HOCKEY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 300, 12 September 1908, Page 9

HOCKEY.

[By Driver.] The principal attraction in the hockey world just now is tho ladies' tournament at Day's Bay. The weather was perfect until its commencement, and then it began to get dull,'but it did not greatly interfere with the play, and on no. occasion were the fixtures postponed.. In this.respect, •tho. girls : have an enviable reputation- over their male confreres, who are not usually so keen in playing in the wet and mud. The Ferry Company made excellent transport arrangements to meet the exceptional traffic, and the Duchess was always crowded. • Little can be said regarding the games and the-form, as they have been fully dealt with day by day. Some reference, however should bo made to the remarkable skill the girls have acquired in the game. Several of the senior teams gave most creditable displays, and I feel certain that I would be safe in saying that one or two of the best of the teams would succocd in an encounter with some of our men's senior teams. Of course, nothing need be said on the subject of the advantages accruing from tournaments—they aro self-evident; but too much attention cannot bo paid to tho neobserving, criticising, and adopting, where desirable, any points or ideas of any of the competing teams. A lot has been said on.the subject of the arrangements, and it is inevitable, in these and similar gatherings, that everything will not always run smoothly, but no one will deny that the president of the Wellington Association, Dr. Izard, and the indefatigable and übiquitous secretary, Mr. M'lntyre, have been giving their best endeavours' to the tournament for weeks past, and that the visitors local players,-one and all, owe these two officials a debt of gratitude. The "At Home" on Thursday night was in overy way a complete success, and everyone present enjoyed themselves thoroughly. During tho entertainment opportunity was taken to present tho winners of tho championships with their' respective cups, and as each captain stepped • forward to Teceive the trophy she was gretted by a round of applause. ■As Hawke's Bay have won the senior championship, the next tournament will bo held at Napier, and all aspirants must go there to try anew their skill. THE LADIES'. ASSOCIATION. The historic meeting on Monday will be memorable in the annals of ladies' hockey for more reasons than one. There was a large attendance—in fact, the room was crowded. There were only one or two breezes, the principal one being tho objection of a Northern delegate to the formation of a New Zealand controlling association. Tho debate of the evening, liowover, was the battle of the sites. This was instructive and amusing, especially considering the fact that the visitors' were mostly Northerners, and oven if they were not, • there could possibly bo no headquarters so eonyenient as Wellington. Common sense prevailed, and the Empire City is to have the coveted honour. The chairman, Dr. Izard, was careful to intimato that the choice of the administrative centre did not affect the question of tournaments in any way.

