INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 June 1938, Page 8

INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM

WELCOMED IN WELLINGTON TODAY FIRST MATCH IN MASTERTON ON SATURDAY. UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR IN CHARGE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Prince of Manavadar’s hockey team from India arrived by the Wanganella from Sydney today, in charge of Professor Jagannath, of the Punjab University, and was officially welcomed on board by Mr C. P. McKenzie, on behalf of the New Zealand Hockey Association and by representatives of the Wellington Association. Professor Jagannath said the members of the team were looking forward to its tour. He emphasised that it was a club side and not an all-India team. Except that there are certain meats, which, according to their religion, members of the team will not touch, they will require no special food in New Zealand. The tour opens with a match against Wairarapa, at Masterton, on Saturday. All told, there will be 28 games with associations and three Tests with New Zealand.

Professor Jagannath, while wishing the tour was to be less strenuous, said he understood the difficulties at this end. The visit cost money and he appreciated the necessity, from this point of view, as well as from the standpoint of endeavouring to raise the standard of the game in New Zealand, of matches being played in many centres.

Professor Jagannath had taught biology for 14 years, he stated, in an interview, but was now looking after the physical education and health side of his college, and in this capacity was doing work in consonance with the widespread movement towards physical education. He had brought down a plan for dealing with the subject and this had been recommended to other colleges and physical directors sought guidance from him as to what should be done. There are 54 colleges affiliated to the Punjab University, scattered all over the Province.

It was suggested to him that the National Council of Physical Welfare and Recreation in New Zealand no doubt would be interested in his work, and he said he would be quite willing to do what he could to assist the health movement in New Zealand.