HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20027, 28 August 1939, Page 8

HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY

GISBORNE TEAM RETURNS DIFFERENCES IN STYLES LIGHTER BOVS SUFFER The Gisborne High School hockey team returned from Wanganui on Saturday night after participating in the secondary schools tournament. The boys had a happy time, and were in no way perturbed by the series of defeats. In conversation to-day, the coach, Mr. G. W. Lang,home, said that the Gisborne team was the lightest and the youngest in the tournament, and the very heavy state of the grounds was against them, not only on that point but also against lheir style of play.

Most Of the teams depended upon hard hitting, and their size enabled them to send the ball over the muddy surface further than the Gisborne boys were able to. The other teams were also faster. Because Gisborne were lacking in speed, they had been trained in short passing tactics 'and" in stick work, but the latter was impossible on the Wanganui grounds.

Following a week of abnormal rain, the grounds were in a shocking state, and they were kept so during the greater part of flic week as a result of heavy rain almost every night. Fortunately- rain did not fail during the progress of games, except in the final match. Never Seen Worse Mr. Langhorne said he had never seen grounds in a worse stale, and even the Childers Road Reserve during Gisborne’s abnormal winter last year was not in such a bad condition. None of the. teams was able to do its best, but the lighter Gisborne boys suffered the most. Gisborne were outclassed in only one match, the first, which was against Auckland Grammar School, who secured most of their eight goals in the first spell. Gisborne turned round in the second half and scored two goals, but fhe improvement was .too late; While two other games provided substantial goal margins agains them, the territorial advantage in favour of the winners was not great, Gisborne being handicapped by lack of speed in recovery. Two other games were lost by Onlyone goal, and Mr. Langhorne said he was convinced that on a dry ground Gisborne could have won at least both of these. The champion team, Stratford, included many players who were in their third and fourth years in The the team, there being only two who had won their caps for the first time. Gisborne, on the other hand, had only two players who were in the first eleven last year. A Convincing Win

In the last match of the series, the ground was fairly firm, and Gisborne demonstrated their ability under the improved conditions by securing a substantial win by six goals to t.vvo against Wanganui, who nad previously won two games. This, Mr. Langhorne believed, was an indication of what 'hks boys could have done if the surface had been favourable throughout the week.

Next year, the tournament would be held in Auckland, where the turf on the hockey grounds was somewhat firmer, even in wet weather, and where the conditions should be more suitable for Gisborne’s style of play. Gisborne should have a further advantage i n that most of the members of the team were expected to be back at school next year, and, profiting by their experience last week, should be able to give a much better performance. Under the circumstances, he was satisfied with the manner in which the Gisborne boys performed. They took a little while to adjust themselves to the conditions, which, were strange to them, for the Gisborne grounds had been dry and hard throughout the winter. Even last year, when so much wet weather was experienced, the High School ground, wher e they did their training and played most of their games, was usually firm, even if slippery.