English Swifts Beat Colts Hockey Team

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30839, 26 August 1965, Page 15

English Swifts Beat Colts Hockey Team

The touring Swifts English schoolboys’ hockey team yesterday defeated a Canterbury Colts team, 1-0.

The game was played at high speed—such a high speed that the basic fundamentals of hockey were left far behind Neither side appeared to play to any preconceived plan, with the result that there was more optimism than confidence apparent in attacking movements. The teams were:—

Swifts.—l. Buchanan: B. Mills, T. Block: D. O’Callaghan, M. Bawden, P. Siebert; P. Thomas, D. Prior, R. Dalgleish, T. Brown, A. Blackwell.

Canterbury Colts.—S. Cranfield; C Iveson, A. Kirwan: R. Kenworthy, M. Bennett, C. Cox; J. Paterson, C. Hill, L. Haste, G. Marshall, L. Hutchinson. Buchanan played soundly in goal for the Swifts, blocking and clearing with confidence. The Canterbury forwards were incapable of taking advantage of the unsound positional play of the two full-backs, who were also guilty of indiscriminate fly-hitting and passing. The Swifts’ half-backs brought many Canterbury attacks to a premature conclusion only to

return the ball graciously to their opponents. The outstanding player for the Swifts was Blackwell, the left-wing. His speed was a constant problem to his marker and his ability to circumnavigate the ball to make an accurate centre only emphasised the lack of this ability in New Zea land left-wings. Blackwell was well supported, at times, by Brown, at inside-left.

Cranfield made some mag nificent saves in goal for Canterbury. He was ably supported by Kirkan and Iveson. The latter was the outstanding player on the field. His trapping was always sound, his passing accurate, and his tackling well timed and executed. Bennett was prominent at times at centre-half, but the wing-halves showed little ability to assist either the attack or the defence The forwards were lacking individually in stickwork and passing ability, and collectively in cohesion —they thus relied on that unreliable ally, opportunism, which failed to favour them. The Swifts goal was scored by Prior. The umpires were Messrs E. Ambler and E. Jackson.