INDIAN MATCH

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 23

INDIAN MATCH

This victory showed strikingly the benefit that former Indian tours have had on hockey in the Dominion, comments the "New Zealand Herald," referring to the defeat of the Manavadar Indian tourists by the Auckland representatives. The visiting team need, therefore, have no regrets, as Professor Jagan Nath pointed out, at the great success of the lessons learned from sides that came before it. Hockey

is not at such a high level in New i Zealand, however, that it can rest at | all. Auckland can undoubtedly field the strongest side in the Dominion, including Test teams, and on this occasion played above itself. Credit is due to the selector, Mr. E. Watts, for the way he allowed the team to work itself into a combination. From the time the team was first picked no changes were made except those necessitated by injuries. Any criticism that was made of the merits of some of these players was confounded on the day of the match, when not a single weak link could [be found. The team worked smoothly as a whole, as smoothly as the Indian side, and its performance marked a new era of hockey in the Dominion. It was a pity that the visitors should have been weakened by the absence through injury of some of its most brilliant players and that others on the field were not as fit to play as they might have been, but the side proved itself exceptionally capable and fought back to the end. A feature of the play was that, although the Indians fielded their strongest defensive side, the Auckland forwards were able to score five goals and press strongly throughout. S. M. Hussain proved very capable on defence and produced great speed and stick-work that could hardly have been bettered. He showed also that he could hit the ball hard, a capability that most others in the side seemed to lack, but gave "sticks" on rather too many occasions. It was surprising to see Gumarain Singh, the other full-back, "speculating" on several occasions.