sport

100 years of hockey

The lack of a home field hasn’t stopped the University Hockey Club being at the forefront of the sport since 1907. Graham Croker reports.

hen the University marked with unparalleled enthusiasm,” The club’s president, Brian Gunner, Men’s Hockey Club was formed the University’s Hermes magazine says the problem persists to this day. Win 1907, its biggest problem reported in 1908. “Last year there were “We’ve never had a ground to call home,” was finding a playing field to call home. barely enough members to run one Mr Gunner says. “There are no such When the Women’s Hockey Club was eleven; while this season the membership things as home and away games – all formed the following year it suffered roll shows that four or five teams could of our games are played away.” the same challenge, but was blessed be put into the field. The difficulty The problem was compounded when with the formidable leadership of a which faces the NSW Hockey Association the men’s and women’s clubs amalga- then budding suffragette, Jessie Street. is that of obtaining the necessary mated in 2003. The new entity became So began a 100-year quest. grounds for the matches on Saturday, one of the biggest sporting clubs on “The inception of this game into the and so the number of teams each club campus, featuring seven men’s teams, circles of University sport has been can put into the field has to be restricted.” six women’s teams, two men’s veterans photo: Newspix

Hockeyroos Wendy Alcorn and Megan Rivers ... representing on the field. (over 40) teams, one women’s veterans University Sports Union, but their team and six junior teams. The club also applications for membership were Centenary dinner fields indoor hockey teams in summer. assisted when the touring men’s team The Hockey Club will be holding “We’ve had a 100-year battle to get a was awarded honorary membership a centenary dinner in the Great ground to call our own,” Mr Gunner of the University Students Hall on 4 August at which blues, says. “With the introduction of voluntary Union. The clubs became affiliated with former players, captains and student unionism and the resultant loss the sports union and the newly formed office-bearers will be present. The of funds and the cost of installing and NSW Hockey Association in 1910. club is working with past players maintaining synthetic pitches, I’m That year Melbourne University players to document and publish its history. worried about the future of the hockey travelled to Sydney and the annual One of the main problems is that club. We’re a foundation club in the intervarsity hockey competition was records are not centralised and Sydney men’s and women’s competitions instituted. University joined often the references to hockey are but it mightn’t last another 100 years the following year, when Sydney not catalogued. unless we can get a base. At present we University Women’s Club was victorious The club would be delighted to train late at night on pitches at Homebush at its first intervarsity competition, hear from any past or present played in Melbourne. members who can help with this The start of the intervarsity competition task. The club is also interested coincided with the award of the first in re-establishing ties “There are no hockey blue. G.C. Willcocks, who was with all past members such things as awarded blues from 1909 to 1913, was and in building a com- also a member of the Sydney University prehensive database for a regular newsletter. home and away Cricket Club’s first XI. The men’s hockey For more infor- club’s first representative players were games – all of mation about the A.L. Butler, A.S. Lloyd and L.C. Terrey, our games are centenary cele- who played for NSW against in brations, email 1909. Terrey also bowled for the cricket played away.” centenary@suhc. club first XI that year. asn.au Meanwhile, the women’s club was busy campaigning for a ground. The sports McKinney played for NSW from and Kyeemagh. The women’s teams union, which controlled sporting facilities 1931 to 1939 and captained the state mostly play at Homebush, while the on campus at the time, refused to rent from 1936. She played for Australia men play wherever we can find a ground.” its oval to the “Newtown tarts”, as they from 1936 and was captain of the “Have sticks, will travel” could have were termed, but hadn’t reckoned on Australian touring team that was called been an early motto for the men’s club, Street, a first-year arts student residing home at the outbreak of World War II. which competed against Corinthians, in Women’s College, who captained the Another illustrious member was Sydneians, Bandits and Fleet in the team in its inaugural year. Although later Mollie Dive, an all-round sportswoman 1908 competition. The competition was recognised nationally and internationally who won blues in hockey and cricket. arranged in two rounds, similar to the for her activism in women’s rights, social She played both sports at state level and present structure. justice, equality of status for women, was captain of the Australian women’s Two years after the club was founded, equal pay and the election of women to cricket team that won the Ashes for the players were on a train bound for parliament, Street’s first campaign was first time in 1948–49. Melbourne on their first intervarsity for a playing field and facilities for In recent times, the women’s team foray. As the May 1909 edition of sportswomen at the University. It was a Hermes announced: “An invitation was campaign she continued for 50 years, have dominated the annual Australian received from the Melbourne during which time the Square, the University Championships and have University to send a team over some choicest real estate on the campus, was produced a host of representatives at time during the season, which was developed for women. the state level and a number at the accepted after due consideration by Having won the intervarsity competi- national level. They include the the committee. It is probable that the tion at their first attempt in 1910 and Hockeyroos Leanne Tooth and Megan visit will take place during the June provided two NSW representatives – Rivers, Jenny Gosper, who was in the vacation and a match en route against L and N Meares in 1911 – the women’s Australian Junior World Cup team in Wagga Wagga or Wangaratta may club has fielded some outstanding 2003, Georgina Brown (Australian be arranged.” teams and individuals over the years, indoor hockey squad 2005–06) and Until then the hockey clubs had not including an Australian captain in Brielle Baxter (Australian under-21 been affiliated with the Sydney Isabel Harrison, nee McKinney. indoor squad 2004–06).

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