Hockey HIGHER STANDARD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 105, 20 May 1937, Page 12

Hockey HIGHER STANDARD

"Penalty Corner")'

Evidehce NEED FOR VARlETY M ■ i imI i~ 8~iifl^i

(By

Hockey in Napier on Saturday last was interestxng in many ways. Not dnly was there a great improveinent in the play of some of the teams but there was a marked differendd in the way players adapted themselves to the sodden ground and to the circumstances of the game. Speaking generally, there is too great a tdndency With many of the players to adopt a stereotyped form of piay. This practice iflvites defeat. Hockey is a game in which head, hands and Wris't work in iustantaneous cooperation, and initiative is one of the first essentials of a good hockey player. Aiiy stereotyped form of play can be learned by opposing sides and countered. The weakest side of a bkck or forward line is soon found and the attack concentrated mostly, but not all the time, on that side. Variety in attack is 'esp6cially a good lifle to study and practice, and individual players and captains of teams should be encouraged to study such taetics as may be useful in certain eontingencies. DaageroUS Thdtict). On Saturday the Technical Old Giris team played * without a gcialkeepef. ThiS is always risky when a full team is being placed in the field. It is (juestionable xf it adds mtich to the etrength of the attack, and it certainly weakens the defence if the opposing sides concentrates on solo play or" short passes near the cxrcle. A fast centre or inside forward Chn of ten take the ball past the opposing baCks, and then have a clear field to shoot for goal before the other baeks can intercept. When play is varied in this way penalties for off-side are less frequent, and the defenders usually show that they have been expecting the usual passing play to be indttlged in. Solo play gave Clive two df their three goals against Tech. Old Girls on Saturday, and had Miss M. J af f ray iifted the ball Over a defender's stick with a SpOOix Shot, when close to ' the goal mottth, instead of tappxng into position for a Shot at goal, another goal wouid have been notched fdr Clive. Solo play, too, gave Kiwi seniors their big score against Old Boys, who were' playing short, for McCutcheon, With quick Solo runs, dribbled past the opposing back division and laixded goal after goal. one-slded Gaime. * The same style of play was adopted by Kiwi A, in the junior game against Scinde, who were playing three, men Short. This made it a one-sided game and no fair criterion of the merits of the two teams. Kiwi A, however, played a very good game both in attaek and defence. In the Women's senior game Napier played without any of the dash which was so strong a feature of their play last season. Huiia played a much nxore. Vigorotts game than Napier, but there Was UotMUg in their play to bring about Niapier's defeat had that team shdwn anything approaching their beSt form. Sest of the D.ay. The match, Scinde against Waratahs was, I think, the best of the afternoon. Scinde showed a great improvement qn their previous games this seiason, though in previous games they have not always had a full team. Waratahs were, quick, but not quite so aocurate in their passing as was Scinde, an dtheir forwards lost control of the ball on several occdsions ■when a score seemed likely. The game was a fairly evenly. contested one. So far this season* those teams which have adopted the Indian style of short passes instead of long passes, have come off best.