ON THE HOCKEY FIELD

Taranaki Daily News, 4 May 1933, Page 9

ON THE HOCKEY FIELD

COMMENTS ON THE PLAY ALTERATIONS TO THE RULES. LADIES’ TEAMS ARRANGED. (By “Sticks;”) A general improvement in the standard of play both in the individual players and in the teams as a whole was noticeable in the hockey matches at New Plymouth on Saturday. While positional play is still far from perfect, rapid ' strides have been made in the developi xnent of this feature and good passing lushes and movements showing real combination were quite prominent features of the day’s play. The teams still remain remarkably equal in strength, a draw and a one-point loss resulting in the previous week’s games and two draws in Saturday’s matches. ; , Change of Names. At a meeting of the New Plymouth Territorial Hockey Club on Tuesday night it was decided to change the names of the club’s two teams, the A team now being known as Territorial Pirates and the B team Territorial Rangers. Among other club business, including the election of officers, it was decided ip send two seven-a-side teams to the tournament to be held oh June 3. A challenge is to be issued , against Waitara tp provide practice games. Opunake a Keen Team. Opunake has showed itself to be a strong , team this . year,, wd if keenness clone counted' would certainly lead the competition. The members have a long way to' come every Week for their matches; and travelling; expenses alone must Be no inconsiderable item. It is hoped that arrangement's will soon be completed whereby New Plymouth teams will take it in turn to give Opunake its ' share of games on its home ground. Apart from keenness, however,; Opunake possesses some good material. Henderson, as team captain, was always prominent in Saturday’s game,, and proved himself a sound player on attack and defence and a capable leader. Cameron, too, is a valuable asset, though in the last game he was unfortunate in scoring only once from about half-a-dozen shots at goal. Heidner was perhaps the most dangerous opponent, however, his speed and accuracy being instrumental in launching many strong Opunake attacks. Thay- ' er is another stalwart of the side, whiles Northcote, though / lacking ■ experience,, was nevertheless quite promising on the wing. . Ladies’ First Practice. The New Plymouth Rangers’ Club held its first practice at the racecourse on Saturday When about 18 members turned, out and for the first practice of ' the season the standard of play was Quite satisfactory. • '• ‘ Y.W.C.A. Team Ready. . Arrangements for the formation of a Y.W.C.A. team have now been completed and the first practice will be held bni Saturday afternoon. A good coach has been Secured and a strong ladies’ team from/this club may be expected in , the next few weeks. The club is still short Of jnembers, but 1 it is anticipated j that the commencement of regular prac- j tices and competition games will ■ awaken 'interest and improve the mem- i

' -bership.; ' ■ The New Rules. ’’ ■ The amended rules as drawn up by the International Hockey Association and adopted by the New Zealand Hockey Association, contain several important alterations. The most drastic is that all undercutting had to be penalised, even if unintentional. Other important alterations are that hooking stick's can only be done by placing the stick between the ground and the opponent’s. stick. Players now have to stand five yards from the players who are “bullying,” instead of three yards as formerly. A player in an offside position shall be penalised if in the opinion of the referee he is by his position gaining some advantage or influencing the ,play of an /opponent.' Previously, ‘ such a player ; could not be penalised until he attempted to play the ball or to interfere with any other player. A penalty bully is now to be given for any intentional breach of a rule, inside the circle, by a defender, or , by any .unintentional breach when a goal would probably otherwise have been scored. The neyr rule stipulates that the penalty bully shall be played on a spot five yards in front of the centre 6f the goal-line. During the penalty bully, if 1 the attacker breaks any rule, the game is re-started *by a bully at the centre of the 25-yard line. A breach by the de- ■ fender means a penalty goal Before a free hit is taken the ball must now be motionless. A free hit in the circle must be taken at least five yards from the goal-post. After striking the ball, however slightly, in taking a free hit, the striker must not approach within playing distance of the ball till it ■ has been touched by another player. In the rollin, the hands of the roller-in, as well as his feet or stick, must now be outside the side-line. Rough or dangerous play must definitely be penalised, in addition to any disciplinary action taken against the offending player. Nets and a goal board are to be attached to the goal-ppsts. The circle-line must be three inches wide. A ball of any description l may be used if mutually agreed upon by the captain, otherwise a cricket ball is still necessary, the weight and measurement being clearly defined by the rule. The interval must not exceed five minutes. There are also a number of minor alterations. One point is made very clear in the revised rules; if the ball has been struck inside the circle by an attacker and goes into the net it is immaterial whether it goes directly into the net or off the defender.

SOUTH TARANAKI HOCKEY. EGMONT AND ALHAMBRA PICKED. Hockey is now in full swing in South Taranaki and judging by the play last week it is going to be a struggle between Alhambra and Egmont. These teams are playing hockey of a high standard and any team will find them hard to beat. The standard generally is good and the picking of the representative team will present difficulties. i . Manaia has a smart lot of players but they are not good in the circle. More practice is indicated. It •is a pity that Payne, Budd and others are missing, as with them Manaia would have a better chance. A coach is needed by the Hawera team, which is young and keen and has plenty of material. The halves hang too far back and the forwards are inclined to bunch. Alhambra has a good lot of players but some of them have been playing out of position. The play along the wings is ■weak and the team misses Kehely in .goal. The Egmont eleven is well balanced and has an advantage in having the best pair of backs in the competition. The forwards are quick to pick an opening and are well served by the halves. In the Alhambra team Shaw is not In form and does not impress as a right wing. Inside him Purser is sound, but hangs on to the ball too long. He can play better hockey than he produces,

Watson at centre is excellent. Fleet, a new player, is good, except for a few ■ bad faults, and is an excellent shot. Lewis : on the left wing is fair. The main fault ] of Carter, the left half, is obstructing. S A very solid centre-half game is played < by Cruickshanks, and Simon, the righthalf, is a fair player. A. Dowdle is not a full-back but his partner, Ryan, is as ? sound as ever. Watson, the new goalie, • should improve. , Windle, Egmont’s right wing, is a dan- ; gerous player and the other winger, Per- I cy, is as good a man in that position as 1 there is in the district. Starling, a new player, is picking the game up very fast. < F. Clarke is quick to see an opening and I Moloney at centre forward is at the top I of his form this year. Westwood, a pro- i mo ted junior, is a safe half-back, while I Brough is a reliable half. Duncan is one ' of the best halves in the province. R. Clarke is playing very well in the backs and is a good partner for the tricky Thompson, Stevens, in goal is just fair.