Hockey.

Southland Times, Issue 18847, 12 June 1920, Page 9

Hockey.

! >;■ ams by I The i■ I:lvir<" .• iiflai’' 1 :- in Invercargill were j very U..1 m;-' \\ c.ilay'.- matches and (he j * cam.' v. h;c.; played in town were too un 1 evenly inuJcii.Hl in make tin- "nines iniorest--1 .:i". Coikyiaie A were drawn to play their j B team anil hud an easy task in deteating ihe young,:’ and more inexperienced players. \Vilti a n.p, non,an ol points in tiieir lav.•ur the A team exchanged backs with the B team in the second half with the idea ol making the piny more even, hut the change md inn maim any material ditieremv. 1 ninn also had a comparativ. ly ( asy win over High School B, and scon d nine coal.- to ml. l inen were one player short and the High School lorwnrris lost several j ctiances by being placed otf-sidc. The offside rule one which feu- teams .--;vm to I undeist.ano, although it is clearly drained | n thr rule-bowk. The rule reads: "When ] a player hit s or rolls in the hall, any other ] plavi. r <’f the same team who is nearer his ; op( nnenFs goal-line than the striker or j mller in at trie moment- when the hall is hit I er io!!ed, in is off-side, unless there ho at •cast- three of Ids opponents nearer to their own .'tied line than he is. lie may not play the hall nor in any way interfere with any other player until the ball has boon touched or hit by one oi his opponents. No player, however, -hall he olf side in his own half i■ f tin- yrnimil, nor if the ball was last tourhed or hd by one of his opponents, or by one of ids own team who, at the time at hitting, is nearer Ills opponents’ goal-lint j than he is." 1 Apart from the handieap under which j the High School team was placed by so 1 frequently being mled old-side, the players | did not !n cp their positions and crowded I the play too much. Those are faults which j could be remedied by a little coaching and I with it the school team would be able to j make a good showing against any of the j other l ea.ms - . [ A meeting of the executive of the New I Zealand Hockey Association was, held early lin the week; present Mr fl. S. J. Goodman i (in the chad - 1 and Messrs G. S. Cowp&r, (.1. Ford 1 Manawatu i ,\V. Winchronih f Hawke's Buy). M. Bailie. (Auckland) and 15. P. Granger (Canterbury). It was decided that, no action should be taken with reference to the Nordon Cup, which is at present held by the Waikato Association.

] The Hawke’s Bay Association wrote re- j 1 gardtng the proposed tour of a New South Wales team, expressing the opinion that no tour should be arranged unless at least-eight j matches were played. ; The matter was held over. Arising out of a letter from the Auckland , Association asking how the executive pro--posed to arrive at a choice of referees for .Shield matches it was decided to reply that the association was endeavouring to arrange ; the matter through the New Zealand Hockey : i Referees’ Association; also to write to all : affiliated associations and the New Zealand ! Referees’ Association, asking for a list i competent referees, with special reference to ! referees capable of controlling Shield or ■ j Nordon Cun matches and who would bo : prepared to act outside of their own dis- j ; I riots. ' j

