AUSTRALIANS' TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 7, 8 July 1922, Page 14

AUSTRALIANS' TOUR

WELLINGTON TO HAVE TEST MATCH

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(By " Sticks.")

It is now practically certain that an Australian team will, tour the Dominion in September next, and the New Zealand Association has decided that matches will be played at Auckland, Palmerston North,, New Plymouth, Nelson, Christchurch, and Dunedin, with a Test match at Wellington. On what basis this provisional itinerary was drawn up the writer does not know, and it seems strange that several places where hockey As strong have been left out altogether. Hawkes Bay, for instance, is sure to havo something to say on this subject. Wellington must be considered fortunate in securing the" only Test match, and, this game should prove a strong- attraction should the weather and other conditions be favourable, t ■ ...

On the,subject of the tour, Mr. R. E. Fielder, secretary of trio''New South Wales Association, has addressed the following letter'to the secretary of the New Zealand body, Mr. P. W. Quartermaiii: "I have to thank yon for your letter dated 13th May, contents of which.were fully discussed at the monthly meeting of my executive on Tuesday, 6th June. My committee authorised lrje to thank tho New Zealand Hockey Association for the very kind invitation extended to my association to send an international team to New Zealand this season, and, while we are keenly desirous to; accept, it is obviously necessary for us to make exhaustive inquiries first of all, and thus make certain that we shall send,a thoroughly representative combination; -in other words, we accept your \ invitation with the. greatest pleasure and anticipation, .and will se nd a team provided a strong enough combination can be got together. In the meantime,.we are leaving, no stone unturned to. get together a really capable combination, and in order to make the team as international as possible, we have forwarded a copy of your letter to us to the Victorian and Queensland Hockey Associations, so as to ascertain if they have any men of at least inter-state standard able to make the trip. On going into the question of dates, we find the most convenient time would be after, oui inter-sate carnival at the end.of August, arid the' Australian; team would leave immediately after the conclusion of the annual interstate games, arriving in New Zealand about the commencement of September. We note your suggested arrangements : re financing the tour throughout the Dominion, and my association is in complete agreement.with these arrangements, likewise with the suggested duration of the tour—viz., three weeks. As soon as we are sure that we are able to, get. together a team of sufficiently high; standard of play, I will notify you at once, so that arrangeriients may be.completed with as little delay as possible—and we realise that there is no time to be lost. My executive is also-most anxious, that this tour should eventuate, as the prospect of internationalihockey is just what is wanted to give the game a much-needed boost. Subject to youz agreement,^ we propose to send eighteen men, including the manager." ', A Since the above letter was received, a cablegram has come. to., hand .'notifying that the tour will take place, so that it may be taken that a good team has been secured.' ■ . ■'■ ""