HOCKEY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 869, 16 July 1910, Page 12

HOCKEY.

A FOGGT POINT IN THE RULE&

(By "BtrutT-oir.")

Something to Ponder On, If Wellington continue raising 6uch' ■ scores against the remaining challenging ' teams for shield honours as was tha case last Saturday, the' doings of the local men will be something to ponder .over when the season And it will also he something to look back'.-upon in years lo come—a glittersotne record indeed. Still let us not crow too soon; let us not halloo till we are out of'the manuka: Hockey has, without doubt,' gone ahead by leiips and bounds in Newt Zealand, and the many associations which have chal. - lenged Wellington . for the-' shield are just as eager to take it.-; from us as as we are to hold it. Keeping a tight hand on the trophy means increased public attention to our doings, and that is good) far--'the game, h'or this one reason it iß_ to. ; be hoped that tho Wellington Association- will not bo dispossessed of it for a yeai_ or two ■at least. Would it be -veryJw.rong to become hockey jingoes for. tho ponce, and to act up to the motto of political jingoes—"What we"-have we'll hold." The writer has no"' 'doubt that tho selector, Mr. Walton, realises hia responsibility in the matter j he -has inliniated on many occasions ,that' he is determined to place the strongest-eleven possible in the. held on erich...occasion when u challenging team meet Wellington. Horowhenua in the Shield Game. Though Horowhenua was "dbwfled" by such a magnilicent margin, it must not bo taken for granted that the ,visiting .team gavo n poor exhibition of hockey, from an individual standpoint some \oi the Horowhenua forwurd and half play, ers were really strong in attack,, but' the team's defence was-very poor, with the oxception of M'Kenzie in goal, and he made up for a lot of -.errors on the part of the backs. It may be said .that lU'Kenzie's form was equal to that ol Wellington's best goal-keeper: • He is an old representative playei, and. played his first match this season on Saturday last. Therefore, considering' thut he had., had little or no practice, the manner in which he carried out the duties of goalkeeper was all the more creditable. Allcu and Noble, ■ full-backs, were pAr form—in fact, combination was lacking with 'tho whole team. Tlie eleven men were only chosen on the Wednesday previous to the match, and hence, no doubt,, 'the straggling combination. Of the halves, Vincent was the best, both in- attack and defence. Wilson, who captained the team, played centre-forward: He lsu thick-set man of considerable weight, lint there his merits end. He is not a quarter so clever in hockey as George Strai.k, • the Wellington . centre-forward. Thome, outside left, made heroic efforts ■to elude the op?Dsing defence, but without the desired effect. He also made some very glaring mistakes. Rands, inside left, was the mainstay of the for,'irard line. Not .infrequently did he test the. Wellington defence, but, without a good partner, his efforts were doomed. Bell broke away with Bright on manyoccasions down . the right-wing, but Smythe (Wellington left-half) usually tackled the pair with promptness, failing which Harty became useful. Most of the play from the visitors side was down tho left-wina. How Wellington Shaped. Of the Wellington forwards, Straclcj Loader, and Smith were the pick. Struck was up and down field like a streak of electricity; so also were the other two already mentioned. Strack fed his two wings unselfishly. Loader was iu grand form. Organ took R.. Parton's place through .the latter being indisposed, and he played a fairly good game". Smith, was very persistent when near the opposing circle, while Davies- Hashed into notice at times with spirited runs. Campbell was .the safest half on the field, But tho other backs were hot in the best of. fettle. -Naturally enough there was a marked contrast between the local and Horowhenua full-backs—in favour of Wellington—but even _ though ■ this t?os Iso, Wellington's backs did not shine out as they usually do. Hickson gave a very bad foul on one occasion, but he effected' some very ""brilliant "saves." Morpeth, in goal, had a fairly easy time of it. Coming Events. ■ The team to. represent Wellington against Wairarapa next Saturday, in tha third shield contest, will be the same as that, which played last Saturday, with ■ the exception that R. Parton will take the right-wing for.ward position, as was miduauy intended for' last Saturday's game To-day, the cup fixtures will be continued. • . "Off-side": Wanted, a Searchlight. Regarding the off-side rule, there seema to be a feeling of uncertainty amongst players and referees as to its exact meaning. In the first place, the local referees have, it is understood, adhered to the old "five-yard" clause, whereas the CanterburyTeterees ignore this point, altogether; and. they are, strictly speak-. ing, correct in doing ,so. Last: year's rule made special provision, to the effect that an attacker was not off-side providing he did 'not approach nor remain within five yards of the ball; .nor'in any way in T terfere with any other player until the ball had been touched or hit by one of his opponents. No player, however, could be off-side in his own half of the ground, nor. if the ball was last touched or hit by one of his opponents (subject to the five-yards, rule), or by one of his own' team,- who, at the time of hitting, was nearer his opponents' goal-line than himself. The rule also states that a player can be off-side when tho ball is being rolled in. . This year's new rule reads:—"When a player hits or rolls in the ball, any other player of the same team who is nearer his opponents' goal-line than the striker or roller-in at the moment when the ball is hit or rolled in, is off-side,, unless there be at least three of his opponents nearer to their own goal-line than he is. He may not, in any way interfero with any other player until the ball has been touched or hit by one of his opponents. No player, however, shall bo offside in his own half of the ground, nor if the ball was last touched or hit by one of his opponents, or by one of his owb team who, at the time of hitting, is nearer his opoonents' goal-line than himself." It will be seen from the latest wording of the rule that no reference is made to tlie matter of five yards. The rule,- as it stands, is very carelessly worded indeed. The fact of the matter is, that uoI player is permitted to be off-side unaer. miv circumstances whatever; and should he" be so, it is his place to get on-side promptly. This is the view taken by Mr. Hatch, the well-known Canterbury referee. The writer recently made it appear in this column that the old hVe-yards rule iOis still-in existence. This was wrong. It might be well for the local Referees' Association to convene a special meeting of referees and players, in order to thrash out this and other complicated ' rules thoroughly.