HOCKEY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 592, 21 August 1909, Page 12

HOCKEY.

(Bi DJiiv?n.):.;•;,

'■ Easily the ]36st.)iqo|iey.gamo.evcr'scoii in. 'Wellington was 1 played at Day's Bay !a4 Saturday. ' Auckland were trying conclijsioiiß. with; Wellington's , clcpt, but, although, t|iey, played a superior game all rpund,' they could dp no more tlian malava draw of it. Pace and stick play points with the.: Northerners. . wh° r wero -in pet^er, tjiain|nt; and muoh'neator with'tho stick than .■.Wellington; Stern 'perseverance was ..Welling-, Wβ forte, and this helped to.'save them ■from defeat,. Oufbacks and goalkeeper wero, at their Very best,' -;,/., ~; .' , ;-»,. '■'■■■■. Hickson ■: (Wellington's. captain) played a splendid.game; his tackling and hitting often changing! oonoarted' attack by : we. ; .Aucki landers into- .openings for the local nieu to begin, c-rganjsed, rushea..; These, t ;hottOTcr, wpre , all too often .checked.' by.tho.backs from the north*. ■v. '" '.', ~: •:■'..:■'.■.-.:■■. '-'"■ ■:■','. ■■.'■■ Harty-, left full-back,, also • distinguished himself by good hitting,, but he is-not: as safe ae Hiokson, and would do well to make sure of fielding.the ball, for, : although flying .hits "come' off" fairly/.often on No. 1 ground, it. is not likely that, they'will'always pay. Of coursei it is a matter of judgment.. What suits one; back'does not suit another, and this player may, be in hi? element on ,the flying: ptrbke'.' Generally: spedking,• one would say. that stopping first..and'hitting second.is■ the correct,jplay,'>::> ; ' .. : : ■- 'Aid now for/the halfback line,. This where Wellington Iβ weak, : OhTistlQ played » good was I never. brilliant. :;He had: a. biisy tjjne, but a half expects, heavy work ;■ It seemed a pity that he did notpjay across, to the left wingrfonvard oftener, towards .theend'of the 'game f v-.*'. , . :c. ,■ :: '■■■■' King (centre-half) was.the weakest player on the field, and occupying, such an ,all-im-: port4nt | .position-r: , tliie •. p»SJiiou,.vhas ;been; termed the "key? ''\ tip. the, gaine^rhis,:poors display was 'Very' noticeable, ... It r is not fair' bo judge,.a,player's one. showing,! but reports'from Ohristeh"nr6li ; .the:week,prer: vioiis did nOtvgiye ' special....about; Wellington's . obntre. ;. Campbell,; : who 'is rer. placing him, is quicker than King, hits accurately, and is also, a .splendid. .pho| '..from? "corners." ..Above' this- (and , ; this .'.is .cerr tainly where a; good sound, nlayer is wanted) Campbell is very ■ cleT*r on d'effnee, ...;.;;.•;' ■•' ■ Dawson gave 'promise cif a good' game eJ(.rlJf : in the'first spcll r but he feir'aw'a.y an(l not: up, to. representative .'Hani?Ar4' ■•■' I*fe half .is perhaps' tho'' most afflcward, position to'fill ; sucwainiUv,bflt that , is no; reason.why; : som«»ne in , Wellington.should' nat's-pecialise aiid''try to , ', be^pipe • an' ; adept ai,thw , postt-' .Pavfso-ri: is' as ; 'gop.d' as' w^..liaYflj >nd ;'panJidt' ,'be relieved.very well just.n^U'fld : ,j(i would bo hard to replace, hi.mt Perhaps the selectors will get c sowebue. lior their .eijre in: the practice, gripes..... ' '■. ■'■. : :. Now, turning to those who are.. Jopked to for scoring,.Wellington: had,:three .goqd. -'men and two'indifferent ones out of the five .told off to" uphold the honour of forwards. Davies. was "out by''himselfj' , and parted tho majority of TiVellington's ... rushes,'besides scoring a -beautiful gpa], -;]Elliott. played soundly, but ho diiinot!ra(inage,t<):"riel'l his sH'ot; although H, did 'not look difficult..' Elliott ai]d Davies-wprked,well together,,!both , being helped by ,Smythe,' w|)b played. a.: hijrd. game, but lacked .pace .to . k-pep'; 'up. ..with. rDayies, niany good pa'sseß coming, tp naught , owing 'to Sniythe.n'pt being up ivith.the play- : As for the other two, well','. b6inc;uninit!ated to representative games, one. ijid' not jexpect them'to shine- but. still tlioy, have ..both played j much' better for: their', clubs':'.Jt njayhave been.a matter of,;"nerves:i- but they did nqt seem to understand'the, play ;fln; thp; other, wing, Wheatley had § shot .early/, in .' |he ganie,' but the goalkeeper" :"was-'- ; top well versed and saved After- this. Wlieatley now/and again appeared, ft- Jig,'getting'into the swing, but.for some reasoji he went no further.- Bocleis a, bustler, but,it,.requiroß more than tn!>t fpr representatiye matches, and this "more"- was missing, ' . ~ '!.'•

