JOINING FORCES

Press, 8 December 1976, Page 30

JOINING FORCES

By

KEVIN TUTTY

It is fashionable at pres- , ent for men’s and women’s I clubs playing the same I sport to amalgamate. At the start of this season several cricket clubs in Christchurch joined

forces, and recently one of the oldest hockey clubs. Hagley Old Boys, amalgamated with the Shirley women’s club. As a result, a change of name was also agreed to and the fledgling chib, which will serve the eastern suburbs of the city, became the Pegasus Hockev Club. The Hagley club, itself an amalgamation of the old West High School and Technical Old Boys’ clubs, decided earlier this year it should move from the city area because of a declining roll at Hagley High School, and establish itself in the suburbs No men’s club has served die eastern area of the city for a number of years and this was the logical area for Hagley to re-build to its former strength. Last season, its first in the area, it had four junior teams — the previous year it had none. Until a season ago the Shirlev club had senior

status and it "nil be one of the main aims of the new club next season to have a senior women's team again in 1978. Several women at present in the senior grade have played for Shirley in the pa.-t, and many of these hax e indica’ed they will return and play for the combined club Hagley and Shirley were not the first hockey clubs tn Christchurch to combine. Two years ago the Linwood High School Old Boys' and Girls' clubs amalgamated, but while these two were connected through school affiliations. Hagley and Shirley >iiare only a common area Burwood Park will be the headquarters for the new club and eventually it hopes to have three grounds there. Now that Hagley and Shirley have been bold enough to amalgamate, other hockey clubs in Christchurch should follow.