Women’s Hockey Selector Seeking Players For Representative Team

Southland Times, Issue 23825, 24 May 1939, Page 11

Women’s Hockey Selector Seeking Players For Representative Team

By

ROLL IN

Although it is early in the season the selector will sonn be on the lookout for promising players. It behoves every player to be on her toes for this reason and, as an incentive, Mr L. Holmes has given a hockey stick for presentation to the player who shows the most improvement during the season. The players who will be fortunate enough to be chosen for the representative team will be those who cause the fewest delays, keep their positions and play consistent hockey. By delay is meant a free hit for any kind of infringements, so it means that kicking, turning on the ball, offside, obstruction and so on, must not be allowed at any cost. Remember that any player who causes such an infringement retards the play and causes the loss of the position her team mates have worked so hard to gain. Quite often such a penalty as a free hit caused by an attacker means the loss of goal. Similarly an infringement by a defending player, sometimes means that, from the resulting free hit, the attacking team scores a goal, which could have been prevented by a second’s careful play. A little careful thought and proper practice mean much better hockey. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon these faults. A careful study of the off-side rule, quoted below, should make it quite clear to most players. A fuller explanation will be found in the new hockey books which, most players have or can secure from their team captains. The offside rule is as follows:— A player is offside if she is nearer h.er opponent’s goal-line than the ball at the moment when the ball is hit or rolled in, unless she is in her own half of the field, or unless there are at least three of her opponents nearer to their own goal-line than she is. She should not be penalized unless she is interfering with or obstructing another player, or gaining

any advantage from having been in an offside position. ' This rule is copied from the All England Women’s Hockey Association rule book. The easiest way to overcome the offside position is to avoid any style of play which would lead to an offside position. Actually offside is a form of bad positional play and mainly spoils combination, in that it inevitably costs the attackers a great deal of ground, and spoils the hard work of the other forwards. A very simple way to overcome offside is for the player always to have three players between herself and the opposing .goal-line, if she is ahead of the ball, but this in most cases is often forgotten during the heat of the play, so a good point to remember, is for her to remain in a direct line with, or slightly behind her team mate who has the ball. No player can be offside in her own half of the ground so these points provide all the thought required to overcome a bad attack of offside faults among forwards. Practice nights are not as popular as they could be and players must remember that it is at practice that the chances to learn hockey are so plentiful. During the Saturday games one can at most times only play as the opposing team will permit. Practice will enable the player to find ways and means of changing the method of attack or defence to compel the opposing team to play the way she wishes. The coaches cannot do very much with a team if half the players remain away on practice nights and combination, so very essential in hockey, as in most other games, is not developed as it should be. It is mainly through combination that the player is able to take the ball through to her opponents’ circle, and that she can know where her team mate is without having to look before sending a pass to her.