the rules of hockey covers the olf-side rule, tack ing on the left so as to obstrucT and speculative hitting. The very of ten e much maligned umpire is frequently a bad man because he ailows a fast forward who was "on-side when the ball was last hit by an opponent" to race in and score. ."Olf-sfde" is heard. Giv. the umpire credit always for having good reasons for his rulings. W.u ail make mis,akes, and things happen on a hockey fie.d that are no. provided for in'the rules, and an umpire — at a moment's noticehas to administer justice according to his idea of it. To give- an instance: It is no' every player who knows that if ai attacker. shoots at goal, and th: ball is sailing into the net over th hea-d of the goalie, and the latte lises her stick over her head a' hits the ball out, saving a certain goal, that The penalty is a pena t; bully. Olf-side Rule Clear. The olf-side rule is so clear tha players have no excuse - on thi score for ever getting olf-si'de. Ye' olf-side causes the blast of the whis.le more often, perhaps, thpr any other breach. It is surprising that with its double penalty, olfside should be so common. No only does it put an end to promising attacks, but it turns those attacks into' defence by giving a fref hit to the opposition. The wingforwards are generally the elfie.; offenders. It is a bad. habit some c them have of roaming about in an olf-side pDsi,ion with the hope 0: gaining some advantage and escapmg detection by the umpire. Tc put a more charitable construction on their conduct, it is at the very best gross care. essness. Remember, once off-side y'ou cannot put yourself on-side by running back into an on-side position. You can be put on-si'de only by an opponent hitting the ball, or by a member of your own team who is nearer your opponents' goal-line than you are, hitting the ball. Tackling- On Left. So long as a player touches the ball before her opponent's person or stick, she may cross her opponent's lefT or tackle her on that side. In its worst form, this illegality is a regular charge ,sqen often in mediocre hockey. Left halves and left backs are specially prone to this type of illegal tackling. It is one of the arts' *of forward play to keep an opposing half or back on ihe left side, and the latter needs to be very careful about this lef side tackle. Practically identica: with this illegality is that'of crossing an opponent's left in a mannei >hat infringes the rule that says: "A player may not . . . cross he? opponent's left un^ss she touches the ball before her opponent's person or stick." Of all illegalities these and that of "turning on th: ba"l" are most destructive of goo'." hockey. I have invariably noticed backs. and even goal-keepers missing flying shots when they have amp ? time 'to field the ball and get a hit in. This mis-timing shots is disastrous play anywhere in the back division of a team, ,and has often meant the difference between vicory and defeat. On true surfacer flying shots have often become, ir the best elevens, a. recognise'd feature of the play, but speculation is not indulged in if a member of the team has a chance of first fieldingr the ball. Against fast forwards T is seldom a spemfiator gets twp chances. (Continued Next Week)