Big Hockey

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 24 August 1914, Page 7

Big Hockey

LADIES' RE'PREritXT AT 1\ E MATCH"' ENGLAND 9, v. TAItANAIvI 0. THE VISITOKS' SuTiaUUtl TACTICS. Glorious weather wrwiilod on Saturday for tftie ladies' hockey mjwWb at' ► V. (!W Plymouth bet we,-II ih». English htouring team ami tile Taranaki ladies, 'flic JingliaD 1 team is what might be termed a misskaiaiy effort, designed to teach the girls oi Auyuaiasia that hockey, played as it should ue played U I a game worth playing. One thing that should impress iIM-ii on playws an d publie alike is that the English athletic girl holds to her outdoor activities far longer than ""he colonials. Saturday's match J -was played between a schooled team of ma.tuTed. "Women on the visitors' side anJ u party of young Taranaki girls oil the olther, showing a total lack of coMbination and' little knowledge of the scientific side of t!ht game. 'JQhey ran just a-; toßt and but twice as hard as the English players certainly, and were loudly applauded by an essentially "football"' element in the crowd for so doing, but. these much, cheered exhibitions were really their undoing, for the "slogging" on the part of the locals, without thought of where the 'ball was e'oifi ,T o,' whether there was a Taranaki "man" in a position lo carry it on always—or nearly alw<iy«'~foiiii(l one of those clevoT led-skirted' girls waiting for such a chance. Immediately came tihe contrast m tactics. The English girl, knowing where ito find her confrere, would guide hall, pass it on cleverly bv a sligih't tap and keep in position,' and instead of the p]ay<«r R running about they were mole each to do her little bit towards it and still I>e ready in case of an .opponent securing the ball and returning it. The stick work of the visitors was good, but not such as would be seen on a good hockey ground. Our Recreation Sports .Ground is aJJ very well for rugbv foot- | ball, but hockey, to be seen at its best, I needs a croquet green, where the kill lis not likely to >be turned to one side by a tuft of cocksfoot or made to jiun.i I several incites ofT the ground by contact '' (lock. Possibly the rough groupd i thing for the local players. , Taranaki stuck to it like leeches. Oft- [ times good individual work would be iseen, challenging the visitors' stick I work, and sometimes dtfing a clever I dribbling run. Butt a hall that shoul/l I have been centred would be scut out of bounds, or a wild pass would be given to a player out of position, or to t:hright place oh the field where there happened to be no player; not because the locale? | did not know where to go, but simple because in chasing the ball they had got straggled about the liehl. Several of the girls iu the amber and blue hava | been seen to better advantage, but tliev were rather nervous foeerUisc of the un- , deniable quality of their opposition and excited by the presence and applause of the crowdI—for 1 —for hockey mate'nes do not usually attract more than a handful of spectators. Dmihtles.s our girlfl learned m. lot. They are to be congratulated upon -tillo manner in whie'i they stuck to -their doughty opnoneuts, for tili'ey were never ■ faint-hearted' but right up to the last were attacking strongly whenever opportunity offered. One noteworthy feature about'the visitors' plav was that there was evidently no desire on the part of the individual to score. Bach -nlaver worked as a responsible part of the hockey machine, in the effort to produce goats for the combination. It was the side that ha.l to score, not the individual. Their shooting ■wife- good, their passing and steadiness remarkable. Attack alwa,s saw the forwards lined across almost at right angles to the side line. A sudden cessation of hostilities at such a trfage of tilie. game would have found tlu British formation almost a» a set piw<>, ready for work. It was inspiring exhibition of a line game, and showed how to attain the maximum results with the minimum of effort.

