BASKETBALL

Southland Times, Issue 21097, 31 May 1930, Page 19

BASKETBALL

NOTES BY “DEFENCE.” To-day’s matches are all at Duke street. Senior: St. Peters v, Makarewa; Collegiate v. St. Mary’s; Bluff v. Rata. Intermediate: Kiwi v. St. Peter's; Collegiate v. Rata; Makarewa- v. Bluff. Makarewa and Rata drew last Saturday; first game of the second round. Next Friday and Saturday are the carnival days. Bring flowers and books. Both will sell well. Several players have earned £2. Which basketballer will make the most money ? Tuesday is seven-a-side tournament.- If wet a knoek-out tournament will be held in the Drill Hall, commencing at 10 a.m. Queenstown will send a team to play intermediate reps, on July 26. Wellington is holding a Queen Carnival to raise £250. They have 128 teams. Let’s do better with our 29 teams.

Wednesday’s matches postponed once more. What has happened to the weather? Saturday players have been much more fortunate; no postponements so far. St. Peter’s will have sweets for sale on Tuesday. SATURDAY’S MATCHES.

In the senior grade, Rata caused much excitement by making the game with Makarewa a draw’. The result was unexpected, especially as Makarewa were playing on their own court and Rata lost something of the combination in their centre third by the absence of M. Royds. It is rather astonishing to have to say that the game was quite slow for two teams who are noted for their quickness in passing. were never in the lead, and only equalised the score near the eml of the game. From the result of this gams I am of the opinion that there is very little difference in the general play of the leading teams, Makarewa, Rata, Bluff and Kiwi, and that it is the degree, of accuracy of the shooting of the forwards which decides the game. M. McCurdy (Rata) missed fewer shots than did M. Wright (Makarewa), although the latter had more chances. On this occasion Makarewa really had the better of the game and it was just that M. Wright was not so accurate as she has been all the season. That is not meant as any criticism of this player, every forward must sometimes have an “off” day. This season, anyway, M. Wright has had no bad days. There had been a good deal of rain prior to the match and the ball spon became greasy and heavy, and several passes to the forwards resulted in the ball slipping through their fingers over the back fine. The game lacked the vim expected from these teams and was not very thrilling for the spectators. St. Peter’s and St. Mary’s are evenly matched and thoroughly enjoy their games with each other, but neither is really a senior team. Unfortunately St. Mary’s didn’t hand in their fist of players, or it has been mislaid so that I cannot remember the players, but they have only three .players who are of senior standard, M. Copper, M. Fitzgerald and D. Stone, and these, however hard they work, can make but little headway. M. Cooper should be very good, but she expends energy needlessly in rushing about the court to no purpose. K. Rutherford, a forward, will be very good, but a year in an intermediate team would have taught her a great deal. She has an easy way of shooting and is not easily bustled, I hope she will keep on with practising. I shall be interested to know how this team gets on with its match against St. Patricks (Eastern District). The latter has been graded senior for the purpose of the seven-a-side tournament.

