HOCKEY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 62, 4 September 1911, Page 8

HOCKEY.

LADIES' TOURNAMENT. IWOTF STANiDARD OK PLAY. : By Telegraph—Press Association. 1 Wellington, Last Xight. The jadics' hockey tournament com-1 | menced 011 Saturday at Day's Bay. I* was a bright, sunshiny (lav, with a high: nor'-westerly wind blowing, and there was a large attendance of the public. .Seven matches were 'played, the play : generally being even and of a high ■ standard. J ! Tin' Ibuvke's Bay v. Canterbury A match was a revelation for ladies' ( . hockey. and attracted special interest, i > The play was superior to many of the | I men's shield games recently played. ■ i lioth teams played sterling hockey, and i the ground being level as a billiard • table made the pace very fast. Hawke's: - May forwards were very fast. From the i initial bully, the players got into their| stride, and the excitement of the spee-: ; ta-tor.s rose to fever height. In the open-! 1 ing stages of the game the ball travelled 1 from north to south at lightning speed,! the forwards and backs of both sides! putting in strenuous work. Canterbury j - lost a fairly easy chance to seoru . through the lied forwards bunching too much. Then Hawke's Bay tried to pcnc--1 trate Canterbury's defence, but failed. Later an irresistible rush enabled 1 Hawke's Bay to score the only goal of

the game. * Their vanguard took the 1 ; ball from their own territory, and moved l down the lield in fine combined play, f Miss Smith passed across to her left 1 wing and enabled Miss Pitt to shoot. ] The Canterbury custodian stopped the [ ball brilliantly, but before she could i clear, Miss Pitt followed up her shotj ] Hiiiothered the goal-keeper and sent the | ball between the uprights amid deafen-j) ing applause. At half-time Hawke's Bay|; was attacking. On resuming, the cham-11 pions commenced the attack, and were' i on the point of scoring when a breach j occurred. Canterbury retaliated and i peppered Hawke's Bay defenders with shots which were cleared only in the nick of time. Miss Pitt was again prominent in an attempt at goal, but Canterbury's goal-keepers saved magnificently. For a while the ball travelled rapidly from goal to goal, each team in turn penning up the backs in the centre several times. A score seemed a certainty for Canterbury, but the Hawke's Bay goal-keeper frustrated each attempt by hitting the ball clear on every occasion. On one occasion so close was the ball to the gnal, with several Canterbury forwards on its trail, that a score seemed inevitable, but the goal-keeper coolly hit out to the side. Canterbury's goalkeeper performed a similar feat. It was only the two goal-keeprs that prevented either side from scoring. When time sounded, the game was in Canterbury's territory, but Hawke's Bay were evidently fagged. Neither team outshone the other, and the hacks 'were well . matched. The Hawke's Bay forwards had ' the advantage liecause they did not bunch like Canterbury, and their play in the circle was more deadly. Mr. H. . W. \\ niton refereed. To demonstrate 1 how well the game conformed to the ! rules,it may be mentioned that "sticks/' the mostly easily infringed rule in the game, was only given three times. Score: Hawke's Bay, 1; Canterbury A, nil. Nelson beat Auckand by 2 goals to 1. It was a good match, and Auckland was expected to win, but the Xelson defence was too sound to be broken down easily. Several times Auckland attacked with such pertinacity that it was only '

In- a most supreme" effort that Nelson managed to keep them out. The forwards of both sides played great games, and several incidents were very exciting. 'Die second spell was not" so exciting, lint both sides played yery determinedly, especially Nelson, ami the pace was fast. Auckland lacked iu a slight degree the combination of Nelson. Jlr. W. A. Gendall refereed. Wellington defeated Canterbury f! by '2 goals to nil. The game was not up to expectations, and was dull and uninter- | all through. The only prominent feature about the game was'the play of \\ ( IlingUm s full-'backs, Cameron and Inmey, ami the best player on the Canterbury side was Williams, the right fullback. Towards, the end of the game she created some amusement by falling on the ball and across the goal mouth to stop the hall, and for this a penalty should have lieen given against Canterbury. Mr. (J, Carver refereed. W'anuaniii defeated Wairarapa hy 2 goals to 1. It was a fairly fa>t game, and an exv.-llent display of 'hockey. Mr. G. Keall was referee. Jaranaki beat Ala.rll>orough by 5 points to 1. The game was not altogether uninteresting. Mr. C. Campbell carried the whistle. Southland 'beat Wellington >by 8 goals to nil in a very one-sided game, tile Southland comninatiou being far superior to thait. ol Wellington. Mr. 11, Manning refereed. Manawatu A and West Coast played a draw, neither side scoring. J At the conclusion of the afternoon's] play the visiting teams were entertained | at afternoon tea by Mr. Arnold 'lzard, the! president of the New Zealand Associa-j tion, and also by the Wellington Ladies' Hockey Association at Day's Hay pavilion. In the evening the visiting teams, were entertained to supper at the Kcl-' l)iirue iV;\ Kiosk l>y the \ew Zealand Ladies' Hockey Association. A bazaar is to be held next week in aid of the, funds of the Wellington Ladies' Hockey J Association.