HOCKEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 161, 10 July 1928, Page 12

HOCKEY.

FIRST REP. MATCH.

TOWN FORWARDS' COMBINATION.

RAPID FIRE IN SECOND HALF.

Shrouded with the characteristics of a representative fixture, the meeting of Town and Country attracted considerable interest. It was the first opportunity of witnessing the Auckland team in action, and with the prospects of several shield matches, it provided a better rehearsal than that obtainable in an A and B practice for the purpose pf welding together the best possible eleven to defend the trophy. The benefits were apt wholly with the "home team, as the country players were anxious to pit their strength against the best in town, and even find a stray vacancy when the principal selection has to be made. In a game that underwent a couple of distinct phases and contained sensational incidents, there were several features of interest, and not the least interesting was the excellent work of the Auckland forwards before the ground was disturbed and then saturated by the heavy rain that followed as the game progressed. Even during the early part of the afternoon the ground was hardly conducive to scientific hockey. Therefore it is all the more creditable that the local forwards gave such a remarkable display. During the bulk of the first spell the movements of the forwards were well conceived and masterly in execution. No wonder the score at half-time was five goals to nil, as when in possession of the ball the game was dominated by the Town front line, and if that form can be reproduced in shield matches, then Auckland srhould have little to fear concerning the fate of the trophy. With the forwards working splendidly, the backs were not severely tested, yet the country men made a couple of likely invasions upon the Auckland citadel, but failed to score. Their attack appeared to gravitate towards the left, and on the uncertain going, despite desperate efforts, could not hold it sufficiently for natural shooting. The local forwards, one and all, demonstrated in a decided manner that they were equal to the occasion. The right of the line was something in the nature of an experiment. Yet the North Shore forwards rose to the occasion and performed their part splendidly; in fact, no fault could be found with the line beyond a tendency to work the right in preference to the left. Most = of the prophets wondered how many goals Town would score in the second half, but their calculations were completely upset.

<On a ground which had suffered considerably, and difficult for the majority of players to maintain the perpendicular, Country commenced in whirlwind fashion, and the local goal was taken twice in quick succession, much to the delight of the crowd. The boisterousness of the country attack may have upset the equilibrium of the defenders; still, it was really a question of tactics, and from then until the finish they hit hard and deflect methods prevailed. Further sensation was in store, and more goals were added, but often the backs were almost helpless, being unable to turn quickly when the direction of the ball was changed by the fast-following forwards.

With the circles churned up, the goalies had an unenviable task, yet on the whole scrummages were rare, most of the work being quick and decisive. On the Town side Gardiner at full-back was a ruthless tackier, using the lunge stroke effectively, and his hitting was also sound. Williams was not so prominent, 1 hough he rendered good service at times. Cole fitted the position at centre-half satisfactorily, spoiling well and opening up the game freely. Radcliffe did not appear quite at home on the right flank; still he gave glimpses of quality. Steele was not as brilliant as usual. The forward line lost no time in their advancing movements, and Reid clearly demonstrated his ability as a right-winger, centring clean and accurately. Anthony worked wed with Reid, and was imbued with the spirit of the attack, abandoning his old habit of dallying. E. Watts was an able distributor of the ball, and dangerous when he got away. C. Watts pushed the ball along with effect, and the country back found him an elusive customer. Philpott demonstrated his ability as a left-wing in a limited amount of work. Take the first spell out of the game and the result suggests the teams were evenly matched, as each side notched four goals. In the second spell Country had just as much of the play, but not by any stretch of imagination could it be called scientific hockey. Still, it must be remembered that the country team were weighed down with a deficit of five goals, and it is distinctly to their credit that they put up such a gallant effort toward the end. Spiers and Hammond proved a pair of hard-hitting fullbacks. The former was hardly up to the standard of the form that got him into the New Zealand team that toured Australia. Hamond fielded a lot of "stuff" with his stick at short grip. Turnbull's play suggested that he is a past-master at the game, and, using the push and lunge, he troubled the opposition considerably. Two Smiths filled the positions of wing-halves, and during the closing stages played freely. The left half has a left-handed grip, and executed a lot of reverse strokes. Forward MacNamara was too slow in centring. Candy was not much in the picture. Grimmer performed well at centre forward, and keeps the ball under good control. Goertz did good work at inner left, and Spiers appeared to revel in the mud towards the end, making some nice runs along the left flank. Whakatane created a good impression in the tournament games, and were rather unfortunate, as they drew with Franklin, part winners of the White Horse r up, and Whangarei. They beat Thames and Hauraki, and did not sustain a defeat. Thames Hockey Association intend sending two teams to play in Auckland on July 21. The Wellington Hockey Association have communicated with Auckland regarding the date of the shield match. The first match for the trophy will be played at Remuera on July 28; when Waikato will attempt to lift "the -'-Wrl.