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The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, October 1909

[Review of the activities of the Men's Hockey Club]

Sketch of men playing hockey

TThe Hockey Club bids good-bye to what has been, on the whole, a satisfactory season. At the beginning of the year it added to its responsibilities by deciding to place five teams in the field instead of four. In spite of the pessimism of some, this step has been justified, and although III B on several Saturdays has been sorely diminished numbers, no College team has defaulted. Now that the fifth team has survived its first season there should be less difficulty next year in filling its ranks.

The last issue of The Spike related how the bubble reputation was burst for the Seniors. Some excuses even were made for the first month's dismal record. Since then, however, the team has blown a new bubble for itself and has won most of the later matches. It has behaved as in 1908, starting with disaster, but finishing in a way to colour bright prospects for the next year. At last representative honours have fallen to our lot. No fewer than five of the team—H. W. Mongahan, D. S. Smith, B. Kibblewhite, R. St. Beere and A. H. Bogle—have represented Wellington during the season: a sixth, Griffith, was asked to play but could not. Monaghan an smith were in the team Zealand Championship Shield from Auckland; they were accounted by the calm judgment of certain prominent hockeyites of Wellington, as two of" the brightest and he best."

The Juniors, again under S. Eichelbaum's management, finished bravely, but not first. The captain will tell you the losses, but for which his men would have won the championship. The company he urged to the fray (from his position at full-back) in the opening encounter was very different from that which fought the later battles of the campaign. It has been the old tale of change and experiment which, however, has been unavoidable this year, several members having left page 41 the Club during the season." It never rains but it pours"—the Juniors also have supplied representative player: M. H. Oram (who captained the Junior representatives) an C. A. L. Treadwell.

II B during this, the first year of its existence, is a team with a grudge. The captain has been ground between the upper and nether millstones—above him the rapacious Juniors clamouring for men to fill vacancies, below him III A'a fixed determination not to yield a man. With it all the team has done very creditable. J. D. Smith is captain.

The mention of II A calls up the brightest story of the year. III A Cries no more "O mihi praeteritos. . . .!" The glories of 1907 have returned; Captain Cook (H. L.) has assumed the mantle of H. G. R. Mason; the honour of the team is redeemed. To be plain, III A won the Third-Class Championship without a defeate, scoring ninety goals to four in eleven matches, a twelfth match being won by default. The team owes it success in no small measure to the fact that it has been kept together throughout the season. This should be an object lesson to the Selection Committee. During the dark days of the vacation, when five of the regular members of the team were away, material assistance was lent by two or three footballs.

III B has consisted chiefiy of new player. Under the guidance of G. M. Hogben, it has come through the season with losses and wins about evenly disposed on its record sheet. III B fail to strike terror through its ranks.