HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19027, 26 May 1925, Page 6

HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

NOTES AND COMMENTS. POSITIONS OF THE TEAMS. SOMERVILLE IN THE LEAD. By defeating St. Luke's on Saturday Somcrville registered their third consecutive win, and are now at the head of the senior hockey championship list, being one point ahead of St. Luke's and Mount Eden, who, however, have played four games, while the leaders have played only three. Stanley, who are newcomers to the senior ranks, have played three drawn games to* date. Positions of teams are as follow: Ch. I'. W. L. D. Pts. Somorvdlo ~ .. :i ;{ 0 0 (i St. Lukii'n .. .. <\ 2 11 r> Mount Eden .. ..4 2 11 6 Stanley ,'i o 0 3 3 University .. ..4 1 21 I) WfHley ;j 0 2 1 1 A reta .. .. ~ 3 o 2 1 1 Meeting ol Old Rivals. The matches on Saturday produced good form considering tho state of the playing areas. The contest between the old rivals, St. Luke's and Somcrville, as anticipated, was a strenuous one. As neither side had suffered defeat great interest was displayed in the game. "Somervillo's win was duo to superior form and tactics. The heavy ground militated against a firstclass exposition, but tho game was spectacular and full of exciting incidents. Somerville's forwards played with great dash in their attacking movements, keeping admirably in position, and availing themselves' of openings. The wings made many fine runs, and their centering hits wore generally welldirected. If. Watts gavo the sounder allround display. E. Watts at centre was responsible for much brilliant play, his clever stickwork and co-operation with the inside forwards being very beneficial to his side. G. Watt's and Scccombo gave bright displays, opening up the game in fino style. All tho vanguard showed ability in ingTho half lino played well, both on attack and defence. BailJon gave an outstanding performance at fullback, his stopping and clearing hits being executed with great judgment. Cooper, tho goalkeeper, was in capital form. The St. Luke's vanguard played a strenuous game, and the combination was often of a high order. Failure to make the most of good opportunities was often noticeable. The most conspicuous players were Hookham, Carston and Craig. Tho halves acquitted themselves well, Steele in particular showing to advantage. He initiated most of the attacks with wellplaced hits. St. Luke's undoubtedly missed the services of Potter and McLcod, who wero unavoidably absent. Mills and Rowe had a busy time stemming tho frequent onslaught of the opposing forwards. They both stopped well and used good discretion when clearing. Menzies in goal made many remarkable saves, though his clearing was often ill-directed. University's Improved Form. The University-Wesley match was a fairly even struggle, with the former showing slightly better combination. The University front, line played admirably, there being a distinct improvement over the previous Saturday's display. Burton and Hodge played with excellent understanding and created most of the openings. They were ably supported by Scherer and Clayton. Veale was conspicuous in the half-line, supporting his forwards in great style, and clearing well. Both Radcliffe and Thompson performed capably. Hume and Burt showed good judgment in the fullback positions, both playing very steady games. Steen was in fair form in goal. Wesley's performance was full of promise and their general form was good. Fitt at centro again played with splendid judgment, though he was often hampered by his inside men coming too close in. His shooting was first-class. Simmons and Wiseman worked hard and co-operated well on attack. Of a hard-worked half line, the honours went to A. B Burton, whose all-round play was meritorious. The fullback positions were capably filled by Sparling and Richards, and the goalkeeping by Woolley was sound. Areta's Second Defeat. The meeting of Mount Eden and Arcta was productive of spirited play, with Mount Eden holding the upper "hand in the earlier stages, and Areta making desperate efforts at the finish. Superior tactics, with an excellent understanding between backs and forwards, were mainly responsible for Mount Eden's superiority. The Mount Eden forwards infused great dash and determination in their offensive movements. D. Alexander, Giles and Fletcher were conspicuous, and repeatedly beat tho defence with clever stickwork and cross-passes. The halves wore very solid, McAdam initiating some nice attacks, while Kelly played brilliantly. Brown and Ritchie had plenty to do and gave good performances. Rankin was in capital form in goal, stopping many hot shots. ' For Arcta tho best of a hard-working forward lino wero Ilayson, 'Anthony, and R. Carter. In the rearguard, Savage and Davis were prominent, offering very stubborn defence.