Borren brings a touch of artistry to mens hockey

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32313, 3 June 1970, Page 15

Borren brings a touch of artistry to mens hockey

(By

C. V. WALTER)

ACCORDING to the metaphysical chronicles of Indian philosophy, those who ara infinite in their wisdom are able to disappear from mortal view and to reassemble themselves almost immediately in some remote venue. In such manner the relationship between time and distance is negated. . Similar transubstantiaations have been occurring in the inside-left lane in recent seasons in the University and Canterbury teams. The lane has been inhabited or vacated, depending upon the vigilance of the spectator, by Jan Borren, whose ability to materialise unexpectedly has disconcerted innumerable opponents. There have been occasions when the ball has been deposited in their goal wjthr out visible evidence of human agency. With the ball, Borren is a most elusive dribbler, but the phrase is a clumsy expression of his skill because his touch is so light and his movement so graceful that its thrusting speed is almost obscured. He shimmers past tacklers on both forehand and backhand with equal facility, and when circumstances demand a wide detour he wends his way back to the mainstream of events along the goal-line itself, casting a spell upon the ball so that it jumps neatly over each groping stick with sufficient backspin to await patiently his arrival and its next command. Without the ball he contradicts the laws of motion. At one moment he is available within his own twentyfive yard area for a quick pass from a harassed defender. He makes a swift lateral pass to his insideright. The latter dribbles a pace or two, then propels an equally swift pass downfield, gaining 50 or more yards of territory and returning the ball to the in-side-left lane. But this is no pass to be pursued. Indeed, at its far extremity will be found the crouching figure of Borren, patiently awaiting the arrival of the ball, and possibly muttering to himself about the unnecessary delay.

Similar supernatural events occur when opponents have the ball. For them there is a clear, uninhabited channel for the ball’s transference to the right flank. There it is directed, promptly and powerfully. And the same crouching figure materialises, his interception a promotion of further and immediate siege. For the onlooker these macabre deeds are sometimes invested with a certain humour, and in some moods Borren betrays a certain twitching at tbe x comer of the mouth. He is, however, essentially human. Occasionally he dribbles with the ball considerably beyond the left foot, and the resulting penalty. for obstruction against him reduces him to an entity of three dimensions. He is inclined to regard the

umpire with a silent but courteous reproach, as if it is the umpire’s fault that he, the 7 umpire, thinks only of mundane things, lacking sensitive appreciation of black magic, voodoo and the nether arts, without which goals cannot be amassed artistically. Fortunately for us all there is a material explanation of Borren's devious machinations. He is an educated and intelligent reader of the play, lifting his sense of anticipation to an unusual level. He is a tireless, persistent and clever runner off the ball, and he is willing to run vast 'distances without it. His speed in these manoeuvres is admirable, an expression of stamina and fitness. Those who watch hockey tend to follow the ball. To appreciate the work load of

Jan Borren and the amount of his contribution to his team’s performance, it is necessary to forget the ball and watch him alone. He is as valuable in his own half of the field as in his opponents’ regions. No other inside-left in the country possesses his striking power near the opposing circle. No forward is as lethal when the ball is loose in that same area. Yet he has played at inside-left for New Zealand in one match only in Mexico in 1968. For most of the time he was wasted on the left-wing. N at entirely wasted, because fas skill cannot be denied, but that same skill was barished from the huntinj grounds which he has made his own.

Furthermore, it is sobering to reflect that he first appeared for Canterbury orthe right-wing. He did not fail, but neither did he succeed, because he is essentially an inside forward, and he chafed in exile. He has been a victim of those who were distrustful of the evidence, but for Canterbury in 1969 he produced enough exhibits to shatter the most cynical jury. He brings to the game the touch of the artist. If he was more of a craftsman, like those prosaic umpires whose duty it is to be prosaic, he might be more consistent When the touch deserts him he treads a field of terrible frustration. But when the muse is upon him, no craftsman can hope to play with half his imagination or his penetration. So great is his natural flair that he has not had to cope with the problem of developing concentration. The need came to this young man late in life. Its call is being answered, because Borren J. has it in him to apply himself with a complete singleness of purpose. His academic progress is already a notable testimony. And in his hockey this same quality will ultimately increase his consistency. Because of his ability he attempts difficult moves. Because of their difficulty they cannot all succeed. That they threaten to do so is their justification. And those that do succeed are a tribute to singular skill and to the imagination which is born of it