'live visitors' uniform was striking--bright ml skirts, far mroTp abbreviated than most of the locals', ami whila blouses—no ca.]W —black -and red tie. Taranaki wore navy s>lue. with yellow "band near the bottom of the skirt, navicap with yellow button. Many of the skirts were far too long for rapid run- J ninfc, and isome too tight. I' THE PLAY. ! Xot long after itiho bully-on 1 the Reds Were put on the defensive, but 'the 'Yellows weive unable to "prevail against, tilic concerted defence;, and Dresentl; Dkv swept -the length of the field, and Miss Leacroft netted. England 1 Taranaki 0 Miss Penn was mainly responsible for a hot attack on the. English goal. The Kwlb eame again, ami a Taranaki fullback 'hit over the line to save. The respite, was brief, and expensive, for from the cornel' hit Miss i». Tute beat th; goalkeeper. . England 2 Taranaki .■ 0 Ti.'e same offence repeated gave Mis« Tuke another silol, but 'Miss Arthur was capable of dealing with th.v in goal, 'and also wit It a hot shot juat later by Miss Kilwelk Misses Leacroft and Karnes each had unsuccessful shots;, and' then the Yellows, beaded' by Af'ss. EKing on the .right wing, dashed out of their tcrritcritr, but the RtxU were too clever, and' Miss .Morgan changed defence. into attack and presently Miss Leacroft was again bitting for the mouth ,of tile goal. The goal-keeper .siviei' smartly. Miss 'Scott bad na excellent chance of'putting'her side in; molic n, but dashed furiously to 'tlie corner, whence Miss Read luul a good but unsuccessful attempt to tiiul tine net, tlie goal-keeper returning to t'he field, whence MUs Head lvad another shot at it, but the bail readied the outside of the net. This was one, of the most promising ir.mients tor Taranaki. The Reds attacked and were vigorously at work near the goal mouth when Miss Lynskev cleverly hooked the ball and set'sail. A hard hit sent the ball to the line. Tlie next incident w.-y-a bard-kitting one which .spoiled :i fair scoring chance, tlfc tall nearly reaching the goal line, whence Miss Morgan, with a fine dribbling run, took the ball righ l upheld, and Taranaki bit behind the line. From the penalty corner. Mi as Lcaerctt sent ill a hot one, but Mi«s Ar thur wes equal to the occasion, same plaver returned her stroke but again tin' Taranaki goalkeeper, wlio when playing on one occasion was reported to have given one of the be-: goal-keeping exhibition?! ise'.'U in the Dominion to date, stemmed ,• the tide, though she was compelled to, plav from her knees. Eventually the atta.k succeeded. England ' Taranaki « Another penal'lv corner, but Miss Idwell's shot missed the mark. The nitiiclc wa- kept U|l. Miss I'anies' passed briskly to "Miss Elv.ell, who Worn!. ami tile Jigures stood: England -1 Taranaki 0 Uut a few moments'lnter Miss sent the ball in to the goalkeeper, am! aiiss Barnes pushed tins attack home, i The More at half-time stood, ' 'England •> Taranaki .... 0

Shortly after resuming, Mis# Take made an- opportunity for Hiss Ramies and the shot 'told, England 0 / • • Taranaki 0 1 Shook tihings uip. Hiss Mclj:w;en, who had been prominent all the' tfy, n°w made a nice run and | as«cd to Miss- ltead, who was hardlv ready, and Miss Gateby secured the ball. The Bed forwards played the Ukails out of position, and when the crucial moment came the full-backs were not there to stem, the attack, and the goalkeeper -was overwhelmed, Miss Leaerofl; seorin?. England 7 Taranaki *0 The game player notched the next goal. England fc Taranaki o ' ! . A vigorous rally by tOie home team 1 saw Misses Penn, MeEwen, ileCrackcii, { and Head hard ait work. Mis's E. King rushed downficld, but the shot went wide. Mks'SVfeEwen made another lonehanded rush, tout srnote too hard and made a present of the ball to the English full-back, and in a moment the Reds were again. A couple of tihe locals- ibeat the visitor,s for the ball, and Miss Bead had another s'liot,butt without any luck. Miss McCracl.en was wither leisurely when the. next chance came, and in beating her opposition sent itllie ball too fcist and ahead of j Iter support)*. The last score was made ! by Mist? Eiiimies, from a pass bv Miss Ei- ! well, bringing the final figures to England ........ 0 Taranaki 0 CANDID CRITICISM. Miss Gaskill, captain of the English team, summed up the Taranaki tram's ■ mistakes thus, when asked by a News reporter for a brief buit candid criticism: > "They ihi'tJ widely, and not to one an- I other. If they have the hall they hit j anywhere. They don't keep their nosi- , 'lions, anil there's no encounu'enierft given to do so, for the plaver with the ball hilts recklessly downfield, so hard that really the sJiot in no good ito them at all." Another player is reported to have remarked tlmt the New Zealand girls run about ten miles itoo far in the course of a match.