Hockey, 1956

classes we made expeditions into the hills. In each successive class we were taught different and new things, and after a week we were capable of going down almost any slope, if we were careful.

The afternoon lesson finished at 4-0 p.m. and we generally carried on ski-ing for another half hour and then went back to the hotel, changed, and if we could afford it went for tea at one of the small cafés. During the day it was very hot, but when the sun had gone down it became unpleasantly cold, so we did not ski very late. Our evenings were spent either at the cinema or playing cards in the lounge of the hotel. On New Year's Eve, however, we went to a dance at the local Casino. It cost us the staggering price of £1 merely to get into the dance ! It was worth it, however, as the Swiss make a great deal of the New Year.

During the last few days, our lessons in the Ski-School became more than routine practice on the Nursery Slopes. We would go for the lesson up into the high mountains above Davos and ski back to Davos. Typical of these trips was the day we went up to the Strela pass. We went up the Schatzalpbahn which is rather like a cliff railway in Britain, and then changed to a long ski-lift which took us right up to the pass; from here we ski-ed down 2,500 feet back into Davos.

On the day before we were due to return home we went out for a whole day's ski-run. We started at 7-30 and caught the first train on the Parsennbahn, which was very crowded; apparently we were not the only ones who wanted to get in a good day's ski-ing. We climbed the 4,000 feet to the top of Weissfluhjoch on the railway, and there we put on our skis and set off. We went on a very roundabout route, and about lunchtime we came upon a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. There we had our lunch. This consisted of a packed lunch provided by the hotel, a great part of this lunch consisted of salami, a very highly seasoned sausage; it is very popular with the Swiss, but not with us British. The instructor did very well out of this, getting three lots of salami on top of his own lunch ! We then went up a ski-lift and set off on a long run down to Davos. Where it was steep and fast we zig-zagged down, and where it was gentle we went straight. It was a wonderful experience, even though at times a little scaring, as when we were going along a ledge with a sheer drop at one side ! Three hours later we were back in Davos, tired but very happy. We had ski-ed 15 miles.

Next day we set off for home very sorry to leave, and equally determined to return some day, the sooner the better. K.B.

HOCKEY

With an inevitability to which we are fast becoming accustomed the snow arrived in January after our second practice game and retained its grip until the end of February, although it did relent 45

slightly for one week, in which we were able to play two matches. With three in the last week of the season they comprised our total for the term—the same as last year.

The accumulated effect of three successive bad Winters is now being felt, and some members of the 1st XI have played less than twenty games of hockey in their lives ! To expect a high standard in such circumstances is patently unfair and it is indeed remarkable how much progress can be made with so little practice. Thanks to the fine weather in the last three weeks of term and a generous decision to continue hockey, the beginners have been able to have more practice than has been possible in recent years and it is hoped that this will bear fruit.

As regards the matches played, the only success was against Scarborough, who had played even less than we had. The team put up a very good fight against a strong Styx side, the half backs running themselves into the ground. We were fairly beaten by Worksop and Trent and drew a poor game with Bridlington, in which the forwards missed countless opportunities to win the match.

The strength of the team lay in the halves, all members of last year's side, and it was very unfortunate that Clayton, who was playing very well, had to miss the last two matches after breaking a bone in his hand at Worksop. He had saved the situation on numerous occasions by covering the backs and had developed a good cross pass. Kirby did a great amount of work in the centre and usually hit the ball beautifully, whilst Magson, although inclined to hang back too far, generally played very steadily at right-half.

Of the backs Netherwood was the stronger and improved during the season, but he was sometimes painfully slow in clearing. Roe also suffered from this fault and was too often caught out of position. Bell was finally given the goalkeeper's place in preference to Worsley on account of his superior judgment in coming out, but both were well up to standard.

The forwards were, as so often, a disappointment. Pfluger, the captain, always worked hard and made many openings but had little support. He captained the side enthusiastically and the experience should stand him in good stead. Brocklebank, a terrier-like centreforward, tended to err on the side of over-enthusiasm and to chase his own passes to the wing intead of getting into position to receive the return—possibly this only reflected his opinion of the wingers ! Hopper showed promise on the left wing, but illness caused him to miss the vital week at the end of the season, and Wilkinson, who had developed into quite a good outside-right, was put on the other wing and filled the position as competently as could be expected. Irvin might have been dangerous on the right wing if he had had better service, as he ran and centred well, but Richards, his inside, was rarely able to control the ball sufficiently to give accurate passes. In Clayton's absence Wilson did service at left-half—although his ability 46