Hockey, 1950

In the semi-finals School House again rowed well and vanquished Rise. Temple, after beating a Grove scratch crew—which rowed surprisingly well—were well matched by the steady School House crew. Temple won, however, by half a length.

The crews were as follows :SENIOR DIVISION.

Grove :—Whittaker, March, Newhouse, Kendell; Foy.

Manor :—Hunter, Cobham, Hartley, Gibson; Humble.

Rise :—James, Daneff, Hawkins, Goodburn; Haxby.

School House :—Hilton, Brooks, Groves, Knowlson; Shenker.

Temple :—Hourigan, Green, Calvert, Fletcher; Bird. JUNIOR DIVISION.

Grove :—Everitt, Ramsden, Golightly, White; Foy.

Manor :—Pallant, Weightman, Quirke, Thompson; Jackson, R. A.

Rise : —Powell, Simpson, Lochore, Knowles; Sharpe.

School House : —Rhead, Frost, Collins, Smithson; Shenker.

Temple :—Dwyer, Marshall, Robinson, Bird; Bradford.

We had a disappointing Hockey Season. A year ago we won two and drew one of our four inter-school matches; and six members of that side were available again this year. So our prospects seemed good : and early practice games and the match against York H.C. (though we lost decisively after leading 1-0 at half-time) seemed to confirm the impression that we should develop into a good side. The weather, on which we depend so terribly, has been rather unkind, and we have had less hockey than in 1949.

This year in our inter-school matches we lost to Bootham (1-3) and to Worksop (2-5), winning only against Ashville College. Harrogate, on our own ground (2-1). When we begin to look for reasons for this lack of success, several facts stand out clearly. Only against Ashville College had we a full side available. Baker was not playing against Bootham, nor Hodgson against Worksop : and though it is not suggested that their presence would have turned the scale, we get so little practice that it is very difficult to adapt ourselves to enforced last minute changes.

Again, Hodgson—our best forward last year—has unfortunately never been really fit this term : and though he 'has played whenever available with that determination we expect from him, he has never played as well as he did last year, and our attack has suffered accordingly. So an attack which was expected to score goals has never realised our hopes.

In defence, too, a weakness began to appear. It was due to a combination of three factors. None of these factors by itself would have worried us overmuch, but added together they made a gap in

50

our defensive system. Firstly, Thompson was seldom at his best. The very success of his House XI was the real trouble here. For his House, Thompson, quite rightly, adopted a wandering role. While still nominally a left back, he was here, there and everywhere : and consequently when playing for, the School 'he found it hard to curb his nomadic tendencies. Secondly, Smith at right back was too inclined to 'be drawn out towards his opposing wing man, and the defence in the centre became somewhat disorganised and depended on Griffiths at centre-half. Griffiths was certainly correct to take the responsibility of playing centre-half on himself. But, thirdly, he was inclined to be drawn or to dribble too far upfield, and his lack of pace made a quick recovery impossible. Add these three factors together, and the cause of a gap in the middle of our defence becomes clear. All three Bootham goals came through this gap : the Ashville College goal did so : and the fourth and vital Worksop goal did the same.

Hockey at St. Peter's is almost invariably handicapped by slow grounds, and a really fast ground at Worksop is always liable to disturb us badly. This is an inevitable handicap to us, and nothing can be done to alter it. This year too the Wightman field was actually flooded; and so it became difficult to get enough boys enough hockey. If therefore little is said here about School Hockey in general, it is only because the weather is responsible for a rather serious reduction in the number of games any particular boy got.

But the first reason for playing any game is to enjoy it : and we hope and believe that a good many boys got a good deal of enjoyment out of their hockey this term. This seems specially true of the Second XI, who won two of their three matches, and always played as if they enjoyed the game, and some of the team, who will be with us next year, should be much more useful to the School because of this year's experience.

CHARACTERS OF THE HOCKEY XI

J. C. Griffiths. Owing to his lack of speed he was always a little over-placed at centre half. But he often played very well and never failed for lack of effort, and much of his passing was very good. As a captain he took an enormous amount of trouble over all the hockey in the School; and always had his own ideas. P. T. Baker. He improved greatly as a centre forward, had pace and dash and at times shot very well. He is still inclined to let the ball go koo far off his stick when dribbling, which makes him easier to tackle than he should be. He was not fed with the through pass as often as he should have been, or he would have been more dangerous still to the other side.

At times he was inclined to overdo his dribbling. A. N. C. Smith. A good hockey player and the mainstay of our defence.

If he had a little more speed, and was not so easily drawn out of position by an opposing wing forward, he would be a really good full back. He has played consistently well, and the other defenders owe much to his solidity.

D. Thompson. Never quite fulfilled his last year's promise, and indeed at times he did not play as well as in 1949. He must keep his place and mark his opposing inside much more closely. Heavy grounds handicapped him, because his flick-shot in dangerous situations is very good, and is clearly more effective on a fast ground. J. B. Mortimer. A very consistent player. He marked his man well in defence, and in attack he knows how to use the cross pass from left half to inside right. Perhaps he was inclined to overdo this pass and to neglect feeding his own wing. His reverse stick work looks awkward but is very effective. N. M. Hodd. The most improved forward on the side. He worked very hard and was splendid in tackling back to help his own defence. He was better at passing to his right than to his left, and might have made more use of his own outside left. The forwards owe a lot to Hodd's untiring and unselfish work. R. M. Hodgson. He has not really been fit during the term, and missed several matches. Almost entirely owing to this, he never played up to his last year's form; and seemed to lack that extra "snap" in his play which made him such a good forward a year ago. But whether in form or out of it, he always plays "all out" for the whole time. We hope very much he will be back to his best form next year. E. D. Thornton. He worked tremendously hard at right half, marked his man well and never gave in even when he seemed to be defeated. He is curiously clumsy at times with his stick, especially when compelled to use the reverse stick shot. He is not so good in attack as in defence, but he was well worth his place in the side. G. R. A. March. He improved as an outside right with every game he played; and at the end of the season was fast becoming a really good outside right.

