HOCKEY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14213, 14 May 1908, Page 10

HOCKEY.

By Bully. The first, matches of this season's compo tit,ions were played on Saturday. Tho grounds were in excellent condition for last play, and the weather favourable, except for tho homeward trip after tho games, when players were faced with one of tho disadvantages of a changeable climate. A good oontcst was looked for between University and Otago seniors, but that anticipation was hardly justified in the veslllt . University had not tho slightest difficulty in disposing of their opponents, tho score— 3 goals to nil— representing- rather less than tho difference in play. The game requires very little description. .There was no exceptional vigour about University's sharo in it, though this was probably duo to the fact that it was not required. There was, however, decent combination and a clearly understood plan of attack. Playing together as a team, rather than as 11 men each anxious to hit tho ball anywhere, they \rero never extended, and would probably havo made tho scoro bigger had there been any necessity. Tho Blues' backs, particularly the full backs and goal koopor, wer tho escnco ot judgment and safety, though .it wa6 noticeable that the winga wero not fed as they used to be with Goodman playing centre half. As for the forwards, tlusy kept nicely in their places, passed well, and when the time camo shot straight and hard. Otago's great want seemed to be a. plan of campaign. Tho backs defendod wejl, except in tho case of the first goal against them, which was & particularly soft one, but there seemed to 1)0 no particular desiro to do much with tho ball except' to get rid of it. In most cases they cither sent it to one of th» Blues or else into tho centre, with the result tliat tho centre forward and inside right were/ overworked and the remainder of tho forward line wero little moro than spectators. Adams and Calder, of the forwards, played good games, but they were not given the best chances by having the ball sent in to them from the wings, for the reason that the wings rarely got tho ball from the backs. In those circumstances University were enabled to givo an exposition of "hockey defenco made easy" by simply marking Otago's centre. On Saturday's play Otago lias deteriorated since last season. Certainly anothor gamo or two may make all the difference, but tho team lias had a reasonable amount of practice together, and should have put up a better exhibition than Saturday's. '

Last week part of the burden of my song was on tho subject of scoring from a corner hit. Gower, of University, gave * practical demonstration of " how io do it" on Saturday. It was a "short" corner. Gower, standing immediately in front of the goal posts, stopped the ball himself and before anyone could say "shoot," ho had it between the posts. If all players could get. their bit in as lively' aa this, what fast hockey we ' would see. Unfortunately, there are very few men in Otago who could- tako' the samo advantago of a similar chance, honce I still give my vote in favour of one man stopping the ball and tho next man to him doing the shooting. , The other senior game, Y.M.G.A. v. Gymnastics, was a verilabl# cake-walk. Nine goals to nothing is a solid enough victory to satisfy the modest desires of the Y.M.'a. Gymnastic played one man short, and their team included four first-season anon, which circumstances go a long way towards explaining matters.

In the junior matches, also, there was some tall scoring, Y.M.C.A. No. 1 putting up 12 to nil against the same club's No. 2 team, and Dunedin beating Y.M.C.A. No. 3byllto 3. Otago Juniors played Briscoe's at Anderson's Bay, and a very stubborn struggle resulted in a draw, each team scoring two goals.

A oorrespoiidcnt from whom I should be glad to hear again on subjects connected with liockey, sends me tho following with reference to the question of offside:—Of all tlio rules of hockey nono is so imperfectly understood as the off-sido rule. So frequent is tho evidence of this that it is imperative that some voieo or pen should bo employed in the endeavour to dissipate the mist, which seems to obscure the true meaning of the rule in the minds of so many players. Tho crux of the offside rule is contained in tho words: "At the moment when tho ball is hit." That is tho whole paint. Was tlie player onside or off-aide when the ball was hit; not was the player on-side or off-sido when JiQ received the ball. Frequently it will happen that an umpire whistles a player off-sido and that players and spectators are at variance with bis decision, yet tho umpire is right and everyone olse wrong. How is this? Tho umpire was watching the movements from the beginning; ho saw that at tho moment when tho ball was struck the player to whom 'it was passed had only two of his opponents between their goal line and himself, but that in the interval between its being struck and his playing it one of tho opposing side moved baolt, and apparently put him on-side. According to the unmistakable reading of the rule the player was off-side. Tako the inverse of this. A player appears to spectators and other players to be off-sade. Ho gets to the ball with only tho goalkeeper in front of liim, yet "the" umpire founds no hostile whistle, and disregards appeals for off-side. Again tho umpire ia right. Noting the positions of the players when tho tell was last hit, ho saw that this particular player had at that time three opponents between Kim and the goalline, that the player then darted forward and his opponents moved towards tho ball, and they failing to interoept it, the first player got possession in such aii isolated position as to create tho. impreoskm thfit ho »was badlv off-sido.

I have had to condense considerably, but' the foregoing contains tho iornej oE of the lettei). Undoubtedly thero is a lot of misconception amongst players as to when a iran is off-side. The position is this: A player c.xnnot be off-side in his own half of the ground, nor if the bill wa9 last hit by one of the opposing' side. But when tho ball is hit by ono of his own sido a player is off-side unless ho lias three of his opponents between him and their goal line at the moment when tho ball is 80 hit. He then remains off-side until tha ball is touchcd or hit by ono of his opponents or by ono of his own team who at the moment of hitting is nearer his opponents' goal lino than himself. I am inclined to think that most of the trouble •1 rites not from any misreading of the rule, but rathor from a neglect to read it at all. If playors would take the trouble to think over the rule for five minutes there would bo less appealing for off-sido play simply 011 the grounds tbat. tliore are not three moil in front of the player 'when he geta the ball. But here is a. possible position over which students of the rules might ponder. A player takes up his position with only the goal-keeper of the opposite side before him. A ball glances hack off the stick of ono of the opposing full backs. The player is on-side, and at libsrty to score if he is able, because no matter where situated in the field a man is not off-side unless tho ball has been last hit or touched by a player belonging to his own side.

The following from a Sydney paper seems to indicate a boom in lioekey over there:—"Hockey is going ahead around Sydney. Judging by the Dames they cliooso for their dure the hockeyitcs have a senso of humour, or something just as good. On Saturday last tho Corinthians met tho Coronas, and the Barbarians battled with the Sydneians, while, very appropriately, the Bandits struggled ivitli the Pilgrims. Of the bunch, Corinthians are about the best, but the wholo six clubs aro novr high class combinations, and play d fine, fast game. In Saturday's straggle tho Coronas, tho baby club, showed rcjilarkable speed but it was more than counterbalanced by t.ho skill of tho Corinthians, and at half-time tho scoring board wae still empty. Tlio second half opened with a series of well-sustained attacks by fcoth sides, but- the Corinthians were the rising tide, and the infants were kept mostly on the defensive. And a fine defenos it was, tho ball being banged out again and again when ? score Boomed an absolute certainty. But the skill of the older players asserted itself. Rushing the leather clown tl» wing they drew the defenders from the goal, and likx a flash it was centred and driven home. Then Coionas ■ began to go to pieoes, condition failed, one player retired injured, and tho Corinthians camo again and again with ebort quick attach, which made them winners by 5 goals to nil. The Barbariani beat the Sydneians by the pa me eoore aftoi e tough tussle, m which tho beaten sid« showed cood combination, but was out paced. The Bandits downed the Pilgrim* Ij, 2 to W • ••*' .