HOCKEY SEASON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21553, 26 July 1933, Page 15

HOCKEY SEASON

AUCKLAND TEAM'S TOUR h ' AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAMME CHALLENGE FOR JUNIOR CUP Arrangements are being actively pushed forward by Mr. H. E. Watts for the tour of an Auckland representative hockey team next month. Several favourable replies havo been received from associations communicated with and dates for the itinerary are /now being pencilled in. According to present arrangements, the first match will be against Waipa at To Awamuiu on August 23 and tho team will play Taranaki at Stratford the following day. On August 28 a match will be played at Feilding, and it has sdscy been definitely arranged for tho Auckland team to play Nelson as a curtain-raiser to the North s IslandSouth Island match at Nelson on September 2. Although definite replies have/not yet been received from other associations, it is proposed that tho team should also play at Palmerston North, Wanganui, Hastings ;Vd Dannevirke. The first challenge for some years for the Junior Challenge Cup has been received by tho Auckland Hockey Association from Taranaki, which has suggested August 19 for the dato of the match. Next in importance to the Ne\y Zealand Challenge Shield and tho Norden Cup, tho Junior Challenge Cud is played for between teams of players under 2-1 years of age. Auckland won tho" trophy from Canterbury in 1924 and has held it ever since. It withstood challenges from Wellington and Canterbury in 1925. and from Canterbury'' in 1927 and 1928. No other challenges have been made to Auckland. With the winning of the Norden Cup /by Waipa from Taranaki in tho game at Waitara last week, most of the important New Zealand trophies are, now in the Auckland Province. The New Zealand Challenge Shield for competition among major associations bus been held by Auckland since 1931,. The Norden Cup, for competition among minor associations, has been regained by- Waipa, and tho Rartkin Memorial Cup, a secondary schools' trophy, has been held by Auckland Grammar siuco 1926. The two trophies for primary schools' competition —the Hatch Cup and the Norton Cup—havo not yet been annexed by Auckland, but with the increased interest being taken in the primary schools, Auckland .may be able to put forward a challenge for these within a vpar or two. Waipa's play is well known to, Auckland. Although Waipa is really affiliated to Waikato, a special clause in the rules of the Country Week tournament, enables it to take part with Auckland's sub-associations. < Mr. H. E. Watts, president of the Auckland Hockey Referees' Association, who, .with Mr. R. J. Rvburn (EUham), was in charge of \\aipas game against Taranaki, said the match was exceptionally strenuous. Both teams appeared to suffer in the first spell from over-anxiety and minor breaches were frequent. Waipa did most of ///the attacking, but in the first ■half lacked finish in circle play. Both Taranaki fullbacks, Thompson nnrl Rvan, played very sound games, but /the holders' goalkeeper was not so Reliable as J. Spiers, who again ga\ o n fine exhibition in the aipa, goalmouth. There was little to choose between the teams, but in the second ] ia ]f Waipa, gaining confidence, showed itse)f better opportunists than Taranaki.