HOCKEY’S FUTURE

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32588, 23 April 1971, Page 6

HOCKEY’S FUTURE

Four-year plan

The tours committee of the New Zealand Hockey Associaion was asked to consider a plan of international matches for the next four years at its management committee meeting on Wednesday. The recommendation followed a letter from the Canterbury association, which asked that consideration be given to the holding of an international match in Christchurch in 1975 to coincide with the association’s seventy-fifth anniversary. The Queensland hockey team, which will tour New Zealand from July 28 to August 14, has been set a heavy itinerary of 13 matches in 18 days. The proposed itinerary was approved by the management committee and includes games against Canterbury, Auckland and a minor association team. Matches will be played in centres as far apart as Whangarei and Invercargill.

The full itinerary is:— July: 29, v. Rodney, Warkworth; 30, v. Whangarei; 31, v. Auckland;

August: 1, v. Waikato, at Hamilton; 3, v. Wellington; 4, v. Marlborough, Blenheim; 5, v. Nelson; 6, v. West Coast, Greymouth; 8 v. Canterbury. Christchurch; 10. v. Southland, Invercargill; 11, v. Gore; 12, v. South Canterbury, Timaru; 14, v. N.Z. Minors, Hutt Valley.

European tour.—The Portugese Hockey Association has written to the N.Z.H.A. saying it would be interested in being host to the New Zealand team on its proposed tour of Europe in October providing the dates do not clash with other Portugese fixtures.

Umpire.—Mr R. H. Campbell, at Canterbury, was accepted as an internationally-graded umpire by the technical committee of the International Hockey Federation at a recent meeting. He becomes the third international umpire in New Zealand.