The following lottor was,read by tho secretary : —At a mooting of the Otago Ladies' Hockey Association, held on June 3, it was decided' to invito a British team to visit New Zealand at. tho beginning of the season noxt year, provided that the other associations' in the Dominion would support the entorpriso to tho extent of arranging for ono or two' matches in their respective centres— say, a match against the champion club, and one against a representative team—and billeting tho visiting players if necessary. As large gates could not bo ' relied on, the visitors would have to pay their own travelling oxpenses, but tho different associations would, of course, bear tho expenses of their respective matches. The schome may 60und a rather ambitions ono, but when the largo number of lady hockey players at Homo is taken into consideration, it does not seem so very much to aspect that, out of the whole United Kingdom, a team of 18 or 20 fairly representative players could be got togother:—Alice Woodhouso, chairman Otago Association." Some discussion ensued, from which it appeared that the visit would be very welcome if the local associations were not involved in any great expense. . TO-DAY'S MATCHES. To-day United meet Victoria College' at Day's Bay.. If thejveterans win' this match the' championship. will be practically • decided, as the only remaining team United have to meet' is. Y.M.C.A.j but there is no reasoii why this match. should not eventuate. Karori meet Vivian at Day's Bay this afternoon, and a good contest-should take place. The Wdsley-Thorndon- and. WellingtcnY.M.C.A. matches have been postponed until October 3. . --'The third-class matches .will be transferred tb tho junior grounds is .follows :-rThe matches on '.'Wesley ground ,'will" bo played'on Wellington. ground, Karori on Y.M.C.AI, St. Patrick's on Thorndon,; and Victoria College to Vivian, grounds. . JUNIOR, CHAMPIONSHIP. The junior 'championship was brought to a close last Saturday, when Y.M.C.A. defeated Vivian , and : are consequently holders .of this year's Cup. They have certainly played well in all their games, but one cannot , say that the bettor team won in every match in which tboy were victors, and, moreover, in their games against St. Patrick's. College, and Victoria College it is thought by several players that Y.M.C.A. were smiled on by .'fortune. Tho figures of the championship for,this season aro not available just yet, and so the exact> positions of the teams are not known. The .season has been keenly .contested throughout, and but for the increase of - obstruction and the growing tendency of men to remain off-side, it has been very enjoyable, good weather having favoured players for most of the-matches. The great drawback to junior hockey is certainly tho grounds—some of them being very." crook," to borrow tho word used by most players. The difficulty is mostly seen in fielding tho ball, and as for flying hits, well, they are almost impossible. The association will probably have more grounds next season, and the game should become more popular and its participants should increase very considerably. With due respect to referees, it is-to bo regretted that there have, been some in charge of games who have had a'very slight knowledge of the rules, and this has very qften meant a loss to many a good toam. One point is in respect of penalising a defender when lio gives "sticks" while an attacker is just'about to score. Some' referees have a rule that if any: player breaks tho law he should be .penalised,' whatevor tho state of the game at that particular time. This is obviously a jmistjikc, because if a team finds itself , hard pressed and an inevitable score in view; what is' thero , to.- prevent one of its men " giving "sticks" or obstructing, if by so doing he will bring his own men on side, and thus, stop the attackers from scoring? Another point which seoms 'to call for the referees' attention is the throwing in of. the ball on the touch-lines. The-rule says tho ball is to be rolled in .-along the ground, biit whore is the bouiidai7? : between " rolling" and "throw.drawn F During the season, almost any player will have noticed how frequently this roll in has carried the ball some! .30 or 40 yards down tho field without tho ■ aid of a stick.' ■Wednesday hockey has experienced practically the same draw-backs as tho Saturday juniors, but with tho exception of one team thero has been very little obstruction. Many of the Wednesday men are new to the game, and they are to be congratulated on thekeenness and form which havo been displayed Some of the .teams would put up very .hard fights in : Saturday junior competitions, and it would be desirable to have another representative' game between mombers of both associations as players are now at the top of their form, and a ; contest would prove very ..interesting, • ■- 1 . ' WEDNESDAY ASSOCIATION; :What will probably-prove the final games of tho Wednesday Association for this year were played on tho Basin Reserve this week, and. provided two most exciting contests;1 Pakoha A v. Pakeha B was the cause of the largest crowd of.-spectators this season, as the B team hoped to be the first to lower their clubmatcs' colours. . In the first spell, tho gamo was very even, and as the B team scored first, things looked well, but after several fruitless shots, the A team equalised, the spell ending with the soore one all. In the second spoil the A team played a splendid combined game, which never left the result in doubt and put on eight goals to their opponents' nil. Mackay, as A team, centre, was easily tho best man on tho ground, his bullying and shooting particu-larly-being brilliant. Smith, on the wing,'also played a good game, his dribbling and centring-'being excellent. • / In the B team, Hunter and Kuch, in the forwards, did most of the work, but the backs were generally smothered by the opposing- forwards. . ■ In the Karori-Fedoral match the play was very even; and a few minutes before timo the score was five all, but the Karori team with a final rally shot the winning goal. Johnston, for Federal, played a splendid? individual game, but the forwards as a whole showed lack of combination. The team showed great improvement. Karori played a littlo below their usual form, and just managed to win. Hill, in the backs was, as usual, very safe, and Spiers, as full-back, blocked the Federal's rushes by vigorous hitting. Artillery have defaulted their remaining matches, owing to their' protest against the referee in the Karori match not being- upheld. . The Pakeha A- team have now won the White Cup two seasons in succession, and if they succeed in retaining it next' year it falls into their possession. Tho noticeable featrue about both Pakeha teams is that they always roll up a full muster, wet or fine, and usually play the game in the best spirit, although oa Wednesday the Teferee, Mr. Cusack, said it was tho , worst and roughest gamo lie ever witnessed. Tho B team were certainly tho worst offenders, and should not dispute the Teferee in any of his rulings—if they object to the referee, they should do so before the match,' and not persist in questioning his ruling. Coleridge was the last of thirteen children; Washington Irving was the last of oleven; Balzac tho last of three; George Eliot the last of four; Napoleon was the eighth, and probably the last; Daniel Webster was' the last of seven; Benjamin Fianklin was the last of 17, and tholast-born'of the last-bom for several generations; Rembrandt was tho last of six children;- Rubens the last of seven; Richard Wagner the last of seven • Mozart-the last of seven; Schumann the last of five. < ANOTHER TRIUMPH FOR RHEUMO. Mr. William Hercomb. of Cuba Street, is a well-known Wollington business man. 'Read how RHJ3UMO cured him of Rheumatic Gout Ho writes:—" January 7th, 1903. For many years I suffered with rheumatio gout, and during that timo took various medicines recommonded to cure, but, I regret to sav, with very littlo effect. Somo timo ago RHEUMO was brought under my notice by a friend, and at his earnest solicitation I decided to try a bottle. 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