He knows how to vary his tactics, but is inclined at times to hang on to the ball too long and to want to do a little too much "on his own". A very valuable member of the side. K. M. Ratcliff. At times he was a most dangerous attacking outside left; and his centres, when he is in form, are splendid. But he was not consistent, and wanted better passes and more of them than he usually received. He is potentially as good a hockey player as anyone on the side, but never quite realised his possibilities. A. N. Wyatt-Gunning. Except in the second half of one match he has played well in a thankless position. He times his coming out of goal well, and his kicking improved considerably. He has pluck and determination and the right temperament for a goalkeeper.

SUMMARY OF MATCHES 1st XI

Sat., 1 1 th Feb. v. Scarborough H.C. Home Scratched Wed., 15th Feb. v. Styx H.C. Home Lost 1-8 Sat., 18th Feb. v. York H.C. Away Lost 1-6 Sat., 25th Feb. v. Phoenix H.C. Home Scratched Wed., 1st Mar. v. Bootham School. Away Lost 1-3 Sat., 4th Mar. v. Ashville College, Harrogate. Home Won 2-1 Wed., 8th Mar. v. Worksop College. Away Lost 2-5 Sat., I I th Mar. v. Trent College. Home Scratched Sat., 18th Mar. v. Old Peterites. Home Lost 3-4 52

Wed., 1st Mar. v. Bootham School. Away Won 4-1 Sat., 4th Mar. v. Ashville College, Harrogate. Home Won 2-0 Wed., 8th Mar. v. Worksop College. Away Lost 1-6 Sat., 1 1 th Mar. v. Trent College. Home Scratched

1st Round : Semi-final :

Final :

INTER-HOUSE HOCKEY

Rise v. Temple Manor v. Grove Rise v. School House Rise v. Manor

Result Rise 4-2 Manor 2-1 Rise 1-0 Rise 2-1

1st XI MATCHES, 1950 SCHOOL v. STYX H.C. Played at home on 15th January Lost, 1-8.

This match was of considerable help in getting the School team together. The defence was severely tested by a fast, experienced attack, and in the second half of the game was giving quite a good account of itself.

Our forwards did not have much of the ball, perhaps because of insufficient playing back by the inside forwards. But the one goal scored by the School was a model of co-operation, and showed distinct promise. A quick pass from Baker at centre-forward gave an opening to Hodgson, who, at inside right, had moved up to just the right position to score without hesitation.

Although . the defeat was heavy, it was no discredit to the School defence, considering the lack of previous playing opportunities. Thompson, at left back, played a very sound game, while among the forwards, Baker was always ready to make the most of any chance of an opening.

SCHOOL v. YORK H.C. Played at Acomb on 18th February. Lost, 1-5.

We were grateful to the York Club Secretary for transferring this match to the York ground as the School ground was unfit.

There was a marked improvement in the School's work as a team, and at half time the score deservedly stood at 1-0 in favour of the School, Baker, at centre forward, having gone through to make a quick shot. Special mention should be made of the greater efforts of the inside forwards, particularly Hodd at inside left, to get back and help in defence. In general the forward line showed promise of developing into a useful attacking force, but opportunities were frequently lost by the failure of the wings to position themselves in anticipation of passes.

On the whole the defence worked well, particularly the two full backs, Smith and Thompson, of whom the latter had the harder task. Amos, in goal, played a very good game.

Changes in the York forward line quickly had their effect in the second half, and in spite of one or two strong attempts by the School forwards to get through again, all the scoring was from the York side.

The main criticism of the School's play was a tendency to try to keep the ball too long, when quicker and more varied passing might have enabled them to break through York's defence.

SCHOOL v. BOOTHAM SCHOOL Played away on . 1st March. Lost, 1-3.

In the first half the School were definitely the superior side in all departments of the game. The wing half backs, Thornton and Mortimer, playing especially well for the defence, while Hodd and March were the prominent forwards. It was from March that the School scored its only goal; gathering the ball near the Bootham twenty-five line, he cut into the circle to beat the goalkeeper with a good hard shot.

The second half of the game was completely different. Bootham soon scored from a mistake by one of the School full backs. At this stage it was noticeable that the School forward line seemed to have lost its cohesion, and the defence its previous tight grip on the game.

Two more goals were scored by Bootham. Both were good orthodox movements which split the School defence wide open. Smith saved the School many times by his sure hard hitting at full back.

The result was a clear and well-deserved victory for Bootham.

SCHOOL v. ASHVILLE COLLEGE, HARROGATE Played at home on 4th March. Won, 2-1.

From the start of the game the School presed strongly, and for the first ten minutes play was in the Ashville half of the ground. But the School did not score, and a good movement, initiated by the Ashville centre half, ended with a very fine shot by their centre forward.

The School, however, maintained the attack, and from two short corners Baker very nearly scored. Eventually Ratcliffe, moving in from the left wing, scored with a powerful shot.

In the second half the School gradually attained complete ascendancy over the game, and it was from a hard shot by Hodgson that March managed to score from the rebound, thus making the score 2-1 in favour of the School.

To all who watched it was obvious that, but for the brilliance of the Ashville goalkeeper, the School would have scored again. His was a splendid display, and his confidence and brilliant saves were admirable.

The score remained at 2-1, though, when the final whistle went, Ashville were beginning to press strongly once more.