~-Leaying pur (ocal style of play,,with its gop'd points find bad, the' wqter: pa>sps j ; tp a fpw injpressjons of' the representative?, of the Queen.City. -Firstly, one; wasstruck \\s the clever stick play qf 'many jn' tho team, Nor was' their stick play all; ]t was niad? prettier still ■by their-, combination. .?>Every pjayer knew ■ his place 'ancl )tept itj tho : for T wards being.alrfiost in pert'oct lipe with rush'. They all wflrkedui harinony. each 9131) doing his. work qtfinkly, ai)d, jn iicarly'pvery, case, accurately.' .One wmild npt'jjo .to. far. as to/say that the Northerners:.had i)p faults,-; but this balancing pfth,e work appeared, to materially alEcct thp team as a wlipfe.'AVljije Wellington. h>d Wo men. on to one player a work'at! times (and consequently fine out of his position), Auckland made things lighter by> trusting that each inan would do his duty, and consequently all were • enabled to keep up thp pace set right to the close of the game. '''■■•'• -.. ■-■ '■ ■.. ':- •'■: Obstructipn by tho. ; Northerners .was ' V-o-.-ticeahle, but it sepmed luiintfintional ratliqr than deliberate, ancl djd not warrant any more whistlo thaa was: usetf. ; ''Stjol;s, was npt, often noticeable, on either side, and, as fa.r as ''iDrivcr" ren)'omber s /; -ttorp ',was not one breach of the off,side rule. •' ;.: ~

" BJpomfiold,the' visiters' 'goalkeeper, was jn. great form,, and kept ]i[p foes at bay exj cppt on one' , ocaasic-n'. , Nc#er toanv.couu} say : that it had the better goslfieopoi-, for, vie with each otfier as they plight, a gO3l was recorded against BloomfickJ, and Pwjer, • ■' Portor, centre-half, is quicH on- (ief?npo. and paviea.: and Elliott, were both checked many timevby his. elevey.play. . : .' .. Shirrlffe, right. f ttll-bapk. and ' pepsin, ra, Ulinclcd ono of Ashbojt at his, W- ■■■■■ Forwarcis must find him about ; tho hardest man in the team to pubs,' and even wen past mm. thoro is np portainty'thnt lie inll not cftWh the invader up, ond then sljot. bp much thon for a fine game.. • .One want? to SDB many more like it in .■Wellington.'.; Shouldsucb. happen,-it is certain that hooliey will lip ahead still faster.. -.- . : . v - .j,.:,,; A trial nwtch is , being, this afternoon, ; and, on" ..the following: i S»tur. d«T, H 'second trifil matoh WilJ -, |?rpb»bly tab plucp.' If ;.frhq •■ *?»m. . wpeetp. •; fco .be*t Aiioklaiuron •■gcpteniber 4 f v every .possible eorsp pf practice will need to be got in, and tho playerß pould be well advißod to go into hard training,until they make-the trip, i'licy will uieet a stronger'qoinblnatibiitlian that encountered'- !jist Safeday, ! -;«q stone must be Icffunturaed.' ' There to a

