HOCKEY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 15, 17 January 1914, Page 16

HOCKEY.

Says our London cooirespondent on December 5: In view of the fact that the English Hockey Associatlion's • invitation to playeTS. to volunteer for the proposed New Zealand tour contained an intimation that men who desired to be included in the touring team would be required to find £100 a-ptiece towards the expenses of the trip, most people interested in the sport took tihe view Uhat, unless the association could see its way to gireatly reducing its demands in this direction, the tour was very unlikely to take place. To most people's surprise, however, the association baa already received the names of ten •players, including several internationals, who have intimated that they can spire the time and the money required. This is. indeed, a promising beginning, for it is ' only proposed to take out fifteen men all told. .It may, of course, prove difficult to find five more men who can give the time and put up £100, and who at the same time are sufficiently good at the game to justify their inclusion in a team representative of the E.H.A. On this side there seems to be considerable dubiety as to bow tbe N-Z. standard of hookey compares with that of the Old Country, but if your hockey players are relatively ac skilful as our Rugby footi bailers, the very best English team that could be got together (without the £100 winnowing process) iwould be "in for a warm time" in the Dominion. There is no particular reason so far as one can see, why N.Z. hockey should not be relatively as good as N.Z. football, and it is ■ to-be hoped that the Home association win keep this fact well in view, and will decline to 6end a team unless one really representative of the Old Country's hockey strengtb can be put into the field. The tour of a second-rate team j would do the game in the Dominion no I good, but i'he visit of a team who could put your players through their facings as the "All Blacks" did our Rugby teams would be a 'blessing in disguise. The drubbings administered by- the "All Blacks" and the South African footballers to our Home teams were a splen- ! did tonic, and gave a sadly needed filKn Ito the Rugby game here. Not only did these visits "'buck up" our players, but | they gave the game a much needed ; advertisement and •materially increased I the interest of the sport-loving public in I Rugby football, .which, from a "gate" point of view, might well have been catalogued among England's "dying in- ; dustries." Visits of second or third-Tate' I teams, however, would have done more j harm than good. They would have conI firmed our players in their antiquated j and stereotyped methods of play, and j their performances would have failed to attract public attention to any bhint* I like the extent the devastating "AM Black" campaign did.