ON THE HOCKEY FIELD

Taranaki Daily News, 11 May 1933, Page 10

ON THE HOCKEY FIELD

COMMENTS ON THE PLAY

SATURDAY COMPETITION CLOSE

POINTS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

(By

“Sticks.”)

The results, of last week’s games make the position of the teams in the Saturday hockey competition even closer. The two teams from the New Plymouth club and Territorial Pirates have each played < two games and stand equal with three points each: Opunake and Territorial Bangers, with three games each, are one point and two behind respectively.

The Rivals-Opunake Game. New Plymouth Rivals showed great form on Saturday in its victory over a strong .Opunake side. The game was probably the most strenuous this season, but players stood up ; to it well, maintaining a fast pace throughout. Judging by its performance Rivals will be a very hard team to beat, and has every chance of leading the competition. Ewart is a valuable asset ttf the team, having had exeprience playing for Otago University, and he was prominent both on attack and I on defence. His clever stick work was responsible for two of Rivals’ three goals. The other came from a great solo effort by Tiplady. Tiplady showed enterprise and penetration and will have to be watched closely next week when the team meets Pirates. Ward is another stalwart of the side, particularly on defence, but has not yet mastered the control of his stick, being penalised several times on Saturday. Among the other Purcell and Vesty showed up well. For Opunake, Gordon and Coad were probably the most outstanding backs of the day, clearing well on numerous occasions. Heidner was again to the fore with brilliant runs but he was well marked- Waterhouse is a sound forward and was responsible for Opunake’s only goal. Territorial Teams.

• The game between the two Territorial teams was played nine-a-side, and though not as strenuous as the other match was nevertheless 'fast and exciting. The Rangers team is fortunate in possessing . the best goalkeeper in the competition— Coker. He was always safe, clearing well with strong, sweeping shots. Westwood and Treeby were outstanding in the field. Keegan, in goal for Pirates, was fairly safe but relied solely on his feet for defence. He did not once use his /stick. Mathews is one of the mainstays of the team, being particularly valuable in the bully, but he has perhaps a tendency to keep the ball to himself. Defensive Play. ,

One point noticeable in the games both last week and the week before was that in many cases backs were not clearing properly. Instead of getting the ball out to the wings and away from the goal mouth, some players tend to hit straight up the field. This practice is always dangerous. Also when a penalty comer is awarded defending wings should go up to about the twenty-five in case the defending backs should send it out to the wings, who could then carry on.

Talking on the Field. The fault of talking on the field is all too common in games at New Plymouth. Players should try not to comment on any little incident or argue about any point. The referee’s decision should be accepted without any comment. Ladies’ Practice Held.

The New Plymouth Ladies’ Hockey Glub held a practice on .the racecourse again on Saturday, when a match was played against a scratch men’s team. The men won after an exciting game. There were several new members present, and the keenness shown by the players promises well for the coming season.

Ladies’ Competition to be Arranged. At a meeting of the Rangers Club on Tuesday night it was decided to arrange a seven-a-side competition for lady players. Owing to an insufficiency of players full teams would not be available for eleven-a-side games.

Tournament at Hawera. ' The .June 3 tournament at Hawera is only a little over three weeks away and clubs should be considering their entires. There should be three or four teams from New Plymouth from the men’s clubs and possibly two ladies’ teams. The matter should not be left too late, as teams must be selected and must have some practice at seven-a-side play. If there are any players who have not yet started regular training, they should start now, for seven-a-side games are faster and harder than those between full teams. Championship Points. The position of the teams in the Saturday division of the North Taranaki

Fixtures for Saturday are: New Plymouth Wanderers v. Opunake; Territorial Pirates v. New Plymouth Rivals; Territorial Rangers a bye.

competition is:— P. W. L. D. Pts. N.P. Wanderers ’.... 2 1 0 1 3 NJ*. Rivals 2 1 0 1 3 Terri. Pirates 2 1 0 1 3 Opunake . i 3 0 1 2 2 Terri. Rangers .... 3 0 2 1 1 Saturday’s Games.