SETBACK TO HOCKEY

Taranaki Daily News, 20 September 1940, Page 9

SETBACK TO HOCKEY

PLAYERS' PATRIOTISM Hockey was perhaps more affected by war-time conditions than any other branch of sport in the province, it was stated at a dinner held at Eltham by members of the Taranaki Hockey Association on Wednesday night to conclude the 1940 season. The services of more than 50 club players and executive officers now with the fighting forces overseas or en route to their war stations had been lost to Taranaki hockey during the past year, stated members, and the associalion was deeply grateful that among its young men the sense of patriotic duty should be so strongly manifested. The association's president, Mr. R. A. Grace (Kaponga) presided at dinner at the Central Hotel and also officiated afterwards in the lounge, when an appropriate toast list was honoured. Associated with him was Mr. N. O. Ebbett, Stratford, president of the umpires association. Taranaki Out of Touch. Proposing the toast of the "New Zealand Hockey Association and the New Zealand Hockey Umpires' Association, Mr. Ho watson said that Taranaki was vpry much out of touch with the parent bodies due probably to the distance that the province was removed from headquarters and lack of adequate representation. He commended the M11}" pires' bulletin, and also the _ official bulletin of the parent association, both of which were most helpful. Mr. Harding responaed in the absence of representatives of either of these bodies. 4 War Causes Sctback. The past vear had been one of the most difficult in its experience, said Mr. Gerrand, proposing the "Taranaki Hockey Association." Up to the end o£ the 1939 season the game had made remarkable progress but the outbreak of war caused a severe setback in the season just ended, although the association came through with every credit to ltselt in its eflort to keep the game alive by encouraging play in the schools. Tribute was paid by Mr. Gerrand to the interest and enthusiasm of Mr. Grace and to the work of the executive, whose task jn the immediate future would be to maintain interest among the lower ^r"Two teams, Eltham and Pihama, stood out in the competition for senior me.n which perhaps led to a lack of enthusiasm fowards the end of the competition, when other teams saw that these were not to be beaten," said Mr. Grace in reply. All the teams, however, played more for the games sake rather than for the sake of winning, and it was indeed pleasing to see such a fine spirit prevailing throughout the province. War service had made serious mroads upon the personnel of teams, and clubs to-aay looked to their juniors to carry the game on. . Good progress had been made in four primary schools, and a representative team, instead of travelling to Auckland for a tournament which had to d« abandoned, gained valuable experience in a match against Wellington. Hlgh Standard of Umpiring. "Although we cannot see eye to eye at times, the clubs nevertheless owe a deep debt of gratitude to the umpires who turn out to control the games, said Mr. Haseltine, proposing the Taranaki Hockey Umpires' Association. It was significant that Taranaki umpires moving to other centres were regarded as authorities in their particular spheres, and their opinion was _ held in highest regard, said Mr. Ebbett in reply. Perhaps the highest standard of umpiring in New Zealand was set in lara"^ph'e high percentage of hockey players with the fighting forces compared with other branches of sport was mentioned by Mr. C. J. McFadyen in proposing "Members on Active Service. In the roorn were several ex-Diggers, said Mr. Pennington, in reply, and it was their splendid traditions of 1914-18 that the present generation was endeavouring to uphold. TT Also responding to the toast, Mr. briefly reviewed various aspects of tne past season's play and the work of the executive, mentioning that the echelons for overseas had been equipped with hockey gear, the second echelon taking with it a new set of sticks with which he hoped they would put up a "good show," even if they had to be used as "Hitler bashers." In that event there would he no need for an umpire. "The Winning Teams" was proposed by Mr. Mclpnes and responded to by Messrs. Haseltine (Pihama), Pennington (Eltham) and 'Ebbett (Huiroa), and the toast of the Press was proposed by Mr. Urry.