HOCKEY. WELLINGTON BEATS MARLBOROUGH.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 89, 17 April 1911, Page 8

HOCKEY. WELLINGTON BEATS MARLBOROUGH.

It is unusual for a hockey representative match to be played as early as Easter, but, at the request of the Marlborough Association, a representative team left Wellington to play Marlborough at Blenheim on Easter Saturday. A considerable time had elapsed sinco Marlborough had played a match, against an outside province, and tho match was arranged with a view, first of all, to comparing the playing strength of Marlborough with other provinces, and, secondly, with a view to testing its style of play. Mr. H. V. Walton, of Wellington, controlled the game, and it is to be regretted that he found it ne-c-essaTy to penalise the Wellington team even more frequently than the home team, the amount of off-side play and obstruction indulged in by the Wellington men being very noticeable. However, the Wellington team, especially in the second half of the game, certainly showed some fine combined play among the forwards. The exhibition given by the Marlborough team was not very satisfactory. Their captain, at centrohalf, put up a good game, and worked very hard, and Stocker played soundly^ at left full-back, but otherwise there was nothing remarkable about the play of the team. The forwards were undoubtedly weak, and bad very little idea of combined play ; and the contrast between the short, nippy passes among tho Wellington forwards and the independent tactics of the Marlboxough men was very noticeable. A word of praise is Niue to Perry, who played in-goal for Marlborough, and saved many shots. The Wellington team was comprised as follows : — L. Davies, goalkeeper ; Hickson, right-back; Spiers, left-back i Exley, right-half ; Aicken, centre-half ; R. Thompson, left-half ; Parton, rightwing ; Murphy, inside-right, Dunn, centre-forward ; Davies, inside-left ; Loader, left-wing. Murphy was selected as centre-forward and Dunn as in-side-right, but a change was effected soon after the game was commenced. The match resulted in a win for Wellington by five goals to nil, and tho •scorers were Dunn (3), Davies, and Murphy. The fact that Loader did not score must not be taken to indicate that he did not play well. He played one of his best games, and was undoubtedly th-e finest forward on the ground. Dtmn did well in the circle, but was week outside, and Murphy and Davies combined well with J:-he other forwards, Murphy putting in some fine shots fromthe edge of the circle. Parton's display was disappointing. • The half -line played well, Aieken's work being brilliant. Exley and Thompson both fed their forwards with judgment. Hiekson -(captain of the team) played his usual sound game, but Spiers, "at left full, was not up to representative form. The, goalkeeper (L. Davies) did what little came his way well, but was not troubled very much. Taken right through, the display of the Wellington team was very satisfactory. The right-wing and insideright positions in the representative team this year will undoubtedly be very keenly contested, and last year's men in these postitions will need to use every effort to retain them. Most of the visitors returned to town, on Saturday by ; the Pateena.