HOCKEY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 280, 7 August 1909, Page 12

HOCKEY.

(By DnrvEß.)

The representative hockey match Wellington v./ Canterbury takes place. ,at, church to-day; -Wellington is sending down only, a moderately-strong combination, as a fair.jumber of ;those. originally. chosen jcannot'make tho journey. In addition to the changes already announced, Harty, left fullback,' is' unable 'to : get_'• away, and .-Ralph (Wesley) is replacing him., "Cleft Ash',"i in the "Weekly t'res.s, ■. says that the Canterbury .V. - Wellington matches, senior : and junior, promise to be a great success financially and'-otherwise. Tho necessary ai'rangementahave been'mado with tho City Coun-; oil' auihoritiea. "aid the Sydonliam Uuh has

kindly allowed the Coutcrbury Hockey Association tho use of its nets and pavilion for tho occasion. TJio Canterbury team is as follows:—Goal,-... 0. './Bellamy (Adding'fcon); threo-qnad'tcrs, P. Gampbell (Sydenham), G. Ford (St. Albans).; halves, W. Uuffiold (Sydcnliam), 11. Oram (JSt. Albans), H. Tlirop (Sydenham);; forwards. It. Rankin (Addington), D. Smith (Aldington), K Hulbort (Sydenham), U. Jmcobs (Sydenham), W. Clmppel (limaru).,..: - ■

; Tho iSouthland Hockey Association (says tho same writer) has arranged to send a reprcsouiativo team to play iii Ghristuh'urch on August .21, wliilo Otago has notified' tho Canterbury. Association that its team can play hero a w.oek later,, both of which'dates have ..been'settled, .upon. As regards Southland, thoy aro sending up a ladies' repvosontativo team at-tho same lime, and tliuy havo asked the Canterbury Hockey Association to work in.conjunction .with-tho Canterbury Ladies' Hockey.-Association in making the 'affair a success. I understand there is''to bo a,conference between members of - both associations :shortly, whon doubtless an amicable arrangement will bo conio to, which will havo -the desired effect/ ■

'■■■ Tho,match between Auckland and -Canterbury sot.dowTi for August 19.wi1l bo played .'at-'-Lancaster'. Park, ; ; and,-' considering tho groaiS; struggle, for .supremacy in .Auckland last'yeitr between -Canterbury and tho homo team, thero should certainly bo a. very, keen tussle between the two ;teams this year. Tho Sydenham Club is to be congratulated upon arranging for its annual dance to be held on tho' same night as tho Aucklanders'-will- bo here, and .their / kindness'', in inviting tho members of'teams-playing/should bo fully appreciated by.'the/local ; as a' gj-eai.help .in.the' way. of entertaining itho visitors. ■'■ /

'"'f-TJie- I '-.dates . of '. the.'various, representative matches are; very suitahlo to '-"Wellington, who will' now "have-. four x Saturdays/ games before meeting /Auckland! in' tho shield-.match. /Today' .they meet: Canterbury, .'next Saturday they, meet "the Auckland touring .teanj t and on the two .following Saturdays they will bo patted against' two trial teaaris.. -In' consetion, with/ the last-mentioned :. arrangement tife ,/wHter; is. pleased that ..his last week's .suggestion seems to have/ fallen on willing' ea.rs. Mr." "W. J. Organ, chairman of the '.Wellington' Hockey:-Association,- states that no.motp senior.-.club matches, will, bo played, •this ■ season, consequently, the', field" is, left-, open.' for/the trial matches.

!'■•!. It '.seems ,tha;t will be. unablo to accompany the teain to Auckland on September' 4..' This is very;'unfortunate,'but it cannot; be' helped.'/.Harty will bo.called upou to fiU'/the...vacancy.. ,;/.; ;, The match which decided; the senior championship in favour' of United, last'.Saturday was'; sua. interesting engagehient. ,From; the very commencement, a vigorous contest could have,: .been safely prophesied... The Victoria Collego team- were/.in lino, fettle, ;and they quickly placed/ their ".opponents' on tho defensive,. ,TJiiite!d then played:with determination and;spirit, and in the first spell, had. four i goals'' to - their -.credit, while . the' Collegians. [had 'only notched one.'.Tho victors then._un-' ..wisely rested on/tlveir oars, apparently thinkingl that iiheir crcxlit balance was; sufßcioutly i longi/but'.thcy were quickly disillusioned. Tho | Collegians swept, all;before ;them,; and within |a'vory.ishort space of; time converted the do-. licit /of,. 4—l. to . an' equality of. 4—4. • / Play then livened lip,'.and United took/no chances.' !. The winning- goal.;was. scored':by, Organ during- a scramble; r.eartho',lino. ...