I am at ’ a loss how to help St. Peter’s with criticism. Every little while there is a flash of good passing, but somehow it never gets past that. Yet the team practises together, nearly always fields the same players and each does her part. There is never any slacking on the part of any one member, but still they don’t get there. They are inclined possibly to use too much energy and then fail when they are needed most. One can play no game well unless one uses one’s brains and decides when it is necessary to run about and when to conserve one’s energy. Tactics is their weakness really; although they know each other, they do not seem to have any special reason for sending the ball to any one player or place on the court; they rarely throw to space, and that in the modern game is a weakness. However, I admire them tremendously for their perseverance M. Jordan was the best player in the team that played against. St. Mary’s. Collegiate -wants to learn to be punctual and incidentally to read the paper to know when their match is to be played; not to rely on the information of someone else. Last week they,had to play L. Strathern, who is only registered as an emergency, as a defender. She hasn’t played this season at all and never in the defence third, so that naturally the team was considerably weakened when one defender thought the games commenced at 3 p.m. when they had been advertised for 2.30 p.m. Bluff were combining very well and G. Burtenshaw has improved tremendously in the last few weeks. Mrs Te Koeti was much more accurate in her shooting; was that because the defence third was not so strong’ If so, it shows a weakness. A good shoot should be able to get goals, however difficult a defender makes it for her. In the intermediate grade, Kiwi put up a poor game against Makarewa. What has happened" to this team, which did so well It is quite unsafe to praise Rata at all, since next match they do as badly aa ever, and once more they played with only eight players. From the number they have registered surely nine players could turn out each week; it must be most disheartening to those Who come regularly. A week or two ago I stated that bunching was extinct in Southland; the statement was premature and both these teams proved it conclusively in their match. Every girl in the centre rushed the same epot and then all off together to the next place they thought the ball would come. Bluff might do it from inexperience but Rata should have profited by the mistake instead of helping to increase it. Bluff has one particularly good forward and another who helps considerably. I should, however, discourage young players from shooting with one hand. M. Wright (H. and J. Smiths) and T. Mac Ewan (Rata) do it, but they have been playing a long time and it would be too difficult for them to change. You have not the same commancT over the ball if you use only one hand. The throw is not very hard and the ball could more easily be batted and by a good defender while on its way to the ring. Practise using both hands for getting goals.

An Historical Note. Under the above heading “Alpha” of Otago Daily' Times, published the following a couple of weeks ago. As is should be of interest to Southlanders I am printing it here. At the same time I might add that it was from those rules published by Mr Longworth that the N.Z.B.A. compiled the first set of rules in 1925. The game of course as it is now played in New Zealand differa in a great number of respects from that recognized by the American Physical Education Association. Mrs H. D. Muir (President Wellington Association), Miss Armstrong (Wellington), Miss D. R. Crumpton (President Hawkes Bay Association) at that time (Secretary of N.Z.8.A.) and Mrs R. S. Mclnnes (President N.Z.8.A.) were present at the Council meeting which drew up the rules. Mrs Muir and Miss Armstrong are at present the Rules Committee for the Council.

In 1924 the Education Department in New Zealand published the Rules of Basketball. The chief physical instructor (Mr H. E. Longworth), in a foreword to the rule book, wrote the following, which makes interesting reading td-day, now that the game has made such great progress:— This game is increasing in popularity in our schools, and, as I should like to see it played in as many schools as possible, owing to the great benefit physically which the players derive from it, I here give a brief account of its history.

The game was invented by a student— James Najsraith, of the Y.M.C.A., Training School, Plainfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A., in 1891. Having attended a lecture by a psychologist on the mental process of invention, with the qualifications and limit? etions of an ideal game as an example, he

went home and worked out the rules of basketball, which the next day by a class in life gymnasium with such success that its fame spread rapidly—so much so that it soon became one of the most popular games in America for girls as well as for men, and spread to England and elsewhere. Seeing the great possibilities associated with the playing of it from a physicaleducation point of view, the American Physical Education Association took it up, and revised the rules so that the greatest possible benefit could be obtained by those who played it, particularly from the. girls point of view. They went so far as to say that it was the best game for girls; and with this most, if not all, physical educators concur. The beneficial effects of the game upon the future womanhood of this country cannot be over-estimated if it be played as near international rules as possible. In this country the game is played under two or three different sets of rules, which is not in the best interests of those who play it. A standard set of rules is urgently required for the whole Dominion. Therefore I strongly recommend that basketball be played under international rules. Cricket, football, hockey, tennis, etc., are all played under international rules. Why not basketball ? The official rules for women have been compiled by the American Physical Education Association after 30 years’ experience. A modification of these rules to suit our New Zealand conditions has been put together, and in Otago the game is played under these new rules. I strongly urge that the game be played throughout the Dominion under these new rules. Much dissatisfaction has arisen in the. past owing to the fact that the rules are not standardized. 1