INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 198, 20 July 1935, Page 2

INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM.

A STRENUOUS TOUR, \ AIR GUPTA’S COAIAIENTS. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND. July 19. The belief that the Indian hockey team’s tour of New Zealand was made unnecessarily strenuous is held by the co-manager, Air P. Gupta, who said he did not know of any other team which had had to undergo such physical and mental strain. He contrasted their programme of 29 matches in ten weeks with the All Blacks’ 28 matches in three months and 20 days. There would ho 29 All Blacks, hut the Indians numbered sixteen. The team had had to play three matches within a radius of 40 miles, at Hamilton, Alorrinsville and To Aroha. Surely it would have been possible to allow tho team to stay at Hamilton as the headquarters and send teams from there instead of all having to go to the three places. Air Gupta said he wished to correct the report emanating from Christchurch that tlio team had been indulging in too many “extras” at the expense of the Hockey Association. It was a stupid and irresponsible statement. The team bad not exceeded its rights in any direction, but had willingly paid many expenses that . should have been carried by the Hockey Association. Another point was that no member of the team drank liquor; they drank a lot of milk.