WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19107, 31 August 1936, Page 11

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

OPENING MATCHES RAIN FOR N.Z. TOURNEY GROUNDS HEAVY (Per Press Assoelation.) BLENHEIM, this day. The New Zealand women’s hockey tournament, opened this morning. Tlie heaviest, rain of the season is falling, with no nrospects of clearing to-day, but the games are proceeding. The grounds are heavy. Matches played this morning resulted: Section B.—South Otago 3 v. IVairamp a 1. Section o.—Wellington 5 v. Akitio 2. South Otago was. superior throughout, revealing better combination. Akitio was leading 2-nil at. half-time, when they were strongly challenged by Wellington, whose aggressiveness saved the match. PLAY IN GISBORNE JUNIOR REPS. IN ACTION The main attraction in the hockey matches for Charity Day on tlie Childers Rpad Reserve to-day was the annual house match between teams representing Messrs. Common, Shelton and Company and the Cash Stores. There was a good attendance of spectators. This match was preceded by a game between the junior Poverty Bay representatives and Y.M.C.A, B senior team, the juniors performing well and securing good practice for their game against the Hawke’s Bay juniors shortly. The schoolboys’ final was to have been played between Marist and Rovers, but the latter team did not appear. Marist secured a win by default. JUNIOR REPS, v, Y.M.C.A. B After a brief attack by Y.M.C.A., the juniors got going with some good combination among the forwards, Halbert opening up play in fine style and having several shots, Stokes in'goal stopping well. Cornelius and Watts also were doing good work in the junior forwards. The halves were backing up effectively, all three being worth their places, with Thompson on the right always on the ball and doing the most work u The fullbacks were too prone to speculate. The junior representatives opened the score shortly before half-time, Cox taking the ball up the right wing into the circle, and Watts, following up fast, put the ball into an open net after the goalie had been drawn out. The goal followed a period of play in which the juniors had held tlie advantage. Halftime came without further score, the junior representatives leading 1-0. So far all the advantage lay with the juniors. Y.M.C.A. had several opportunities in the circle, but the seniors opened the score shortly after the interval. Livingstone saved smartly at dose range, but Stichbury scored for Y.M.C.A. a few minutes later, equalising. The juniors regained the lead almost immediately, Cornelius taking the ball into tlie circle and sending in a flick shot, which was stopped by the goalkeeper. Halbert and Watts followed in, Watts snapping the ball into the net before the goalie could clear. The juniors continued to attack, despite the good defence for Y.M.C.A. by Lynskey and Krebs. Hall also was playing well in the halves. Although the Y.M.C.A. forwards displayed good combination, they did not secure sufficient support from the halves when on attack. Stephenson and Stichbury were the best of tlie forwards.

Y.M.C.A. drew level again just before the close, Stichbury scoring. In a final rally, several shots by tho Y.M.C.A. forwards were stopped in the goalmouth. A penalty bully was ordered, but was won by tlie junior players, and tho whistle blew shortly after with the scores still even, 2-2.

Messrs. J. Turbitt and 11. Swan were the umpires.

DEFENCE TRIP OFF

The Defence men’s senior team was to have travelled to Napier to-day to play the Scinde team, but arrangements were not suitable to the Napier club, which intends coining to Gisborne next Saturday. -