HOCKEY LEGISLATION

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 11, 14 January 1936, Page 5

HOCKEY LEGISLATION

LEGALITY OF CERTAIN STICKS. RULING OF INTERNATIONAL BOARD. It will be interesting this season in England to see what steps the various umpires take regarding the ruling of the International Hockey Board that a stick with the extremity cut back and certain other makes with the extremity cut square are not legal. The board announced that the extremity must be sufficiently rounded off and have rounded edges. It seems a pity they did not explain by a diagram in the Hockey Association handbook or elsewhere what is inferred by “sufficiently rounded off.” Sufficiently for whom? For the umpire? Almost every type of stick now being used has the extremity cut square or cut back, and those cut square invariably have rounded edges. Those cut back certainly at times go to a rather sharp point, though this is rounded off. Strictly speaking a high percentage of the sticks in use are illegal, and probably the only stick any umpire will question will be one deliberately cut back.

The Army secretary, .Captain M. H. Cork, had several interesting things to say regarding hooking of sticks. Although this is still permitted in men's hockey, it is openly detested by almost every player, and Captain Cork has instructed all, Army units to abolish it altogether. Clubs may agree amongst themselves before the game that hooking should be penalised; if they make this experiment they will probably become so strong in favour of reform that hooking would soon be entirely abolished.