Country Week Will Test Hockey Strength

Northern Advocate, 10 May 1939, Page 4

Country Week Will Test Hockey Strength

With Country Week only a month or two away, Whangarei hockey players are being keenly watched by the selector, who should, within the next few weeks, be able to form a fairly good idea of how the teams are shaping and what individuals are likely to be looking for representative honours. It is to be hoped that the A and B teams will be selected early, so that ample time will be allowed the players to practice combination, an essential factor in the tournament.

When Whangarei proceeds to Auckland, its representatives will come up against the best in the province and it will be a feather in Northland’s cap if the coveted trophies can be brought into this district. This year hockey shows promise of being up to exceptionally high standards, the number of teams entering for local competition being unsurpassed. ' Enthusiasm for the sport has been stimulated considerably in the last season or two with the result that the association faces prospects this season that it has not done previously. Even if the representatives do not win their games they will secure valuable experience. New rules brought in since the previous season are still proving a difficulty to country players and particularly to the many new players who have joined up this year. To-night it is expected that the full list of the new rules will be considered by Whangarei umpires and will thus tend to clarify some points regarding which some players are at variance. With the opening day severed from the second day of the competition by; three weeks, an unfortunate break has occurred in the association’s schedule. The season has now well advanced and teams will have settled down by next Saturday to serious competition.

Although the standard of some of the games was high on Saturday, there were noticeable instances in all grades where- teams revealed an absence of practiced co-operation and combination. Combination comes only with practice ,and more practice, and it is a feature of this year’s contests that most teams are fielding men and ladies who have not previously handled sticks. The difficulty of securing combination under these circumstances will be appreciated. All conditions considered, however, the prospects for the immediate future are bright. When the association has its new grounds in order it should reveal the full effect of improved playing conditions. So far this season the weather on the two playing days has been ideal, but the standard of play has been offset greatly by the condition of the grounds. At Kensington Park there are .awkward humps and hollows that make fast play difficult, while the ups and downs on some of the school fields are not in the best interests of good play. Next year, it is anticipated, the association will be using new grounds that will do away permanently with this handicap.