suKßnstion of playing tho junior representative's noxt Saturday, but it ie not likely that this courso will bo followed. It might allow tho team to work oiit somo policy of attack or defence, but, on tho other hand, it is not thought that tbo practice would bo sufficiently solid, • . Mr. W. J. Organ, ohairman of tho Wcl- ■ lington Association, has como out with a good suggestion. Ho proposes that a tournament Bhonld bo held noxt: roontli (Saturday, September 18, for choico) at Day b, Bay, this tournament to begin about noon. Each ! club would -enter one tbam and play ovory other club, tho games only to last a quarter of 1111 hour each. An opportunity would time bo wven Metropolitan, St. Patrick's O(,l)cgo Old JJoye, l'otonc, et«.,; to show what tlifiy urn nf. Such a tourney would nrotieu tt good deal of interest, and the writer triiflto that the euggestion will be noted UfXin by tlio corainittee. : Under.tho heading of "Hockey Amomtiee/' tho M Oanterbur,v Times" .report that iW'nearly thrco hours ono .evening last week tlio comrnitt«o of the Canterbury., Hockey Aseociation eat to consider complairts of tc-, ffcrcce and other persons in connection principally with recent games under th<i asspoiation'fl* jurisdiction, i'he first matter wae the report of a referee that ho: had: ordered a player off tho field for striking , another pinycr on tho legs with bin stick when tho nail wan not' within '•reasonable range /of the stick, Aβ tho referto was .unable, to attend, the caso was held over, , A letter was read from the person alleged to have been Ho ea<id that he had been struck from behind, but could not identify his. aesailant, and qesirod to'let the; nutter drop. ..' ' ■■'.. •',. ■. ."' •.".■ '".,■ :'.-:^ llie second case was- somewhat complicated. It appeared that tho referee. w.no>T7Bp coach for one team, and also eligible to plajl for the team, had been induced under hw own protest t(» referee in ,fhe match to prevent It from lapsing, as the pppointed roforee had not attended.- During the game ho had over-ruled a , decision. of the line umpire. Then, ho staged one of the players .''indulged in eomo cynical ,'bobhooingj' and ehowed by unmistalcable characteristics that _ he .disagreed with the deciskai.- . He cautioned the player, and subsequently ordered him off, for threatening to strike pother player .OB tie nose. There a counter-charge: the' player, iu which he 'stated that the > referee bad turned round on hearing the hooting, and had threatened to make an example pf soinebody, The player went on to.say that o,nW of: the, opposing , sido. had i repatedly .struck.him 6n-the legs, and ho therefore felt justifiocl in .threatening to pupch ; his UPWi a remark, he added, tha,t..waa;.,used overy . Saturday ;on. the " hocltey fipld, Finftlly, be flharged the referee; with ; hfV'ing ■■■■ flad' an altoxcation with' several spectators.; expressing 4 desire tp them and mako an ex-. ample; of. them. , .... .:,■:•, ,: j"' : i- >: Aft«r:. hearing the, parties to the dispute, ■'$,%(? committee;.found' tho. player.;guilty. of "pngentlernfinly conduct," and after retusine to allow hiin to call evidence in euppqrt pf ■ the statement he had made, ordered hrnr to starid' down for six montjis. A'membcr tjioreupon moved that ho should be , allowed ■to call ovidetic«, an.d the.motion, was Then after furthca , ,discussion, «nd before, the evidence was called, the chairman (Mr.: G. B,' Good) -ruled, that no charge had been: officially laid at the.'referee's: ','::,' '■•The next case was one in which a member of the committee had, named a player _: for accusing: him bersonally in the: presence of three witnesses of being a cheat in his. capacity as referee, and also with casting other psporsjons on his character. The committee decided to disqualify the player for, two years. ■ , _ Wellington and Wangatiui meet at Day s, Bay on September 7, the day after return from Auckland.