HOCKEY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 137, 10 June 1911, Page 16

HOCKEY.

It is not a little remarkable hot? hockey has won its way into favour with the 'Services in England. In the Army the game is extremely popular, and a reference to the Army Association which controls the sport reveals the interesting information that over forty regiments of various kinds are affiliated. One secret of the popularity of hockey in the Army is that the officers intermix with the non-commissioned ollieers aud rank-and-file, and there is now a standing rule, promulgated by tbe Army Council that at least live officers must be included in every regimental team which takes part in the Army tournament throughout the kingdoui. There are some really good players among the ollieers, and oue has only to refer to a few to confirm this statement. Lieut. J. H. Rattisson won his international cap two years ago for England, and Captain Harris (Devon) has been assisting the West at half. Further, there are such •excellent exponents as Lieuts. Fitzher.bert, Oodfray. .Satterthwaite, Saulez, and Arc" 'bald, and Captain Basil Maclear. The latter will be better known as the famous Irish Rugby football international. In the Navy, several of the officers .are fufiy equal in skill to those in the sister service, and pla3'ers of the type of Lieuts. Beadle, Collins, Saunders, and lllington are all quite up to the first-class standard. The chief drawhack, however, in the Navy is the continuous moving about from place to place of the ships, and it is seldom an easy matter to get together a reliable p-ide. The match recently with Cambridge University liad to be cancelled in consequence of the inability to raise anything like a representative team. The military players get the over their rivals in the way of extra facilities for practice, but apparently this is not a great disadvantage to the Naval officers. who find ample opportunities for keeping fit.