HOCKEY SEASON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21233, 13 July 1932, Page 15

HOCKEY SEASON.

TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA.

&UCICLAND SIDE WEAKENED.

COUNTRY WEEK PROGRESS

sVitb only one more series of games in (he Davis Cup''competition to be played, the hockey season -in Auckland is well advanced and there will be plenty of opportunities for Shield matches, or even for friendly games with sub-associations ghould the occasion arise. So far no further have been received for

the Ni3W Zealand Shield, economic difficulties being largely responsible for / "the failure of other districts to contest for thii trophy. Auckland yill be more seriously

weakened than/other associations by the 'absence of the New Zealand team in Aus- / tralia, since six out of the 16 players are Aucklandeis. The forwards will be the most affected, for out of the teum that played Waikato, Reid, Anthony and 'Wellbourne will be missing, as well as ' one of the emergencies, Bay. The Sefena) will not suffer to the same estent. The left half, T. Clark, and the right fullback, Parker, were stalwart members cf»the defence, but for both these places there are several sound players & offering- , ..... It is unfortunate that owing to injuries received in an accident H. Jones is unable to tour. /. He would have benefited K' immensely by the experience and been 0 valuable member of the team. •* £ Dates o 1 Matches. To fill the forward line while the New . Zealand team is away will be by no meanii an easy task. E. Watts and 0. jWattsi, should, of course, form a powerful nucleus, and Glanville is probably the v " ttronj;est Monteith might make a more useful right inner than either N. Burnett or Seccombe, while Viponc j»;ay possibly be chosen for left wing. The forward line would have to have considerable practice together and careful coaching" before any representative games that might be arranged during the, New ■k Zealand team's absence. Th« Auckland members of the team 5' G. Parker, T. Clark, D. Reid, P. H 'Anthony, ,F* Wellbourne and M. Bay, will leave Auckland to-morrow evening, after being farewelled at tin Hockey Ball to-night. The team will sai ly the Maunganui from Wellington oi .Friday and will arrive at Sydney nex > Tuesday. / Thu itinerary of the tour is us fol

lows:—July 2u, Far North Coast Associalion at Lismore; July 23, Queensland at > Brisbane; July 25, Ipswich at Ipswich; July 27, Toowoomba at Toowoomba; July 28, Warwick 1 at Warwick; July 30, Tenterfield at' Tenterfield; July 31, return to Sydney; August 1, Metropolitan at Sydney; August 3, Central Western Association at Orange; August 6, Federal Capital Association at Canberra; August 10, South Australia at Sydney; August ' 11, Western Australia at Sydney; August 13. Australia at Sydney; August 16, country game ■ August 20, Victoria at Melbourne; August 24, New South Wales at Sydney; August 26, leave Sydney for New Zealand. " ! Cost ol the Tour. Criticism of the principle upon which the New Zealand team was selected is made in a letter written to a Wellington papctr recentjy. Pointing out that all members of the team have to find their return steamer fare, a matter of over £2O, the writer.says that the chief qualification appears to be money. He claims that each, member of the team, after paying out-of-pocket expenses on the tour would havo spent ov£r £7O before his return. In llis opinidh, the New Zealand Association shouid havq participated in an art union and utilised portion of the resultant funds to send the team away on a proper basis. All hockey supporters realise that the team does not represent the full {strength of the Dominion, but is a compromise made necessary by financial conditions. . No hockey .associations are on a similar basis to Rugby football unions, since : their gate money is negligible. It is understood, moreover, that the New Zealand Association has had an application for an art union before the Minister of Internal Affairs for a considerable time and that no permit'has yet been granted. The New Zealand Association made the best arrangements possible in the circumstances, and the general opinion is tl»t the team will do well. The positions of the leading teams in the lower grades are as follows: — Second Grade.—Training College, 15 championship points; Papatoetoe, 13; University A, 11; St. Luke's, 9. Third grade: Auckland Grammar, 12; Somerfille, 9; Papatoetoe, 8. Fourth grade: Auckland Grammar A, 13; Somerville, 9; St. Luke's, 9; Mount Albert Grammar, 9- Fifth grade: Somerville, 14; Papatoetoe, 12; 'Mount Albert Grammar A, 10. In the last two grades certain matches We not yet been reported to the association. /