SENIOR HOCKEY PROGRAMME

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33516, 23 April 1974, Page 16

SENIOR HOCKEY PROGRAMME

In an endeavour to ensure that clubs will not lose players to a proposed New Zealand tour to Australia in September, the final of the Trans Tours senior hockey championship will be played on the first available Saturday in September. The Canterbury Hockey Association’s management committee decided this at its meeting last evening. But the championship will have only one round this year before the grand final knock-out matches are played. The competitions committee made two suggestions on composition of the competition. One was that one preliminary round — which began last Saturday — be played between the nine senior teams, and at the end of it the top six play one round, then the knock-out matches between the top four, ending with the grand final on August 17, the week before the Rothmans national tournament starts in Napier. The other suggestion was a preliminary round with the nine teams, two rounds for the top six — as was played last season — before the knock-out matches between the top four, and the grand final.

Mr C. V. Walter pointed out that a tour by a New Zealand team was proposed for September and several clubs might be affected by having players in the national side. Other members felt that full use should be made of playing Saturdays and if some teams lost their top players, the Trans Tours championship should still go on.

Mr F. N. Wilson said that if two rounds of the top six were played and the top teams sorted themselves out., the lower teams tended to “fool around” in later matches.

The president of the association (Mr K. J. McEwen) then moved that the preliminary championship — one full round of the top six and the knock-out matches to decide the grand finalists — be played prior to the national tournament, and the final on the first available day after the tournament.

The resolution was passed.