HOCKEY.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 29 August 1919, Page 3

HOCKEY.

LEVIN (3) V. TE HORO (3)

A hard, stubbornly-contested game i was. the result, of the aJ»ovc fixture played at Tc Horo on Wednesday afternoon in fine weather. From the first bully to the call of time players were kept almost constantly on the move, , while all wore a determined, do-or-die air, that the large number of spectators appreciated. Soon after the~openiug the Levin forwards pressed hard, and Claridgc, who is a most consistent player, found the net, to the great jubilation of the visitors and their followers. Hopa, a hard, solid grafter, who played a much cleaner game than tisual, shortly after scored by sending a fast ball between the posts, making the score Levin 2, Te Horo 0. Up to this time play was chiefly to the advantage of the Levinites" and when halftime was called the odds were in their favour. On changing ends the visitors were out to make their position more secure, but a determined attack by Te Horo gave Joe Griffith an opportunity, and by a well directed hit the»ball found its mark —Levin 2, Te Horo 1. Hopa shortly after this scored for Levin, ami made the score 3—l in the visitors' favour. Play became even more brisk, and again Griffith, by a nice shot, was enabled to find the net for Tc Horo —3-2. Both sides continued to play stubbornly, hotly contesting every

inch of the ground, and excitement ran high when, with but a few minutes to go, Vic Allen scored a goal and eriiialised the scores. The ball was travelling well away from the goal post*, but a Levinite in attempting to stop it causcd.it to glance into*the net. Unfortunately, when this score was registered, a Levin player (Pink) was hor» de combat at the. opposite end of the field, audvseveral of the players stopVied, and afterwards'contended that no goal should be given. The Levin referee, however, said as the injured player was standing, he saw no reason for stopping the game, and therefore did not blow his whistle. Te Hero's referee, therefore, had no choice but to do his duty and award a goal. From this incident onward play was of an even nature, and the game ended in a draw.

Messrs G. .Noble (Levin) and H Nicolson were referees.

Although the game was a hard one. play was not of a scientific nature, but. nevertheless, combination was a pleasing feature. Hitting was not a strong' point, and it was no unusual occurrence to sec players tearing up the ground. Players, otherwise, made but few mistakes, all, more or less, being conspicuous' at times. Te Horo, however, have rather a bad fault in stopping a very slow ball with the hands. when the foot or stick could be used to better advantage. Apart from this all played a solid game, and there is no need to individualise players.

OTAKI (3) V. Y.M.C.A. (1). This match, played at Lcviu on Wednesday, was a very fair game, and on account of the visitors having several players absent'the contest was not as one-sided as it would otherwise have been. Giddens, who is gaining distinction as a scorer, notched two goals and Satherley one for the winners. Messrs Bull and Remana were referees.

An eil'ort is 'to bo made next season to revive ladies' hockey in the district, prominent hockey enthusiasts being already in communication with the parent body, who made the suggestion. It is hoped to send a ladies' team, representative of New Zealand, to Australia next season, and there is no reason why a district like Horowhcnua should not provide at least one player.