!'.Ono:of.:'the 'United, .goals occasioned somo comment.,;.Hollis,;left insido, took the, shot. The • ball struck the rail and fell justpver or on •the line,' tlie'referee, giving it-a goal/There is 'a ditforencoof .opinion as to where it exootly,/landed,/but itho ' College captain' (Beere) ; wa3 not disposed to question it., In either casei; United 'would .havo won ithe championship,; asi had tho goal been disalv lowed, 'the. result of/tho match would have been;,a. draw'/,and United would have still been.a point ahead of Y.M.0.A., tho runnere-' itp. '•■ ';'-■•;.-. •-'///:■/:;' : . '.'.■■•■ /- ; '■•■•". -.. ■'. • - "A mud scramblo" is 'the only comment that: can fairly;" bo; ■■ applied to tho •'■Wesley-. Vivian.match on, No. : 3,ground. Good hockey was simply out of the,question. The Wesiey,,2; Vivian,.!—ilo.not. accurately indieate the /relative of the two teams-. ■Wesley'were by far tho superior combination, but/thefstate of the groundj coupled with the. iuefiicient /shooting; power. of tlib; forwards, :kept-'tho score dowii./. ■'■ ■■'•;■■.•'";.■"'■■■ '■■■••'•■ '^Y.M.CA,/.'were bettor;than Wellington on Saturday ,',on;tho' fastest ground, at' Day's Bay./' The • game- .'".was uninteresting; little being done to cause oiio to forget tho lieavy westerly wind: which, swept -tho playing area.' Loader-was/' responsible', for the : best' piece of '■ the. play /during the day; ;and, the Wellington 'men; simply'.-stood wondering when they saw, their clever opponent beat first the half,' then tho.' full-back,/and, .lastly, the goalkeeper, .'arid'all'•'■without assistance. ' ;

; Wellington' "are badly in 'need of a player' who can shoot , On/ Seve'ral occasions tho forwards wore able to get; tho ball to tho circle,; but, when; there, the man ' "to 1 do businesii,".';was missing. In consequence,' Y.M.C.i.'s full-backs did the 'hitting; • but hot 'in the;' ' direction . which ■'. Wellington wanted. ■ : ■-.''.:■'■ : Dawsoii (Y.M.C.'A.) ; played a; good game, hat' was not' by any; means • overworked, most'of the'play being on the other side of the/field.' f'- ■'", • ./Among"'• Wellington's' players, .Harty (fullback) was probably tho;best.. He hit' hard. and'/often,, being on.many occasions tho. salvation or' his, side.. Smytho, centre-half,. was willing;, but ho lacked pace, and his opponents were often in : possession'of the ball before, he could reach ■ it.' A, half .needs plenty of paco'..at times,' and much depends on acenrato timing in charging a ; player. Welliugtoh's' backs wero not nearly so in-, ert as a/few weeks ago, but the forwards wero either not in form, or were hampered by playing'some juniors, but at all events they wandered'out of place, and, when-they got the baliy/tnoy'seemed, to hit to their opponents, instead -of passing, as one w;ould have expected. :, ~;•'. Karori,: who; are considered to ,bo "at home" In tho mud, defeated Thorndon, but they say that, they did. iiot enjoy, the wallowing, any ,moro than did their opponenvs. There was no hockey, the ball being hard to find,, and .inuch ;harder. to :hit. : Added to this,'the ground had hot been' marked, and players liad/to guess whero the lines should have been.' The. allotting of grounds ;daring ;the..season ha's, beencp'mnlente'd on'by players .in, some ; teams, and. their arguments seem-to-be justly founded.' It appeal's rather unfair that a: weak team should bo, always playing 'on' the. worst grounds just because they are not thought to have much chance. To • take the caso of Thorndon. They have been given Nos. 3 and 5 grounds all the /season,:, and, .owing to the heavy rains, have been denied the pleasure of play-/ ihg, ; on a fairly dry, fast' ground. , Naturally .'they ;■ would, : like an occasional game on. No.. 1 or/No. 2 ground. If No. 1 must be kept for'the best game each week, why should not the weaker-teams get an occasional game on No./2? . All clubs pay the samo ground fees, and it seems reasonable that they should all get'a fair share of tho best grounds. At one'time-the grounds were drawn, but now they aro allotted. ■ The older .plan is certainly the better. Vivian and Wellington have .also had a large share of, the muddy grounds. ; It'is hoped that the association will seo.if. something cannot be dona to improvo what is considered poor treatment to .those teams which know their weakness, but stick . steadily to,the. game in tho hopes of becoming better players, and having, therefore, a claim to tho best grounds.

; It is rather late in tho season to have to again refer to that baneful breach of the rules, obstruction. In somo previous remarks in this column it was stated that, if this fault i 3 not quickly stopped, the result will bo very detrimental to teams and players alike. An instanco occurred last Wednesday, when two players wero ordered off tho field, for roughness, and two/otliors cautioned. Theso cases woro'all duo directly to'obstruction. In the case of tho two men who'had to leave tho'field, .oney who was near the goal, placed himself between the' ball and tho goal-keeper. The goal-keeper, happening to be within striking ..distance oftho ball, very naturally hit at it, and, in, m, doing, hit tho obstructor's legs ns well, whereupon tho injured man; dropped his 3tick, and sot about a inoro vigorous kind of game, not to bo found in the rules.- Now, it is evident that if theso things aro to continue, hockey will soon/' lose its attractiveness/ and intending .'players as' well as those at present playing will turn their attention to some other not connected with the, "freefight" dement.,.. ,Hoforco.a,..-,y.oq, ""vo tho pofforl .'•'.■