The Auckland Association wrote asking a ruling on the following point; - Rule 2 "May either of the players participating in the "bully” play the hall between his legs immediately (he bully is commenced by ruing that the bully has. been correctly taken i If not. what action should the referee take, or what penalty should he award? After some discussion it was decided to reply that, in the opinion of the executive a player, in the circumstances as outlined, was guilty of obstruction. A ruling was also sought by the Auckland Association on the following point : —Rule 16 —The “punalty bully” has been correctly taken hy the offender and one of the attacking team, and then the attacker creates a breach hy kicking the bail while ptay is -till within the circle. Docs this breach by the attacker finally end the penalty bully? If so, what is the [vosilion of the other twenty players when the defender takes the resulting ‘free hit’? If. in taking (his Tree hit.’ the defender gives ‘sticks’ what penalty diould the referee award?” An affirmative an-nver was given to the first point raised-—by a "free hit’’ being riven to the defenders. As regards the second point it was ruled that players mu t r.’.suiiir (In-ir ordinary position- on the field. It was ruled with reference to the third point, (hat a penalty corner should be awarded. It was decided to inform the Waikato Association that a complaint had been received regarding the grounds, goal posts and nets used hy the association in connection with Nordon Cup matches, and to ask for an explanation. It was a.-weed to play the Shield matches against Auckland in the following order;--Nelson. Hawke’s Bay, Manawatn, Wanganui, Canterbury, and to write to the Auckland and Nelson Associations suggesting that the first match should be played not latrr than July 3. The challenges of Thames and Poverty Bay against the holders of (lie Nordon Cup (Waikato: were fixed to be played in that oriler, the first match to be played on duly 10. Will the newly-born Schools’ Sports Association awake from its young slumbers? Established with a disturbing fanlarc tor the purpose ol encouraging anti com roiling sports of all kinds in the primary schools, the Association does not seem as yet to have advanced further tlran an ecstatic contemplation of its constitutional amts. I’nhappily .-ports cannot be encouraged or controlled by the mere placing of pretty words upon a sheet, of paper or by the an-tnamcniu-nl of good intentions. J am provoked to this moralising by the piofcxt that has been made by the Ladies’ Hockey Association that, nothing—or so little that its effect- escape the eye of the microscopisl- has been done in connection with hockey in the schools. The Associattou's ill.-.piay of anxiety docs not come 100 soon, as a matter of tact it is about live weeks too late. The season is already well advanced and the Schools’ Sports Association has done nothing. 1 do not know whether it has achieved as much for any other .-port, but a.- far as hockey is concerned unless this new hod} - can do more than iii-iM- in its .deep it would be batter in the interests of lire game and in the interests ot tl u . children if those who have the welfare of both a: heart shoulu strangle this infant controlling hotly which so lar has had so much control tiiat it B iin‘Ueetive. Somnambulism in sport is about as useful as a burnt-out match in a dark room. Tiie more I see of th.e matches played on the I toon Mrcet and Queen's Park grounds the more 1 bewail the want of good m-is. Lor many years tile vaiious club- have been carrying on under the same unsatisfactory e-uidilions and most of them have m-t been iu a position to cti’ect- any improvement. The impoverishes! state of the I a:he.-’ Hockey Ass.wiation has prevented i! from fulfilling all the punio-e,- for which it was established, but now an opportunity has arisi ti by which the old dole. Is can be remedied if ih-.- player- will take lull advantage of it. Wldle one of the chief obif-ri,--. of the furthcoming carnival is to s-mi ti Southland team on lour and ra t-iomole return matches with ollur centres, this is only a means to an end and the ult 'mate aim of th.? movement now on foot--1-1 piece the A■ • ociat ion on a financial Lading must, be far wider in extent. luler-pron-ncial male'll; s should be a source of revenue to the Association, which if pro-n-criv managed, should within a few years

hr- a!to acomuH.-h many reform::. Some ■i 1 Jit* funds from the carnival should be de voted to supplying nets for I lie various grounds. and three could be purchased before the close of the present sea: on. If the expressed intention of the r l ov n Cotin"d to place playing areas in pood order and t.,Vn to place them under ih.a control of the 'serious sporting bo ties, meteriahses. tV' Southland Laities' I Focki y As-oviat ion will torse ample use for its revenue, and unless the players enter into the carnival

• it to enthusiasm all tlio-c who have vsi-had f■' menu rage the pastime will have merely i>rp?i t’oi’dinp e.,sties ,n llm air. Of it a matches to is' played nevt wrci; ■ h-'t lii'limi t'olhgiate A and College w.'l !> re -'a ,i 1 >iat’tael the most interest. 'I he < 'oltcviaic rtcvi-n dir! imi find it an easy task to defeat the WinPn eleven, while In their (urn (he country eleven found it equally difficult to defeat College. Collegiate are at present in the leading position and it is not I’kely (hat Wednesday's' match will iifii"'! the result of the competition. XeV'U't-rdes--. both teams should J'ive a pood exhibition of hockey and it should by no me' ns be one f ided. Tim Wintoi; girls are apparently feeling the efforts of vacebiat ioTT and the domor has advised (hem not to play an Wednesday next.