INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 110, 11 May 1926, Page 9

INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM.

ARRIVAL IN AUCKLAND, j i OFFICERS AND MEN. A ;;:;i'i;i:s!.\T.\TivF. party. With a reputation that should make tho?e New Zealand players whom they are to meet, look with exceptional care to their "guns." or. in this instance, sticks, the Indian Army hockey representatives who are to play throughout the Do-minie-1 arrive:! at Auckland this morning 1.. the Marama. The team, representing the cream of the military players of India, consists of four white officers and thirteen Indians. The officers are Captain D. T. Cowan, (;th Curkhas. who is captain of the team and plays right-half; Captain It. V. Cox. Sth Punjabis, inside left; Captain A. A. Alexander Royal Gurkhas F.F., left half anjLaptain E. A. lie Ie ham her. Ist 11th ; „s, inside right. The Men. The men. who made a picturesque sight in their khaki uniforms and att'f'tcd considerable attention when the boat berthed, were gathered from one end of India to the other. They represent a number of regiments and religions, and the party includes Sikhs, Punjabi, Dogras, Madras!, Pathans and Queen Victoria's Own Sappers and Miners. Some of the Indians wear turbans, with various coloured fringe?, denoting their regiments, while one or two sappers and miners sport little round hats, shaped flower-pots. One young native stands out from the rest, through the medium of a slouch hat, turned up at the side, after the manner of the Australian sol #2rs. This type of hat is worn by the Gurkhas, but in this instance, the owner is not one of that famous lot. The Frontier Medal ribbon is to be seen on some of the uniforms, while, on others, one notices great war colours. Each man has a black moustache, whiie the Sikhs are bearded, a fact which gives them an old appearance, belying their ages, the average age being about 25. Of the party of natives, but one is a Christian, and he rejoices in the English name of Francis —Fitter H. Francis, of the Motor Transport. Past Performances. The men were chosen after two trial games haj/ heen played at Jhelum und finals at Lahore, where training was . done with the Punjab team. As an idea of the ability of the team, Captain Cowan said that at Colombo, before embarking, the Ceylon Light Infantry team was played and defeated by 14 goals to 1, The Colombo Gymkhana Club then suffered heavy defeat by 11 to 1. At Melbourne, a team was overwhelmed before the game had gone very far, ana the match finished with the visitors lending the other side some of their .men. Tn Sydney, an Australian army lost to the visitors by 23 to 1. Positions of Players. The following list sets out the names, regiments and positions of the natives ("Jemadur" means Indian officer; "havildar," •sergeant; "naik," corporal, and "lanee-naik," lance-corporal) :—Jemadur Lai Singh, 2/8 Punjabs, Jhelum, centre forward and outside right (Sikh); Naik Thakar Singh, 1/4 P.W.O. Gurkhas, Bakloh, half-back (Sikh); Naik Ghulam All, 1/4 Hazara Pioneers, Quetta, goalkeeper (Hazara) ; Naik Lai Shah, 1/4 Hazara Pioneers, Quetta, outside right (Hazara); Lance-Naik Dhian Singh, 2/8 Punjabis, Jhelum, back (Sikh); LanceNaik Kishan Singh, 2/17 Dogras, Manlai, half-back and back (Dogra); LanceNaik P. C. Susanathan, Madras Sappers and Miners, Bangalore, outside left (Madrasi); Sapper Manu Swami, Madras Sappers and Miners, .Bangalore, outside right (Madrasi); Sepoy Togindar Singh, 2/S Punjabis, Jhelum. left half-back (Sikh); Sepoy Singara Singh, 2/13 Frontier Force Rifles. Delhi, outside right, (Sikh) ; Sepoy Dhian Chand, 4/1 Punjabis, Jhansi, centre forward, (Brahmin) : Fitter Francis, Motor Transport, Chaklala, back (Punjabi); Fitter Faquir Chand, Motor Transport, Chaklala, back (Punjabi). The Indians are being billeted at the Military Barracks, Narrow Neck. Auckland greeting. On arrival this morning, the officers and men were met by officials of the Hockey Association, including the chairman of the Auckland branch, Mr. A. Playle. Captain E. R. B. Falcon, LA., of the 53rd Sikhs, F.F. and a cantonment magistrate, who is in Auckland on leave, •nd who speaks a number of Indian dialects, has offered his services to the Hockey Association, and was also present, j A regular army of photographers went aboard the Marama at the Queen* wharf and the team was kept busy for some considerable time. The comprehensive itinerary has already been published. This afternoon a practice was arranged at the Bemuera Hockey grounds, while this evening the team will attend a theatre party at His Majesty's Theatre, where they will be welcomed by the management. Tomorrow, a civic reception will be tendered to the team by the Mayor at 12.15 p.m. in the Town Hall. In the afternoon, a practice, or a game against the Navy will be held at Remuera. On Thursday the men will leave for Te Awamutu to play the first match against the Waipa representatives. On Saturday afternoon Waikato will be played at Hamilton. On June 3 Wellington will meet the visitors. The first Test match against New Zealand will be played in Christchurch on June 26 and the second Test in Auckland on July 10, The team will sail from Auckland either by the LTimaroa on Friday, July 10 or the Aorangi on Tuesday, July 20. The players will leave Sydney on July 28 by the Narkunda, arriving at Colombo on August 19. The officers arc staying at the Grand Hotel. During their stay in Auckland, they will be members of the Officers', Northern and Auckland Clubs. CAPTAIN INTERVIEWED. PLAY IN INDIA. "My personal opinion is that an AllIndia Army team would beat an English, Irish or Scotch international side," said Captain Cowan, the manager of the team, in reply to a question as to the comparative merits of the game in India. Captain Cowan has played in the Scottish international trials, and should therefore be in an excellent position to judge. "I thirty too, that the standard of play is higher in India. Hockey is practically the national game, and y is played right through the year. T*iis team is amongst the best three in the whole of India." The average age of the Indian players #i« about 24, but, as many of.them arq ' bearded, they look considerably older.

They will play in New Zealand in red j shirts, white shorts, red stockings, and black boots and puggarees. They hope ! to play in gymnasium shoes, as they do in India, if the condition of the New Zealand grounds will allow, but when ; this point was mentioned to experienced local followers of the stick game who had foregathered on the wharf to wel- | come the visitors, considerable doubt as | to this being possible was expressed. ! In India the game is played on brick hard grounds, consisting, in most cuses, 1 of mud-baked turf, although occasionally grassed grounds are met with.

The present team is the first of its kind which has yet left India. It was selected from the pick of 130 regiments, most of which have two or three teams. Hockey is the chief game in the Indian Army, because tiie grounds arc for the most part too bard for Rugby. Hockey is part of the Army training and has been played regularly in India for the past twenty years. On the voyage to New Zealand, the members of the team kept fit by systematic training, consisting largely of physical drill and running on the deck. Practice games were played when their vessel touched at a port.' On the way home, the team will play matches against New South Wales and Victoria. The Indians have brought their own cook, and also a quantity of rations not obtainable in New Zealand. Jn New Zealand, they will be supplied with live poultry and male sheep, which they kill themselves under a special ceremony. Nearly all the Indian regi-, ments are represented, and there are several different castes. "We realise that our chief difficulty will be to adapt ourselves to New Zealand grounds," said one of the British officers. "We expect to find conditions litre very much like the English winter. 1 think the team will adapt themselves I quickly to the grounds in New Zealand." Mr. W. H. Down, Dominion secretary of the New Zealand Hockey Association, was amongst the party which met the visitors on their arrival, and he will travel through the North Island with them.