HOCKEY

Southland Times, Issue 20172, 7 May 1927, Page 18 (Supplement)

HOCKEY

Bully! Season Opens. Prospects not promising. General unaccountable apathy displayed. Several teams drop out of association competitions.

The hockey season which opened on Saturday last does not from all appearances auger well. Several teams which last year were included in the competition have dropped out and so far only one new team has entered. Fortrose is making endeavours to form a sub-association as it was considered that the distance to Invercargill was too great for the players to traverse every second Saturday and also that such trips made the game very expensive. The Hedgehope Club has advised that sufficient players cannot be found in that district and they have been reluctantly compelled to drop out of the competition. Winton, Collegiate, Union and H. and J. Smith’s (now known as Progressive) have turned out again, and several of these clubs have secured the services of new players and those from other districts.

It is understood that Technical will not be entering a team in the competition this year as many of their old players have left and they do not consider themselves strong enough. There is a suggestion that a team is to be raised at Thornbury, and at a recent meeting of the Southland association it was decided to write to the secretary asking the club to affiliate. In all probability a team from the combined St. Paul’s Presbyterian Bible Classes will be formed under the management of the Rev. C. J. Tocker, who is himself an old representative player. His services on the association would be invaluable, and it is to be hoped that he will be serving in this capacity before long.

The Rosedale club has been reformed. This club dropped out of the competition last year, to be more correct amalgamated with Union on account of the shortage of players in that district, but the members worked hard, with the result that a strong team has been assembled. Their entry will add zest to the competition, which would otherwise have been confined to the two rival clubs, Collegiate and Union. The first meeting of Rosedale and Union will be awaited with interest, as judging on last year’s form there will be little to pick and choose between these two teams. An attempt was made earlier in the year to establish men’s hockey in Invercargill, but so little interest was evinced that the promoters decided not to go ahead with the scheme. After a canvass, not systematic by any means, only seventeen names of persons willing to take up the game were secured. This was extremely discouraging, especially when it is considered that a few years ago the sport was firmly established among the male community and many of the old hands were quite willing to take up the duties of coaches. Altogether there is in evidence a lack of concerted effort in hockey circles, from which the players themselves are not to be exempted. More entries were confidently looked forward to, but it is just a question whether the officials have been as zealous in the prosecution of their duties as the occasion warranted.

When the annual meeting of the Association was called it was found that only one club had held its annual meeting. This meant that there were only two members of the executive who were entitled to be present. No word had been received from sub-associations and none of their delegates were present. One of those present at the annual meeting stated that the meeting should have been comprised of delegates from each affiliated club and those of the sub-associations. From this it would appear that all the business done was out of order. Even yet several of the clubs have not advised the association whom they have selected as their delegates. The post of secretary is still vacant owing to the resignation of Miss Melvin, and this in itself shows a deplorable lack of interest among the players that a successor cannot be found.

It would naturally be though that as the Southland girls had attained such outstanding success at the Dominion Tournaments that public interest would be aroused and that there would be some persons with the interests of the province at heart who would step forward and offer themselves for the positions that have been held for so long and with such success by only one or two members. The holding of the last Tournament at Invercargill should have had the same effect, but apparently such is not the case. The association is in a sound financial position and responsibilities would not be arduous.

Spasmodic efforts have been made to introduce the game in the schools, but the difficulty lies with the headmasters, who look with disfavour upon the game. It may not be generally known that the association undertakes to supply sticks for schoolchildren. Two country schools have taken up the game, but there is little prospect of anything being done in this direction in the town schools.

If the vounger members of the community cannot be induced to take up the game there is verv little likelihood of the Southland girls retaining the proud position of New Zealand nremiers for any length of time. A strenuous campaign on the part of the Southland association officials would perhaps do something to rectify the position, which in its present state cannot be looked upon as anything but serious.