The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1925. THE DOMINION’S LADY HOCKEYISTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 10095, 7 September 1925, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1925. THE DOMINION’S LADY HOCKEYISTS.

That large section o' the public of this district which enjoys witnessing clean field games was well entertained in connection with last week’s ladies’ hockey championships. It certainly says a great deal for the popularity of the sport throughout . the Dominion that, in addition to the Southland team, the holders of the cup, another association in that far distant province—the Eastern Hockey Association— was also represented by a team at the tournament. As it so happens also, it was in every way worth the while of the Southland team to make such an expensive journey, seeing that they again reached the final and went on to victory. And the successful team unquestionably earned the congratulations so freely bestowed upon it from all sides. Success in its case was a due reward for assiduous practice and careful attention to the fine points of the game. The Ruahine team also deserved all the praise showered upon it, for it did exceedingly well to lift the Lady Carroll Shield and to secure , the second award—the Floyd Shieldin connection with the main tourney. But what can be said in respect of Poverty Bay’s own teams P It mustbe admitted that their performances were much loss satisfying than had been anticipated. When one recalls the fame which for some years attached to this district’s lady ists their failure on this occasion could only arise from one of two reasons—either Poverty Bay’s play was not up to the standard of the past o:f hockey has made vert great strides amongst lady players in other districts. We are afraid that it is quite wrong to suggest, as has been done facetiously in some quarters, that Poverty Bay suffered on account of the players in other districts having learnt the finer points of the game from them at previous tourneys. The position, it would seem, was that, despite the availability of plenty of good “material, ,r those in control of the sport did not enter upon the task of having it trained early enough and. consequents, the problem in connection with the selection of the teams lay in the fact that but few of the players had become specialists in the various departments of the game. But the hockey authorities in this district, though, doubtless, very disappointed that the cup will again return to the most southern hockey association in the Dominion, need not be down-hearted. They should, and no doubt will, take to heart- the lessons of this year’s failure and, let it he hpped, will be ready next year to send away a much more highly skilled team in quest of the coveted cup. On every hand, it is felt to be very pleasing that- hockey amongst ladies has reached such a high standard, as might he judged from the quality of much of the play during the late tourney. It would seem, indeed, that- hockey for young women has now become the counterpart of rugby in respect of the stronger sex in this Dominion. Ladies’ hockey, to-day, is, from all accounts, fast and strenuous in a- surprising degree and just as exciting as this Dominion’s national field game for men. And, what is more, if one may judge from the number of painfur mishaps that had, unhappily, to be recorded it- is fraught with much more risk! The general opinion of those who patronised the tourney might well he that an All Black ladies’ hockey team would, on a tour overseas, earn just as high distinction as the famous rugby combinations led respectively by the late Dave Gallagher and C. G. Poitei.