HOCKEY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1746, 23 August 1905, Page 49

HOCKEY.

WELLINGTON DEFEATS CANTERBURY.

It was unfortunate that the annual fixture between Wellington and Canterbury should have been arranged for the same afternoon as the WellingtonAustralia football match, as many who would assuredly have gone across to the Bay remained in town to witness the Rugby play. Nevertheless those who did journey across the harbour witnessed a stoutly-contested game, and experienced a most ejoyable outing. The sun shone brightly throughout the afternoon, and the ground was just right for play. The Canterbury team, which arrived on Saturday morning, was slightly altered from the one originally selected. and spread over the field as follows :—Goalkeeper, Luxton ; full-backs 1 , Mahar (captain) and Hunter; halves, Anderson, Clark, and Eggleston; forwards, R. Rankin, Hulbert, A. Rankin, Field, and Doig. Colours, red and black.

The Wellington team was—Goalkeeper, Pearson ; full-backs, F. Ashbolt and C. Hickson; halves, Skelly, Reid, and! Weybourne; forwards, Allen, Elliott, S. Hickson, Hull, and Smythe. Colours, black and yellow. further scores were recorded, the game ending—Wellington, 2 goals; Canterbury, 1 goal. The game ended—Wellington, 2 goals; Canterbury, 1 goal. The game was not a conspicuously good one from a hockey point of view—representative matches seldom are—but it was hotly contested from start to finish, and the teams were evenly matched. Wellington showed slightly the better combination and individual cleverness, but the Canterbury players hit cleaner, and were more active in “getting there” than their heavier opponents. For Canterbury, Mahar, Hunter, Clark, Hulbert, and the two Rankins did very weli. Prominent players for the home team included Hull, Smythe. Weybourne, Iteid, Ashbolt, and C. Hickson. Mr K. Morpeth, who acted as referee, should exercise a little more discrimination in giving penalties for kicks and wherV the ball is “carried.’ Rationally interpreted, the rule is only intended to meet those cases where the act is done deliberately with intention to gain advantage. Saturday’s game was the sixth one played between Wellington 'and Canterbury. The following are the results: — 1b99, drawn": 1900, Avon by Wellington; 1931, tii-awn; 1902, won by Wellington; ilhki, no game; 1904, won by Canterbury; a, 906, won by "Wellington