NEW HOCKEY CLUB MAY BE FORMED

Southland Times, Issue 24114, 1 May 1940, Page 10

NEW HOCKEY CLUB MAY BE FORMED

By

CENTRE-FORWARD

A recommendation that a new club be admitted to the men’s hockey competitions this year will be placed before the executive of the Southland Men’s Hockey Association at a meeting this week, and it is probable that before long some new blood will be introduced to add interest and strength to the game in Invercargill, and to eliminate the bye in the senior grade. The Central B team, which played the first game of the season in the senior grade, has now been entered in the intermediate grade, it is understood, and this leaves three teams only in the senior competition. The decision to make Central B an intermediate team was a wise one as the team has more chance to make a showing there than against the older and more experienced players in the senior grade. It is understood that Central A will constitute the club’s contribution to the senior competition and will now be known merely as Central.

There is plenty of room for new recruits in the game of hockey in Invercargill. With the collapse of Association football this season many young men have been faced with finding a new winter sport and the entry into the hockey competition of a team from the former Boys’ Brigade Old Boys’ Football Club is being considered. Several members of this club were watching play at Queen’s Park on Saturday afternoon and as the Association football rules are similar to the rules of hockey, and as the interest of these boys is stated to be keen, they should have little difficulty in establishing a good hockey eleven. An appeal is being made for gifts of hockey sticks and anyone wishing to give sticks may leave them with Mr F. Hinton, of the staff of Brass Brothers, Dee street.

A meeting is being held this week to consider introducing the football team to hockey. If a new team can be formed it will be a good thing for hockey in Southland as the game can do with more recruits, especially with members leaving the district from time to time. On Saturday last only one senior game was played because of the gap in the senior grade, but the bye will be eliminated if a new senior team is fielded. However, there has been no decision at the time of writing as to what grade the team will be entered in and this will depend to a large ex-

tent on what experience the proposed new members have had. Every assistance will certainly be given by the Hockey Association in establishing a team. SATURDAY’S GAME Miserable conditions on Saturday afternoon failed to mar the game between Central and Collegiate and some good hockey was seen, or rather, played, for there were few spectators. Both teams played with plenty of dash and although Central enjoyed a territorial advantage for most of the game the Collegiate team showed up favourably and might have increased its score if more attention had been paid to positional play, and if there had been less obstruction.

T. V. Hennessey again proved his worth in the forward line for Central and was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for most of the scoring. Two young players who were prominent on Saturday were L. Fyffe and E. Kelman, both recent graduates from the intermediate ranks. Fyffe played a good aggressive game and his long clearing shots were particularly effective. Kelman was very useful on the wing and his play is full of promise. Collegiate was a strong combination on Saturday and there is apparently not a great deal between the senior sides which will contest the Doublebee Cup this year. V. C. Poole is at present lost to the team, having enlisted soon after the outbreak of war, but N. Poole made a welcome reappearance in the Collegiate goal-mouth, which he defended well with both stick and feet. After an absence of about two years J. Fenton has turned out again and he and N. Speirs will be valuable to the team in the full-back position. The forwards are all good individual players but will have to establish a sound combination.

There has always been one drawback to hockey in Invercargill—a drawback of which the association is fully aware—and that is the state of the grounds. Good hockey is no longer possible while players have to forage among long grass for the ball and the sport will never be satisfactory until the grounds are put in order. It is understood that some reconstruction may be undertaken in the near future and the sooner this begins the sooner a good standard of play will be achieved.