HOCKEY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 598, 28 August 1909, Page 12

HOCKEY.

,4 , (By Dpiv'Eiti) : .1. It is now only a week ere the chosen of Wel'lington mlifet try cililfiUisibils "v'lth the redoubtable Aucklanders. The match will lie awaited with great,interest by. nil hbckey players hfiil hockey enthusiasts in New Zealand ill: view, of iU'bearing on H'fe dh'allcnge shield. , Some interestilig.rerilarks on the AiiiklandCnnterbury, match,lnst. week are, coiittiinetl in the ''Canterbury Tittles." This.. Writer sdysi— ''The Auckland-Canterbury match presents ono of the . rarest' problems blit before a liddkey critic.' To a casual onlooker, howevity -.•'-itwould bo, quite easy,'for a considfefable nimrber of ( spectalbrs dame-away, with the iinjjt-feß-sion that the' Auckland representatives had the hardest of .luck in not' making a .drawn match,, of it. ;The attractive display on part of a Majority of the Auckland'team with their sticks, iiilcL their precision in hltti(!j» tho ball, was certainly very niuch superior to that of the. CaMtifoUfy Wpl'esentatives. -Yet inuijh feniains to': bo answered ftif. As d ; Mblo, tho Canterbury teai'n was without doubt' 9 more even eleven than Auckland, and to,this tlldli'' Siiccdss WM tllie." Tiiiife ftftW tiiiib the. CitlitdHnlfy ■ fol'Wards"'stfeiJt- ;lbfrir, tlid field Hi bdalitiflllly eVfen' lind, aft<l oilfie .In the (ifrclts of tlidlt opjiSrieitts tlifcir attack was ift resistible, The AUcklaml forwards rafdly. ad-, vnnbed'iii liiit!, fifst bile Wing-ami tlidh the othfel\ only to iJe'lilet With tho - f till loftier the hoiliu . diifetide. ' Tltd draiVine bf (lib ,dSffcrice tb the left in tlio lattet sWfca Bf , tlife game miglit ehsily. lulve proved Ciiittefbtiry's doivrifalli for it left Uliptbtected their cdntre and • right. Caiiipb'ell was evidently doitig too lilUiJhi niiu in fftsiajt oVof to Assist Ford oh tw6 011111100 occosuuu left Bury m itntliii okdi'

shots. It was unlucky for Auckland that Mather mot with the accident, for his goal in the first spell left tfo dotibt that no was dangerous in the circle, and he would have toade a hotter effort in the second spell but for his injury. There was, howovcr, no excuse for Barry, and hisidriving from the edge of the circle instead of getting closer in before shoot* ing lot Bellamy oft lightly. The scoop strokes of Smytlio completely nonplussed the Canterbury defence, und it showed how very Important it" is for half-backs to keep in tho.if places, This lack gave Barrv an easy charico to score that seldom (fills Id a .centre, and here Was Auckland's wedkncsS. . Of the goaU keepers, Bellamy showed better judgment than Bloomfield (Auckland), for it was oertainiy through an error 6h the latter's part that Gleeii scored the first gb&l fot- Canterbury! 'Die Canterbury defehcu was .n.ofo severely taxed than,-was that of. Auckland, for the hprthei'h forwards fiever made the hlisfak<> of hitting hard at tho opposing backs,' This was noticeable, however, on several occasions on tho part fat tho Canterbury forwards, and' should bo stopped, as it is simply tht'dwifig ChafiCes away When the opposing backs are sound. Sheriffs got many ohAnceS. to'fcloaf in' tills, way, 4nd had Fofd had tho same to face hd would shcrttn up niofe pi-Bmiiiolitly, If tho shield "s over destined to find a. restingplace in iCanterburyj this practice hiust bo en-tirely-done awdy with. The forwards have as much a mi6sion-ih finding their partners with the ball as have tlie halves. Another fault Was noticeable, and that amongst the halves. Thort was a to hold ..the, ball too lbnfe. and a Want of cHspness and {iredibion iii hittiig to Ui<s foH-ards.; This \?as gehfiral during the early stages, bf , the game oh the jJart bf the hofrie .team. The Canterbury team were niueh'mono adaptive than Auckland, and in this lay a great mfcastire of tho home team's success. Campbell, Throp, Oram, and .Shell soon found that the methods adopted .against Wellington could not suooeod against Auckland. They were quick to perceive the defect, and. .their hitting became more decisive. irid the little frills' tore soon thrown aside."