WITH STICK AND BAIL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 20, 14 April 1927, Page 11

WITH STICK AND BAIL

With the winter season approaching, the followers of the stick and ball game are looking forward to a bumper season and club officials are busy roping in players for the respective teams. Information received recently from the secretary of the New Zealand Hockey Association is to the effect that it has been definitely decided that a New Zealand team will tour Australia some time during August.

The new season’s prospects for hockey in Auckland are very bright and although, no doubt, the local association may not be favoured with a visit such as was tendered last year by the Indian team there is every indication that the sport, because of the rapid strengthening of the senior teams and the popularity of the game among the schools, will in every way prove most successful. Hockey should receive a big impetus again this year by the decision of the New Zealand Association that some time during the coming season a visit will be paid by a New Zealand representative team to Australia. It is announced that the team will in all probability leave New Zealand about the middle of August and will play matches at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and some of the smaller centres. In the Auckland senior grade Stanley will be missed, but this loss will be counteracted by the entry of Epiphany to senior rank, while there is a rumour afloat that ’Varsity is feeling capable of placing two teams in the senior grade. In all probability this grade will be composed of teams from Mt. Eden, St. Luke’s, Somerville, Areta, Wesley, ’Varsity A, ’Varsity B, Epiphany and Grafton. There is every possibility that entries in the junior grade will be up to those of last season. It is also hoped to promote a secondary school championship, independent of the ordinary grade championships. OPENING DAY Mr. E. J. Hewitt, secretary o*f the Auckland Association, advises that the hockey season will begin in Auckland on April 30, the same opening day as arranged by many other winter sports bodies. Entries for the various competitions in all grades will close on April 26. Already practices have been arranged and men from all clubs have begun training in earnest. Last Saturday saw large numbers of hockey followers out in the field, in spite of the weather.

PROSPECTS FOR HOCKEY SEASON A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA

AMONG THE TEAMS The Somerville team for this year will be composed mostly of the same men as last year’s. E. Watts, C. Watts, Cole, and Baildon, who represented New Zealand last year, are all very fit and will be turning out for their old club again this year. H. Hookham, another ex-New Zealand representative is again expected to help St. Luke’s along, and E. Burton, who captained the Auckland team last year and also gained a place in the New Zealand team, will lead the ’Varsity men. Philpott, late of Taranaki and Waikato, who toured Australia in 1024 with the New Zealand representatives is now a resident of Auckland. A rumour is afloat that he will be assisting ’Varsity this year. The personnel of the new senior team, Epiphany is so far unknown and not much information is available in this respect. The club officials definitely state, however, that they are not canvassing players from other clubs. QUESTION OF GROUNDS At the present time there is a Serious shortage of grounds and to overcome* this difficulty the Association has a big hurdle before it. Although the City Council has been approached in this direction, only one ground has been allotted for hockey at Victoria Park, and because of the number of teams which compete in the competitions, this is by no means sufficient. The Ladies’ Association is doing its bit in this respect and reports being willing to help by arranging college games for the mid-week. FINANCIAL POSITION Mr. Arthur Playle, chairman of the committee, stated that the financial position of the Auckland Hockey Association, is better this year than it had been for some time, no doubt largely due to the visit of the Indian Army team. Indirectly the schools catering for the game have reaped the benefit of the money in hand, for last season the Association presented to various primary schools the necessary materials to assist them in training and preparing for the hockey competitions.