HOCKEY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 574, 31 July 1909, Page 12

HOCKEY.

i' (Br Driver.) , ; Tho chief topic of conversation in the Wellington ho9key worldjiiat now ooncorns. representative ' matclior, and -. Wellington's chances of wresting the shield from the victorious Aucklandcrs aro being daily conned and; speculated upon.; ■ The Wcllington-Oati-torbury, match takes .place on Saturday next :at Christchurch, and; on tho following Sat; urdayj ; August ,14. -.Wellington meets , the Auckland.'touring team sit .Day's Bay. : 'Tho Wellington' touring team; is,".'ready to go to Auckland to contest the Shield any date in September,-tho approximate time arranged. 'Tho local association-has' received a. letter from the northern vbody<! suggesting September 4 as thfe date :of, tlie match, instead of Septembcrll. ,A reply was dispatehed stat ing that oither woiild .do. In view of. the coming , representative^,matches, the sugges'tion has been: made..that,'lnstead of proceeding with the ordinary tup fixtures to-day, an A and B . representative match should be j>layed. .' Thiswoiild ,'aifl- ..tho. -'i'chosen" in gaining: the r all-inipprtant combinatidn, aud, : meet Victoria College' . tci^fty,--'-tta.y]seiwt'iffy the.- local - champion-, ship would wane if tlie former win, thus finally assuring ;them -the place of.'honour. This courso . was ■ not, . however, considered practicable, but it is the intentiori of the authorities to bold the trial match on August .21 or, 28,' much ■ hearer to' -the dato of the Auckland Shield match; ;It is'.thorefore quite possible that the championship matches will conclude to-day. ■' One- of-' the SaturdaysAugust 21j or; so far vacant, and it may be utilised for club matches.' - .'.Tho suggestion soems' a good one that: tl/e Management; Committee should use it, .and play, two trial matches, so ' that. the. representative team can subsequently: profit by. the experience gaiiicd in .tite first game. . , Will Wellington defeat Auckland? j Many here would. like to bo able to answer that riddle. - We are sending .away a good forward line, all of them; tried' ana proved players, and they should' give a good ac : count of themselves. ' Tho half-lino is distinctly stronger ..than that- which-.went on tour last year. Christie and Dawson on, the wiiigs, 'are' both very sound, in -these positions, as Was proved last Wednesday against 'Horowhenua; but it must be admitted that' King, 7 centre-half, is an Mm'cbrtain" quantity. Sometimes ■ he is in , good form, and plays a. brilliant game, but at others he is not what lie ought to be. Tiieu as to the fullbacks. Everything depends on the composition of this line. Hickson will doubtless be available, but there is; a' doubt'about Ashbolt, : and; notwithstanding-'tho. exceptional displays of Harty and Ralph on, Wednesday, one , would' not he surprised :if success ,or failure hinges -on the. personnel of this line of defence. In spite'of the fact that Ashbolt 'is'; not" quite up to last year's form, he and : Hickson have played together for so many years that they know' each other's play exactly, and their partnership is essential to a really combined game. It is to be hoped that Aehbolt will be'able to make the trip.

A meeting is: to.-bo held at Melbourne about tho middlo . of' August for the purpose of setting up a Board of Control of hockey in Australia, and' it. is suggested that New Zealand should federate. Mr, Leslie Ashbolt has written over asking if ho could represent New Zealand at tho conference. Tile letter has ■ been forwarded to the New Zealand Council. Speaking to the writer on tho subject Mr. AV. J. Organ, chairman of the Wellington Association, said that ho was not in favour of tho idea. This country ;was separated from them in- every other Bport he knew of, and affiliation with Australia, would not carry any advantago with it. - ; ' ■. -

In spite pf (the fact..that Wesley had two emergencies in their team on Saturday lost, Jaoobsonj' right-half, and Gundy, righWullback, in tko match against United, tho team played an improved gamo, although their chief dcfect—lack of shooting powor in tho Circle—was again in evidonco. Dixon, insideleft, played his best feamo for wocks past. Birch, left-wing, was always, reliable, and gave an excellent display. 1 The United's team were not lip' to their usual pitch. Y.M.C.A., ploying at tho top of their form, defeated Karori, who had beutori them so easily in' the first rfluhd: Karori's play lack'.d its usual keenness, and, excepting tho games of G. Davies, Spiers, and 0. Campbell, their play was very uneven. For a few minutes at a tirno tho suburban team would givo of its best, and then suddenly collapse as if short of training. Yet it Seems as though tho trouble was: not due . to that, sceins that they played United a fortnight before on a similar ground,, and tlioy lasted if anything better than their opponents on that occasion. YiM.C.A. played on a system which seemed 'to suit the day—hard bitting by tho backs, and quick centring',by the loft wing somewhat nonplussing. Karpfi's : backs'. Loader (Y.M.C.A.) had a day out, and was the best player for his side. He often took tho ball most of tho way down the lino, and central very neatly. Qondallj Karori's left half did not give nearly suflkient attention'.to Loader, and tho latter was not slow to take tho full benefit from what opportunities lie; got. C. Davies, at,right full-back for Karori, was not lip to' standard. Ho hits well enough when he gets the, ball, but he does not tackle his man, and, consequently, the numbor of his pood liitn iis smaller than, it should bo.' l'o Bccomo ft Rood full-back it is

essential that a player givo hiß opponent 110 ehnnco of centring tlio ball. This can only be done by tackling before ho has time to pick up tlio position of the rest of his team. Even if tlio full-back does miss gaining the ball when 110 has charged his man, he has made the forward hit, and thereby lose possession. This gives the other full-back and the goalkeeper a chance. Some full-backs get .between the wing, forward and the rest, .of the -oil-coining forwards with the hope of intercepting the pass infield. This gamo does.not hold good though, as tiic forward generally finds little difficulty in getting his hit past the waiting back. A judicious use of a combination of these two methods is considered the most effective. As in ail other positions, a full-back requires a quick mind which caii anticipate tlio actions of the forward with the' ball to inafco him a rC al succcss. Parton, Y.M.C.A.'s half, was in good form and was the "thorn in'the flesh" to Davies, who was beaten very neatly at < player. But because he boat his opponont that was no reason why Parton should havo tried shouldering 011 one occasion. Colley, in Y.M.C.A.'s goal, was really brilliant at times, and "saved" some splendid shots. At one time ho went out to moot a shot and stopped it with his legs about three yards from the player who hit the ball. "Wellington had an easy win over Vivian on No. 3 ground,which was very soft, Vivian are vory weak this year, and but for ■Thompson, Dobson, and Donovan, linvo done liltlo of note. Wellington liavo not kept their original team this year,' soveral good players having left the ranks. Of those still in' the team, Smytho, Harty, and licerc seem to liavo dono most' of tlio work. "Jonas, who plays for the Post and l'olcgraph team, is a clover forward, and,has the knack of carrying tlio ball through withdut tlio aid of other players. In fact, 011 Wednesday ho reminded 0110 of G. Davies. On the whole,'however, it is bettor to bo a "combination man" than an individualist. _ •To-day tlio two leading teams in tho junior championship, 'Government' Insnranco, and Metropolitan, moot at Duppa Street, As neithor team has yet been beaten tho gamo should provo an interesting otto. ,