Collegiate Unlucky In Men's Hockey Last Week

Southland Times, Issue 23819, 17 May 1939, Page 11

Collegiate Unlucky In Men's Hockey Last Week

By

PAD

The main attraction in the senior men’s hockey games on Saturday was the match between Collegiate and Civil Service. Collegiate put up a fine showing and was really unlucky in that it did not score more often. Time and again the Collegiate forwards, led by V. Poole, were right in the circle, and the credit for holding them out must go to W. Barraclough, full-back and the goal-keeper, V. Jones. The Civil Service half-backs were not strong, and Collegiate had no real trouble in breaking through the line. Campbell was the only one who put up any real resistance, but in doing so he was inclined to wander too far and leave gaps, of which Collegiate’s forwards lost no time in taking advantage. Collegiate had a territorial advantage ’ for the greater part of the match, but it was not quite able to finish off its movements in the circle. The forwards were kept bustled by Barraclough, and he was responsible for many of their mistakes. Martin, among Collegiate’s forwards, played a sound game. He shot a neat goal from within two feet of the back line. It was a smart shot from a difficult angle. E. Booth, too, was a thorn in the side of the Civil Service halves. Civil Service was generally expected to win, and after being in a winning position at half-time, it slipped badly to let Collegiate draw level in the second half. H. Gray was not playing in the forward line on Saturday,

and he was' undoubtedly missed. He seems to have the ability to hold the forwards together and make them act as a unit rather than as individuals. If Civil Service wishes to _ improve its play it must learn to combine more thoroughly in the forward line. Central A had a picnic match against the Central B team, but the younger B team players quite often had the backs of the A team bustled. The Central B team has many promising players.

The Collegiate intermediate team has a find in Davidson, who played for the club for the first time on Saturday. He scored five of his team’s goals and his play was outstanding. It will be a pity if he is worthy of senior grade and cannot find a place in the A team. OUTSIZE IN GOAL-KEEPERS

In R. V. Taylor, the Selwyn Hockey Club, Christchurch, has an outsize in goal-keepers. With his head a few inches below the cross-bar, Taylor can easily stop the highest shots, and his long reach enables hint to cover most of the width of his goal. Taylor formerly played in Invercargill for the Civil Service Club.