SHIELD HOCKEY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 479, 8 October 1928, Page 6

SHIELD HOCKEY

SOMERVILLE STILL IN FRONT UNIVERSITY GOES DOWN Auckland hockey is nothing if not inconsistent. The matches played at Remuera on Saturday in the eighth round for the Devonport Shield showed a great improvement over the previous week’s performances. The main game, the Somerville-Mount Eden fixture, produced a battle that was 50 per cent, better than the Som-erville-St. Luke’s encounter of a week ago. Some really refreshing play was witnessed, the game being more like the quality seen when club hockey in this city was in its heyday. Despite the fact that the side was a man short, and also played a junior, Mount Eden gave Somerville a great run, and the champions were fully extended to win by 4 —2. The surprise of the day was the defeat of University seniors at the sticks of Otahuhu to the tune of 4—3. The match was a good sporting one of quite a good standard. Epiphany had little difficulty in accounting for University Whippets. The match was ragged and ended 4 —l. A close go was staged by Training College and Somerville Colts, the former winning by I—o. Except that the turf was bumpy in some parts, conditions were ideal. As a result all games were unusually fast. Players are finding the sun too hot, an# there is no doubt hockey has exceeded its time limit. JUNIOR CHALLENGE CUP A splendid match was seen, when Wesley second graders met Waitemata thirds in the final for the junior challenge cup. So evenly matched were the teams that at the call of time there was no score. An extra quarter hour’s play still produced no score, and it was agreed the teams should hold the cup conjointly until next season. In the final for the Edgar Morgan challenge cup, Mount Albert Grammar A defeated Mount Eden by 6 —2. The following table shows the present positions of the teams in the Devonport Shield competition: Goals.

Whippets .. 1 6 1 4 16 3 PLUCKY EFFORT BY EDEN In the first half the Somerville v. Mount Eden clash was anybody’s game, and the half-time score of one-all was a reliable indication of the run of play. Although a man short, Eden made full use of the vacaney by playing one fullback and so giving its opponents a good deal of trouble with the off-side rule. Working with five keen forwards, Eden made many determined and penetrating assaults, and only the most stubborn defence kept the brown jerseys from registering several times. After the interval Eden began to tire, and gradually Somerville’s dashing front line assumed command of operations. It was when Eden decided to play a second fullback that Somerville became most dangerous. The game with 15 minutes to go was in favour of the whites. Then Eden made a strong recovery and succeeded in scoring in the closing stages. Somerville's vanguard excelled itself. Peace was shaky on the left wing, and Eric Watts moved to the position and Peace to inside-left with more satisfactory results. There was then no holding the five, who were seen in many sparkling movements. There appeared to be no passengers, in either team. The defence on both sides were sound, and halves and backs co-operated attractively. The game, though hard, was fought out in a spirit of pleasant rivalry. Mr. Arthur Playle was an efficient referee. EPIPHANY'S GOOD WIN

It was not expected that University Whippets would be able to survive their meeting with Epiphany, a more experienced eleven. The students put up a commendable showing, however, but lacked the bullocking ability of the yellow-and-blacks. The game was fast and furious, but not rough. Each side was a man short, and this, with a hot sun overhead, made the task of the fullback departments a trying one. Hewitt, Epiphany centre-forward, had a successful day’s hunting and scored two goals. Taw and Merryweather were the other goal getters, one each. The blues were unlucky in not getting at least one other score. Adams was the forward who got the Whippet's goal. OTAHUHU V. UNIVERSITY

Showing greatly improved form, Otahuhu. in a fast, clever game, beat University by 4 goals to 3. Play, right from the beginning of the game, was fast and open, both sets of forwards displaying good combination and passing cleanly. In the first half the passes were inclined to be rather too long and the hitting too hard, but later both sides settled down and the University forwards brought off some very pretty passing rushes. On the whole the sides were extraordinarily equal. During most of the game University looked to have the advantage and to be pressing Otahuhu, but actually this apparent advantage was negatived by Otahuhu’s dashing attacks and clever forward play. F. Gardner, on the Otahuhu wing, played a great game, keeping the ball moving and passing with beautiful accuracy. Whenever they got away cleanly, the University forwards swept down the field in great style, giving the Otahuhu backs great difficulty in stopping them. Webb, one of the University forwards, played a fast, energetic game and was the mainstay of his forward line. SOMERVILLE COLTS v. TRACING COLLEGE Training College had a very lucky win over Somerville Colts on Saturday. The main reason for the defeat of the latter was that they were inclined to bunch too much, instead of passing the ball about. Training College showed some good combination in the backs, and they gave many pretty exhibitions of stickwork. The ground was at times a little too fast for the Somerville forwards, who lost scoring opportunities through hitting too hard. College’s only score came through the agency of Meiklejohn, from a scramble in front of the net. Heard was the most outstanding player for Somerville, playing a clever gome throughout. In the final of the international polo matches the United States defeated the Argentine by 13 goals to 7 and retains the International Cup. The National Rifle Association of New South Wales opened the King’s Prize meeting on Saturday with service shots. In the Thomson Match, seven shots at 500yds., ten possibles were recorded. Cole (Waverley) repeated the performance in the shoot-off and took first prize.

W L. E. F. A. Pts. Somerville 8 26 11 16 St. Luke’s 7 1 20 4 14 Mount Eden 5 2 1 20 19 11 Otahuhu 4 3 1 24 18 9 University 4, 4 23 12 8 Epiphany 2 5 13 8 Training College 3 5 11 28 6 Somerville Colts University 1 6 1 6 16 3