HOCKEY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8055, 6 July 1904, Page 1

HOCKEY.

NOTES.

(By HALF-BACK). The- return match between Sydenham and United was played at Sydenham on Thursday last, before a large number of spectators. The ground wAs fairly fast, consider"ing the amount of rain that had fallen during the week. The gani© in the first spell was of an uninteresting nature, each team, being somewhat disorganised by the absence of men. Sydenham did thu right thing by making up their number with Langdown, and the game he played showed that he has lost none of his ctmning. The first goal was the result of a Sydenham forward rush. White centred beautifully, and Langdown sent a fast one just under the top bar. \ Bull was an absentee from the Sydenham team, liis place being taken by Mearns, who played well. He stopped a shot by Luxton in the fin* -spell in true goal-keeper style. Tolerton and Harrington played fine games among tho Sydenham forwards. The.second spell opened with an exchange of hits between the backs of both teams. After the play had settled" down the forwards commenced to liven up, and Free shot a goal'for Sydenham, who were at this time having all the best of the game. They were checked for a while by the fine defence of Cowdery and Clarke, but United had. ..to concede a corner from which Free scored by a good shot. Luxton and Simpson played best of the United forwards, and although T. Smith, on the wing, kept well out, he found the pace required of a forward is not the same as that required of a goalkeeper. . Rangiora again demonstrated the fact tnat they can play a good game by defeating Drapers, on the Polo Ground. For the winners N. Jones and Amos played a very even forward game, and the forwards were well assisted by Seeker, S. Jones and Thomson from the back division. MLelland played his usual determined game for Drapers, and scored. Smith (half) and Mogridge (back) also showed' good ; form. Lyttelton defeated Kaiapoi by four goals to nil. The latter were playing, shorthanded, but put up a good stand against odds. For the winners King and Vangiom played first-class games, and started forward passing rushes repeatedly. Bradley played wejl in the centre; Mahar anfl Page were*the pick of the halves, and Co? lins was always in the way of the Kaiapoi forwards. Kaiapoi are' to be congratulated on ±1» wa-y they' "line up" with^/oyorv, prospect of a defeat several ihen 6hort each week.

The result of the Sydenham-Addington B match on Saturday was no criterion of the game. For the greater part ot the game the former were attacking, and evexy one of the forwards had at least one shot at goal, some of them had two or three. At one time the ball was in the Addington circle for quite two minutes, but the goalkeeping of Robson proved too good for the Sydenham forwards, whose shooting was not as good as usual, probably owiug to the bad state of the "ground. Addington are to be congratulated on the result. Every man in the team worked hard and made the most of his chances. Tho goal scored by Sloan was well deserved^ and was a hot shot from the centre of the Sydenham circle. Walburton played a fine defensive game.

The Addington A versus Avon game was the nearest attempt at scientific hockey seen on the Polo Ground on Saturday, and, considering the condition of the ground, was fairly fast. The greater part of the game was of an even nature, but Adding-, ton were more determined when attacking than their opponents, and on the play the scores just about show the difference between the teams. The Avon, halves again played too far away from their forwards, and their goal-keeper hardly played up to the form shown on the previo_ Saturday against Sydenham. O'Brien and Luston. were kept busy, and showed good defence, and Anderson, Hale, Bluett and Ellis played a. very willing forward game. The firstnamed scored by fast following up. For Addington every man played at his best. Matthews and R. Rankin showed splendid form in the front rank, while Nicol and. Hunter put in some very eound defensive play.

The match between Christchurch and Kaiapoi ■was played on the softest of the grounds, and any attempt at "pretty play was nullified by the ball sticking in. the mud where ifc Ml. It was almost impossible for players to keep on their feet when attempting to run. The general play was very even. M'Donald, Broad, Field and Lake (forwards), Ridley and Eggleston (halves) and Suckling played well for the losers, and Martin, Green and W. Blackwell (forwards), Orani and 0. Blackwell (halves) were the pick <if the Kaiapoi team. . ■

I believe I am right in stating that tie Canterbury Hockey Referees' Association has had one meeting since the annual meeting this season. In a practically new game, such a body should meet at least once a month in order that the different referees should be able to compare notes, and so avoid unpleasantness between players and those in charge of games. Attention has ueen drawn, before in these columns to the growing want of such meetings, and lack of business for discussion is absolutely no excuse for not calling a. meeting at the earliest possible -date. There are returns of matches played as far back as April 30 not yet in the hands of the secretary of the Canterbury Hockey Association, and apart from the lax manner in which these returns are gent in, the shortage of referees lor Saturday matches is quit© sufficient reason why a meeting should be held. Some of the members of the Association do not even know one another, and ifc is a state of things which casts a grave reflection on

those responsible for the regulation of this important department in the government of the game. ?

While on the subject of referees, I would like to mention that on Thursday Ja«st a case occurred in a Senior game on the Polo Ground, where an attacker hit the ball outsdde the circle, and it glanced off a defender in the circle and went into the net. For this a goal was allowed, although none of the attacking side hit or touched the ball in the circle. Rule 11, in the English laws of tbe game, distinctly says " a goal is scored when the ball has jmssed entirely over the line between the posts, under the bar, the wall having whilst within the striking circle been hit by or glanced off the stick of a player on the attacking side." The Nelson Federal Hockey Club talks of sending a team on tour during August. That hockey is being well patronised in Nelson is evident from the fact that arrangements are in progress for the commencement of a Wednesday competition.

At the Wanganui Hockey Association i meeting on June 28, a letter was read from the Addington Hockey Club, asking that two matches in Wanganui be arranged for its tour at the end of the season. It was decided to fall in with the request, tho secretary being instructed to arrange details. The teams to play against Addington will probably be the winners and run-ners-up in the Wanganui Challenge Shield. ! At the same meeting, the secretary was ; instructed to communicate with the New Zealand Hockey Association, regarding available dates for representative matches, and also with Palmerston North, for matches. t .... Considering the great amount of interest that is bound to be taken in the play-off for the Senior Saturday Championship between Sydenham and Adington A, the Association would be wise to play the match with a view to securing a gate. So far this season there has not been one postponement, and it would pay the Association to postpone all matches to enable players to see last year's champions and runners-up play off. For such an important match a referee should be selected either by the executive or the Referees' Association. The duty of selecting referees for Saturday matches has been carried out by one member of the Selection Committee for some time past, and as the Referees' Association rule on the subject distinctly says that such committee shall consist of two members, it is quite time this irregularity was done away with.