Hockey
Captain : M. D. Milman. Secretary : D. R. Sloan. RETROSPECT.
Losing only one match out of the eight played, the School has had a very successful season. With nine old colours coming back, it was fairly certain tha twe should have a strong side, and the season opened well enough with a comfort-able win over Worcester College. Unfortunately, the inside forwards, who had shown quite promising form in this match, did not maintain this promise during the remainder of the season, and became singularly ineffective in the circle. This was due in part to lack of skill and in part to the weather conditions experienced during the term, which varied from snow, frost, and rain to almost tropical heat. Being forced to play under widely different conditions from week to week, the forwards never really settled down, and, although combining well in midfield, failed to take advantage in the circle of the support given them by the defence. The weather also caused the cancelling of two matches (the Old Canfordians and the Occasionals)in the middle of the season, besides rendering the Bruton Match in the nature of a farce, the ground becoming a quagmire after ten minutes. This inability to score on the part of the inside forwards accounts very largely for the run of four draws in the middle of the season, but it was also due in part to the difficulty of obtaining any practice between matches at this period, owing to the bad state of the grounds, and the difficulty experienced with the wing-half positions. Eventually, Munn and Haile, the original choices, were brought back for lack of anyone better, but they were not entirely satisfactory, especially Munn, who displayed very " in-and-out " form all through the season. Savage played several good games in defence and might have displaced Haile, but for the fact that his feeding of Eadon was far too erratic. It was unfortunate that the School did not possess a couple of good wing-halves, for they had in Eadon and Lee a pair of more than useful wings, whose play suffered somewhat through the weakness of their own halves. In spite of this, Eadon developed into one of the most dangerous forwards the School has ever had, and played with remarkable consistency all through the season, proving himself a match-winner on more than one occasion. Lee, on the other wing, was not so well fed as Eadon, but was often dangerous. Sloan was much the best of the insides and scored some very good goals, although a little more dash would make him much more dangerous than he is at present, for he possesses very good stickwork and an eye for an opening. Beaver combined better with Lee than last year, but completely lost his powers of shooting after the first two matches, while Bethell, although he got through an immense amount of work, was for too apt to lose his head, especially near the circle. The defence, as a whole, was stronger than the attack, but the backs, like the forwards, were somewhat unsettled by the varying conditions and took a very long time to settle down, although when once they had done so, they played well, not ably against Downside. In goal, Whit will was sound all through the season, and showed himself, against the Wanderers, the first match in which he was really seriously tested, to be a goalkeeper of an exceptionally high order. Hardly ever playing a match under the same type of conditions, owing to the vagaries of the weather, and getting little chance of practice in the middle of the season for the same reason, the side did well to remain unbeaten till the last match, and even defeat was no disgrace, for the Wanderers had an exceptionally strong side on tour, including seven of this year's 'Varsity side. The second XI were quite a strong side, but suffered like the first from lack of practice and displayed rather " in-and-out " form during the term, winning two and losing two of their matches. The defence was stronger than the attack. Pike would have got into the School side as goalkeeper in any normal year, while Bose at back and Bethell, G., at half, were also good. Phillips was the best of a rather mediocre forward line, though Channing tried hard on the right wing. In conclusion, most of this year's XI will be leaving before next year, but there is plenty of talent in the School; the Colts' game, whose primary object is to find material for future School sides, improved greatly during the term and should be capable of filling the gap thus inevitably created. Unfortunately, there is all through the School, with one or two notable exceptions, a complete dearth of clever inside forwards capable of combining dash in midfield with coolness in the circle. First-class insides are probably born and not made, but a great deal can be done towards attaining proficiency by practice. Forwards who can dribble well and shoot really hard " first time " in the circle will always be dangerous, and both these qualities can be obtained by constant practice. In this respect an encouraging feature of the term has been the keenness shown by the School, not only in the fortunes of the School side, but also in practising. South mede has been much used, especially by the juniors, and it is to be hoped that the practice thus obtained will bear fruit in the future, and that more and more clever forwards will make their appearance. And on this note of cheerfulness we close.
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