Hockey rep. retires after sixteen years

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33581, 9 July 1974, Page 24

Hockey rep. retires after sixteen years

(By

K. R. TUTTY)

A stalwart of Canterbury hockey for the last 16 years, P. F. Clark, will retire at the end of this season after more than 100 games for his province. Clark, aged 36, said yesterday that he would retire from both provincial and club play to concentrate on umpiring, and to watch two sons who were starting in the sport, Clark first played for Canterbury in 1959, and has had widely varying roles in teams over tiie years. He began as a centre-forward or insideleft, but his more recent matches have been played at left-back. Clark also played in the halves. Although he has not represented New Zealand, Clark was a trialist in 1966, and in recent years he earned the reputation of being one of the soundest full-backs in the country. During his 16 years as a Canterbury representative, Clark has played under

five coaches. For the last six years the selectorcoadh has been Mr C. V. Walter, and Clark considers him the best of the five, just ahead of Mr J. Reece, who was the first coach.

He can remember being in a losing team only four times in the 100-odd matches he has played for Canterbury. Clark says he gained much ;»3rsonal satisfaction being a member of the Canterbury Challenge Shield teams in 1968, 1972, and 1973. In those years the top Canterbury players were commandeered for New Zealand Olympic and World Cup teams. Clark has been a member of the New Zealand and Canterbury Hockey Association’s management committees, but does not see himself as a hockey administrator in the future. He is a New Zealand graded umpire and will concentrate on this branch of the sport, and possibly do some coaching in the future. “I don’t like to give the game up, but I think Canterbury is in good hands at present both administratively and in terms of players,” he said.