Hockey.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 165, 29 August 1903, Page 19

Hockey.

The results of Saturday's games are as follow — Senior United 2 v. Karon 1 , Wellington 7 v. Victoria College 2 ; Vivian, a bye. Junior United 4v. Victoria College 1 , Wellington 3 v. V.M..A. 2 ; Karori v. Vivian heat not played, on account of ground. * *• -fPlayers and barrackers who journeyed to Day's Bay on Saturday received a very pleasant surprise at the state of the grounds. Number three certainly was unplayable and the junior heat, Karon H. v. Vivian 11., had to be postponed but numbers one and two grounds were in very fair order indeed, and have of tea been worse. All the interest was centred m the match on number two ground, between the Karori and United Clubs, and there was a good muster of both clubs' supporters, who, to judge from the uproar, must have found the game very exciting. Both teams were "all out," the Karori men especially so, as defeat to them meant disaster so far as their championship aspirations went, and, though the United team has played with more prettiness and combination, each individual has never played haidei\ nor has he often been required to. The Karorites were in better condition than their opponents, and frequently seemed to have them at a standstill. Only bad luck, and an inability to take advantage of their chances, kept their score down. On the other hand, the Unit-eel forwards, while having fewer opportunities, took advantage of those that offered, and, in reality, soored one more goal than the official score states. Guy sent in a hard shot, and lifted the ball in such a fashion that it went under the bar but over the net at the back of the goal, and as the referee was not m a position to see what had occurred, he was forced to disallow the goal. This shows most emphatically the necessity of having the goal space roofed with net, as it would be the hardest of hard luck for a team to lose a match through a contingency like this The Karori Club had the assistance of their old club man, Mackenzie, from Levin, and he showed his appreciation by giving one of the best, if not the best, exhibitions ever seen on the Bay grounds. He played half in the first, and inside riorht forward in the second spell, and seemed equally at home in either position his goal being a hummer. The ball passed between Pearson's legs, and the veteran goal-keep admits he knew nothing about it till it brushed his i>ads. T Spiers filled his cousin's place in the Karori goal, but was not a success, and should have stopped at least one of the scores against his side. Campbell moved back from centrehalf to full-back till Mackenzie went forward, and was useful, if not brilliant. It is a great pity, both for his club and province, that this player cannot regain his old-time form. Harcourt, in the half line, was, very prominent, and, with another season's experience in big hockey, should get his interprovincial jersey.

The other backs worked hard and soundly, and kept their forwards well supplied with the ball. In the van, Cntchley, on the right wmg, Williams, on the left, and G. Davies, w ere the most successful till Mackenzie took Cathie's place, and after that they followed his lead with vim and dash, and, as stated before, were unfortunate in not scoring more. D,avies, howe>vea\ struck me as not being quite himself on account of ius recent illness To come to a criticism of the w mning team, it must be said at once that the goal-keeper Pearson, and the forwards won the match. The half-line did not rise to the occasion, the pace and dash of the Karoii forwards nonplussing the men time and again. Claude Hiokson and Ashbolt, the full-backs 1 , were solid in defence, but seemed, particularly the latter, to content themselves too much with using the touch-line _ instead of feeding the forward division. In consequence, Smythe, the most effective in attack of the forward line, did not get enough to do to show as prominently as usual. McLean and Guy, a promoted junior, were good, amd the latter had bad luck in not being rewarded wath the score he undoubtedly secured. Hickson, in the centre, was hampered by the slipperiness of the ground, but was very sound, and Organ, on the right wmg got through his work very well. Peaison, in goal, repelled attack after attack, but. made one bad mistake in stopping a ball in the goal month that had been struck outside the circle, so getting his side into a difficulty they were lucky to get out of scathless. To sum up, the match was a splendid one, and it only requires a few more such games to attract the public, and give the game the prominence" it deseives. * * * The action of the Karoii Club in playing Mackenzie on Saturday has given rise to considerable discussion, the prevailing opinion being that in so doing the club was courting disaster, as the cfnly result could be the forfeiture of the match win or lose. To me this seems inevitable, as the rule on the matter is quit© explicit, and, to my mind, leaves no loophole. It appears that when Maokenzie left the district his name was, allegedly inadvertently, omitted from the list of'active members 1 supplied to the Association by his club in accordance with rule 7, and, as he has not since complied with the conditions) of the residence clause as set forth in that rule, his name cannot be added to the list, and, therefore, he is not eligible to play for Karori. It is a pit— that Mackenzie's services will not be available against Canterbury to-morrow, as his inclusion would go far towards strengthening Wellington's weak department, the half-back line. * * * To-morrow, at Day's Bay, Wellington's biggest interprovincial fixture wall be played, viz., that against Canterbury. The Southerners are on their way home from an all-round tour of the North Island, and, as they have played five matches together, should be able to show something good in the way of c omb ination . The local team is the same as that against Wairarapa, except that Reid, of the Wellington Club replaces O'Sullivan as right-balf, a change that, if it does no eood, will not do harm. The _ Wellington Association's representatives have met Canterbury three times, two of the games being drawn, and the other a victory for the local men. * * * The Wellington - Victoria College match, on Saturday, calls for no remark, as the Wellingtonians, after t(he first quarter-of-an-hour, took charge, and rattled up seven goals to their opponents' two.