OTAGO HOCKEY ASSOCIATION.

Evening Star, Issue 14830, 21 March 1912, Page 3

OTAGO HOCKEY ASSOCIATION.

Annual report, to be presented at the annual meeting, to be held on Friday, March 29. Your executive have pleasure in presenting their eighth annual report, and in congratulating members on a fairly satisfactory season. The grade championships were unusually interesting, and the standard of play compared more than favorably with that- of previous years. Eight teams competed in the senior grade, the Gymnastic.Club securing the MaeLean Cup after very close competition. University, the cup winners in every year previous, had this season to be content with second place, one point behind the winners. The Junior Championship was won by University, who defeated All Saints in a final tie, and who. there-fore.-hold the Williamson Cup for this year. In conjunction with the Otago Ladies' Hockey Association, a seven-a-sido tournament was held, the complete success of which should induce the incoming 'executive to continue the fixture ns an annual one. In this tournament the Senior Competition was won by the Otago Club, and the Junior by University. An attempt was made during the rear to win from Wellington the New Zealand Hockey Association's Challenge Shield. Our representatives acquitted themselves splendidly, and their defeat in the closing stages of the game by the narrow margin of one goal leads us to hope that the next attempt may hj? successful. Another challenge has gone forward for a match during the coming season. The annual matches against Canterbury and Southland were both lost by Otago, Canterbury being victorious in the match plaved at Christchurch hv five goals to two, and Southland, at Dunedin, defeating Otago bv six to one. A second eleven representing Otago travelled to Oamaru and Tiinaru. being defeated by South Canterbury at Timani by five to three, and winning the match against North Otago at Oamarn by five to four. As in previous years, there aro no remarks other than of a complimentary nature to be made with regard to the conduct of players, the season being unmarred by an unpleasant occurrence of anv kind. Your executive regret to report that, notwithstanding numerous requests for tho use of grounds on the city reserves, the City Council have not yet seen fit to set apart- any portion of those areas. We commend this matter to th" incoming executive. and trust thev mav be able to impress the City Council with th~ claims of the largo number of players of hockey for whom nothing has yet been done. Tho balance-sheet discloses a satisfactory financial position, there being a sum of £5 13s Id to credit- on the rear's operations. though the expenses for the year included a numb-r of unusual items of expenditure. The generosity of a number of old players and supporters wlrr contributed towards the expenses of our travelling team helped to make this result possible, and your executive take this opportunity of expressing the association's thanks to those gentlemen. During the year the executive suffered a loss in tho departure from Dunedin of Al> R. M. Rutherford, who for several years past has rendered valuable services to the association, and no lees valuable services in his capacity of captain of several successive representative trams. As a small memento of his connection with Otago hockey, both as player and administrator, and in token of the good wishes of his fellow-members on the executive, a presentation was made him on the eve of his leaving the City. His place on the executive was filled bv the appointment of Mr H. S. Adams, who has proved a worthy successor to Mr Rutherford. The association's thanks are duo to tho members of the Referees’ Association for their invaluable services during the season, and the executive express the hope that retiring players will extend the scope and usefulness of that .association bv joining it. Thanks are also due to Mr 11. S. -I. Goodman, our representative on the N.Z.H.A.. for his invariable attention to the interests of the association, and to the Press for the amount of attention given to the game of hockey. In closing, the executive record with pleasure tho fact that the teams which represented tho province 'on tour during (he season were everywhere treat'd with the utmost kindness and hospitality, thru cementing the friendly feeling which has alwavs existed between Otago and the governing bodies in other provinces.