HOCKEY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 283, 6 August 1910, Page 2

HOCKEY.

Early in the present season the ladies of Te Kuiti conceived the idea of forming a hockey club, with a view to playing matches with the neigh-, bouritig clubs at To Awamutu, Ohauno, ' and other townships adjacent to Te Kuiti. Considerable difficulty was experienced in obtaining a suitable ground on which to practice, and alter deciding on a particular one, it was found that during the winter months it would be unfit to practice on owing to the amount of surface wafer caused by recent rains. Eventually if was decided to endeavour to obtain the school grounds of an afternoon after school was out, and obtained the nece-sary permission. Another <>bstacle in the way was the inadequate number of .girls that the club would be able to call on, but nothing daunted they decid' d to go on practising wiili the very lew that would roll (ii>, asd if lias only been on recent afternoons that they have had anything like a fair number down to indulge in that practice which is essential to success, especially with a oe wly- formed club, the members oi which, wit h but two or three exceptions, have never played the game before. However, good progress has. been made, and under the able couching of Mr I dssunian. junr., they have proved very keen on learning the. theory and practice of the game. Te Awamulu were anxious to cross sticks with the local novices, and though expecting defeat, the challenge was accepted, the. match duly eventuating on Wednesday last, on the. local domain. Although tin' match was played on a day when the shops do not observe a half-holiday, tiu* attendance; o' the public was very large and keen interest was shown right through the game. After avt ry hard and strenuous light, in which the local girls held almost as much advantage as the visitors, Te. Awamutu led by one goal on the call of halt-time. The play oi the visitors lip to the score was very neat, but lacked that lire >vhieh (hey put into their efforts in the second spell, and their combined play was superior in the latter half than the first, they notching three more goals before the game ended. The local team have the making of a very tough proposition, and will give a much improved exposition of the game before the end of the season, when thev will have learned more fullv their respective places on the field. Their hittine:, too, was. somewhat erratic, and lost many good openings by crowding on each other. One feature which they will have to adopt, is, not to hit. too hard when approaching their objective circle, because all advantage is lost thereby. The game was very fast in the first spell, a;d the better condition of the visitors tolri its tale in the second. The general opinion of tie.' onlookers v;t" that, the local team gave a far better exhibition of the gam'. 1 than was. expected, and to inidividuaiise the eliorts oi flic plav. ;s would be unfair as they all did' their best, ai.d that best was very good indie' !. A little more iinishing oIV, and Te Kuiti hope to turn the tables, on their victors of last, Wednesday. The goals weio scored by Misses J;, and N. ]!ond, the former shooting" 2 and the latter 1. Mr Cruickshank" referred in an efficient, manner, ami Messrs Willis and Spring held the touehdiuo flags.

Tin; vis&iliii!'' team W'Tc (Ik- ;fs <if the To KuiLi girls at ti inner aI. Kelvin House, ami at, (lie Caledonians ami a t'terv. ards :ii, supper, abut at I he dance in tiie Town 1!a 11, mi U r partaking of supp. i - . 'I hey returned homo by the express at. 2 a.m., having spent a real enjoyable ouLing. and spoke in glowing terms ef the hospitality of the To KuiLi Ladies' Hockey C'luii. The lee-al clul.) desires us to heartily thank all those who gave donations low aids oiterlainini.r the visitors. Those who took lists aionnd state that, they met" with only three refusals.