HOCKEY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22354, 30 August 1934, Page 4

HOCKEY

By Centre-half. THE SOUTH CANTERBURY MATCH Those who were hardy enough to go out to Tonga Park on Saturday—and only the hardy were there —saw 22 players put up a good show under conditions that were anything but conducive to good hockey. The Tonga Park grounds, ■ although the best available, are by no means ideal, and in the rough patches, oi which there are plenty, the hall has a disconcerting : way of jumping over the stick just when a player is about to nit. Nevertheless, but for a pool at the northern end which had to be carefully watched, the rain of Friday and Saturday had not made the impression on the ground that might have been expected, and it wag chiefly the biting southerly wind that made the conditions so unpleasr ant for ,the players, and the handful oi spectators. The Otago team was disappointing, not only in that it did not play up to the form,it showed against Canterbury, but in that it failed to adapt itself to the conditions as did the visitors. The South Canterbury men played a fast game, and frequently had_ the local players disconcerted with their speedy forward rushes, which, combined with good shooting, played a large part in their success. The whole line of forwards played well, O’Connor and Callanan being perhaps the most prominent. The halves were probably the least effective section of the team, but in the full-backs South Canterbury had a solid unit of defence. Saunders, right full-back, played a particularly useful game, and it was on his stick that many an Otago attacking movement broke up. Cowles, the goalie, a former New Zealand representative player, filled his position more than ably. After their first goal Otago rarely looked like a winning team, and although the twogoal deficit at half time did not seem to be absolutely irredeemable, it proved to be too big an obstacle with another two goals piled on by the visitors in the second spell. The Otago forward line did not display a great deal either of dash or combination. Dey, at right wing, played his best game for' a long time, and if he maintains his form of last. Saturday should be a useful member of the test team to meet the Australians here. Silver and Gray were the best of the remaining forwards. Densem and Gurr played useful games in the halves. The defence on the whole was poor, neither the full-backs, Brown and Whitburn. nor the goalie. Pickup, playing up to form. THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM The following is a record of the matches played by the Australian team: — Against Waikato. —Lost 2 —3. Against Dannevirke.—Won s—l.5 —I. _ Against Horowhenua. —Won 4- —nil. Against Wellington.—Lost I—3. Against Nelson. —Won 4-—2. Against Motueka. —Won 4—nil. The following matches have yet to bo played:— August 30.—At Kaikoura. 1 September I.—At Christchurch. September 4.—At Darfield. September 6.—At Geraldine. September B.—Test match at Dunedin. September 10. —At Oamaru. September 12.—At Palmerston North. September 13.—At Hastings. September 15. —At Auckland. September 18.—Match to be arranged. September 19. —At Te Aroha. MATCH AGAINST WELLINGTON It is to the credit of the Australian team (says a writer iA the Evening Post) that they gave such an excellent display against Wellington on_ a ground that was quite foreign to their style of play. The weather conditions were all against good hockey. In the first half the tourists did the bulk of the attacking, but in the second spell Wellington, bad a territorial advantage. The weakness of the Australian defence gave the local forwards many more opportunitifs than might have been expected, but, these opportunities were not always availed of, wild hitting causing numerous shots to go astray. There were several features of the Australians’ play which probably ,would have cost them the match even _ou a firmer ground. The ruse of playing one or other of, the full-backs well upfield had the effect for some time > of putting the Wellington forwards off-side. The danger, however, was that once the local forwards realised the position they were careful to keep onside, yet were able when the chance came to break through with little opposition. The Australian full-backs were both weak in their tackling, and had it not been for some brilliant work by Reid, in goal, the score must have been greater in Wellington’s favour. Another weakness lay in the habit of the visiting halves of playing too closely up to their forwards, a tendency which left the way open’ for effective thrusts by Wellington. On attack the Australians showed to fine advantage, the swift passing rushes by the forwards delighting the spectators and fully testing the defence of Perrin and Falconer, the local full-backs. Moore, in Wellington’s goal, rose to great heights with his eaves. In their stickwork the visitors proved themselves particularly adept with the push shot and the reverse stick shot, both of which proved valuable in tight play. HATCH CUP MATCH Although the Otago schoolboys defeated Southland by. 4 goals to 2, they will require a great deal more practice and combination when they meet Canterbury on Saturday. Every follower of boys’ hockey should be on the Oval to witness this challenge for the Hatch Cup. Last year Otago drew with Canterbury at Christchurch, one all.. Otago held the Hatch Cup when it was first presented for two years. 1920 and 1921. In 1922 Canterbury defeated Otago by 9 goals to 2 and have held it for the last 12 years, playing in all 12 matches, one against Wellington and all the others against Otago. In 1931. Canterbury played in Dunedin and won by 9 goals to 1. A lot depends on the Otago boys to defend their representative honours this year in challenging Canterbury.