HOCKEY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 724, 25 July 1929, Page 13

HOCKEY

By i ' J:—O'

Rakaunui

Can St. Luke’s wrest the senior hockey championship from Somerville? ; That is the question which is bringing . the supporters of both clubs to their • toes this week. The Whites have withstood all opposition for four years now and in some quarters are said to be likely to retain the Davis Cup for yet another year. The competition is in a delicate posi- j tion and the fact that the second round j concluded last Saturday has left the \ final issue still in the air speaks for j the keenness of play throughout the ' series. Fortunes have swung to and fro. Both teams left in the sieve have triumphed over each other on one oc- j casion and exuberant interest has ; been whooped up for the final fixture : on Saturday. Disinterested observers seem to be agreed that St. Luke’s is lucky to have got a.s far as it has. But the team has battled well and for the ultimate good of the game it would be well if the reds annexed the Davis Cup. Somerville players themselves, though determined to put forth their best endeavours to hold the trophy, have more than once stated with unassumed sincerity that hockey would receive a timely stimulus if the championship changed hands. Remembering Somerville’s uncanny characteristic of rarely, if ever, being downed twice in a season by the same team, “Rakaunui” will be very surprised if St. Luke’s emerges the victor. Still, one never knows. Tine Australian Defeat From accounts of the match between tho Australian touring team and the Wellington representatives last Saturday, Wellington seems to have been definitely the better team. Wellington fielded almost the same men as against Canterbury in the Challenge Shield match, with the exception of the back, K. Perrin being moved from half to fullback to replace Massey, and Spiers replacing Falconer. Another new man, Mahoney, took Perrin’s place in the halves. The change seems to have been effective as Australia had great difficulty in piercing the Wellington defence. The Australians suffered severely from the mud, which hindered their stick-work and disorganised their combination.. Their star fullback, Todkill, was also missing and his absence ruined the team’s defence. It cannot be said that the result was entirely unexpected. Australian players are notoriously unused to heavy grounds, and as much rain had fallen in the week preceding the match it was not to be expected that the team would appear at its best. It will be interesting if the grounds in the South Island and at Wanganui are thoroughly hard and dry. We may yet hope to see the visitors working at their best and under their own conditions. The test match for the Manning Cup will be played on Saturday, August 10. In the evening the A.H.A. will give a dinner for the team, and on Sunday afternoon members of it will bo motored round Auckland. On Alonday evening the A.H.A. will combine with the A.L.H.A., and give a dance in tho Click Clack Cabaret. The team will leave for Sydney on Tuesday, all idea of visiting Fiji having been given up. The Challenge Shield. —The Canterbury Association has offered August 17 for the date of Auckland’s match for the New Zealand Challenge Shield. This date will almosts certainly be accepted, and the best team that Auckland can muster will travel down to Canterbury with the object of bringing the shield home with it on its return. * * * The chief difficulty in the way of the trip to Canterbury is one of finance. To raise funds for the expenses of the team, the two associations will hold a jumble sale in St. Matthew’s Hall, Hobson Street, on , Axigust 2. The proceeds will be divided equally, and the women’s share . will be used to send a team to Gis- ; borne for the Dominion ladies’ hoc- ; key tournament.

ON THE WOMEN’S GROUNDS

Various regrading's and rearrangements were carried out at Tuesday’s meeting of the Auckland Ladies’ Hockey Association. Permission was given fo.r the Y.W.C.A. to withdraw its junior grade B team after the second round, and Wesley was given leave to enter a second junior B team to take its place. The transfers of Miss J. Leach (Technical) from B team to A team and of Miss V. Derham (Somerville) from junior grade to senior grade, were confirmed. Wesley was granted permission to transfer Miss J. Young, Miss M. Lockie, Miss X). Chant, and Miss P. Levy from its A team to its B team in the junior grade. The association granted an application from the Thames Ladies’ Association for affiliation. It was announced that a team might be sent to plaj Thames on August 31. On August 10, when New Zealand plays Australia for the Manning Cup at Eden Park, all women’s games will be postponed in order to allow players to see the test match. Auckland will definitely send a team to compete in the New Zealand ladies’ hockey tournament in Gisborne at the end of August, and the collegiate section has received permission to send a team of its own. This team will be known as Auckland B. The points won by senior grade teams at the end of the second round of the competition are as follow:

! Papatoetoe B . . Withdrew early. I Y.W.C.A. B. . . Enters at third round.

P. W. L. r>. Goals. F. A. Pts. Mount Eden . . 8 5 1 2 21 10 12 TV esley .... 1 2 23 11 12 Somerville . 8 3 4 1 18 15 Y.W.C.A. . . . . 8 2 5 1 11 22 5 Arawa . ... . S 1 5 2 8 23 4 In the junior A grade they are as follow: — P. TV. L. D. Goals. F. A. Pts. Papatoetoe A. . S 7 0 1 10 10 Id Papakura . . . . S 5 2 1 20 9 11 Technical P.S., A 8 3 4 1 IS IS Y.W.C.A. A . . 8 2 5 1 13 21 5 Mount Eden . . 8 0 6 2 9 21 2 The junior B grade points are:— P. TV. l. r>. Goals F. A. Pts . . S 5 0 3 10 2 13 Wesley A . . . 8 5 1 2 15 3 12 Technical P.S., B 8 4 1 3 S 8 11 Manurewa . . . S 2 6 0 2 20 4