INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 126, 14 May 1935, Page 8

INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM

N.Z. Tour Opens To-morrow H.B. MET ON THURSDAY The world’s greatest exponents of the crooked stick game arrived at Wellington yesterday from India by the Maunganui and this All-lndia hockey team will open its New Zealand tour tomorrow when they meet Dannevirke at Dannevirke. On the following day they play Hawke’s Bay at Napier. India has earned its wonderful reputation through its unbeaten record in tours of America, the Continent of Elurope and Great Britain. Furthermore, they have maintained this record at two Olympic Games championship played prior to these respective tours. Before the Indian Army team toured New Zealand, hockey was not widelyknown to the general public, but these players put up such wonderful displays that when the last Test match was played at Auckland it drew a record crowd of 22,500. This present All-lndia side is much superior to its predecessors and their play, as disclosed by its wonderful successes in the four games played in Australia en route to New- Zealand for this tour have earned them their title as a “magnificent side.” Dhyan Chand (captain), rated by leading authorities as the greatest player of all time is well worthy of the honour and his supports such as his brother Rup Singh, Ohammad Husain, Davidson, Wells, Shahabuddin, Harbail Singh and M. N. Nasud, will display a class of hockey never before seen in New Zealand. They feature flick, rush, lunge, reverse and scoop shots in their repertoire and their wonderful combination, field tactics, speed and finish is something to marvel at. The itinerary for the New Zealand tour is as follows;— May 15 —v. Dannevirke at Dannevirke. May 16—v. Hawke’s Bay at Napier. May 18—v. Poverty Bay at Gisborne. May 20—v. Wairoa at Wairoa. May 22—v. Bush Union at Eketahuna. May 25—v. Wanganui at Wanganui. May 29 —v. Manawatu at Palmerston North. May 30 —v. Horowhenua at Otaki. June I—v. Wellington at Wellington. June 3 —v. Canterbury at Christchurch. June 6—v. South Canterbury at Timaru. June B—v. Otago at Dunedin. June 10 —v. North Otago at Qamaru. June 12 —v. Eastern-Northern at Gore. June 15 —v. Southland at Invercargill. June 19—v. Mid-Canterbury at Ashburton.

June 22 —v. New Zealand, First Test at Christchurch. June 26—v. West Coast at Greymouth. June 29 —v. New Zealand, Second test at Wellington. July 2 —v. Nelson at Nelson. July 4—v. Taranaki at Eltham. July 6 —v. Waikato at Hamilton. July 10—v. Piako at Te Aroha. July 11 —v. Waipa at Te Awamutu. July 13—v. Auckland at Auckland. July 17—v. Rodney at Warkworth. July 20—v. New Zealand, Third Test at Auckland. July 22—Match to be arranged. On Friday, July 26, the team leaves Auckland by the Marama for Australia, where they* play a fortnight’s matches in New- South Wales. H.B. ASSOCIATION MEETING. INDIAN MATCH ARRANGEMENTS. A special meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Hockey Association was held in Napier last evening, Mr A. D. Mahoney presiding over a full attendance of delegatee. Further correspondence was received from the New Zealand Hockey Association with regard to the Hawke’s Bay versus India match to be played at McLean Park, Napier, on Thursday next and intimating that private advices received from Australia give an absolute assurance that the Indian team is a truely wonderful side. It was decided to approve of the nomination forwarded from the H.B. Referees’ Association of Messrs R. JSurgenor and S. Crook as referees for the Napier (ladies) v. Tamatea (ladies) curtain-raiser to the Hawke’s Bay v. India match. Mr C. Rose reported on the final ground and entertainment arrange, ments and advised that the Mayor (Mr C. 0. Morse) had consented to give a civic reception in the Council Chambers (Napier) at 12.30 p.m. to the Indian touring team. The chairman intimated that the Hastings officials would join the Indians there and endeavours were being made to have the patron (Mr G. A. Maddison) and president (Mr H. B. Poppelwell) to accompany them too.