N.Z. BASKETBALL TOURNEY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27132, 31 August 1953, Page 5

N.Z. BASKETBALL TOURNEY

CHAMPIONSHIP WON BY AUCKLAND

CANTERBURY BEATEN IN FINAL (New Zealand. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, Aug. 30. Auckland will hold the New Zealand! Cup, the emblem of Dominion basketball i supremacy, for 1953. In the final of the senior championship at the New Zealand basketball tournament in Invercargill, Auckland yesterday beat Canterbury, the title-holder for the last three seasons, by 20 goals to 17. Auckland last won the trophy at Dunedin in 1949. In yesterday’s game, the two teams gave a superb exhibition of basketball. They were evenly matched in all departments, though the Auckland forwards were possibly superior for a time in the second half.

The high standard of play in all grades was the outstanding feature of the tournament. In the second grade, the President’s shield was won jointly by Taranaki and Hutt Valley. Three teams— Ashburton, South Canterbury, and Matamata—tied for second place and the Hayhurst shield.

The third-grade trophy was won by Canterbury Minor. Two teams—Hokitika and Northland—tied for second place and the Armstrong shield.

The atmosphere at the Surrey Park courts on Saturday afternoon was reminiscent of a Ranfurly Shield fixture. More than 5000 spectators attended. In its match with Canterbury attacked from the start, and ran up a 6-3 lead. From then on, Auckland fought back strongly to equalise at 6-6. From then on until well into the second half, fortunes alternated between the two teams. A. Clark was in excellent form fo_- Canterbury in the first half, and J. Murray played an outstanding court game in the circle. In defence. Canterbury put ail it knew into the game, but O. Morris and L. Lowe, as the result of magnificent handling and fast footwork, won the battle in this department. In the second half, Auckland gradually wore down the opposition. The Canterbury forwards, as on Friday, appeared to become slightly flustered in goal. They missed nine attempts in the second half. A. Clark shot five excellent goals in the final stages, but by then Auckland had the game well in hand. The teams were evenly matched in the centre, where J. Fuller played an excellent game for Canterbury. The most exciting exchanges, however, took place in goal and defence. For Auckland. J. Waititi’s handling was outstanding. The final score was: Auckland 20. Canterbury !7. Tauranga Beats Southland Inaccuracy at goal caused Southland’s defeat by Tauranga. The teams were evenly matched in all departments, and played a thrilling game. Poor shooting nullified many fine Southland moves. D. Davies scored many fine goals for Tauranga, and L. Collins and H. Burnett played well. The final score was: Tauranga 23, Southland 16. . Wellington and Wanganui drew. 23-all, in their last game of the tournament. Both teams handled well. An early lead was held by Welington, but Wanganui levelled the scores in the second half, and from then on the teams took turns in goaling. Once again, B. Forward, vice-captain of the Wanganui team, was outstanding in the forwards, and J. Anderson intercepted brilliantly. The tall Wellington forwards had an advantage in their circle, but the Wanganui centres counterbalanced this advantage in the middle of the court.

Manawatu managed to withstand a strong Hawke's Bay attack for the first five minutes of their match, but gradually weakened, and the final score was: Hawke’s Bay 22, Manawatu 11. The Hawke’s Bay centres and forwards kept the Manawatu defence confined, and gave Manawatu’s forwards little chance of getting the ball.

M. Esler, B. Lane, and Y. Yates, the Hawke’s Bay forwards, were always prominent. R. Osten (forward), N. Weston, and V. Leask (centre) played solidly for Manawatu.

Hutt Valley and Taranaki both won heir two games in the second grade yeserday, and were joint winners of the ’resident's Shield.

The match between Taranaki and Ashburton was won by Taranaki, 18-14, because of better ball control. The Taranaki defence was too solid for the Ashburton forwards. M. Julian was the outstanding player in the Taranaki forward line. Taranaki had little difficulty in beating West Coast, 29-11. The Taranaki forward line, with M. Julian again outstanding, played a grand game, and scored consistently. The match between Hutt Valley and Matamata was closely contested. The swift, long-passing game adopted by Hutt Valley gave it an early lead, but Matamata soon gained on its opponents. Matamata was on top for a period in the second half, but Hutt Valley did not surrender its lead, and at the end was playing superior basketball. D. Cockerton was a tower of strength on defence for Matamata. The Hutt Valley forwards were a smooth combination, but liad to work hard for any advantage. The final score was: Hutt Valley 22 Matamta K. Against Rotorua, Hutt Valley established a lead in the early stages, and held it to win, 23-16. Rotorua rallied strongly early in the second half. Canterbury Minor and Northland contested the final of the third grade section of the tournament for the second year in succession. In a fast and even game, Canterbury again w °u th_ championship. Canterbury fpam work, for which the rqortniana players had no counter. Outstanding foi Canterbury was the defence line. The final score was: Canterbury Minor 17. Northland 14. Saturday’s Results Yesterday’s games resulted: F&st Grade -Wanganui 23 Welhngton O b U U g h O l9 2 wlsi Coast g ll; Rotorua 17, Horowhenua 8. Matamata 20, Southland Minor .-Waikato 23 Nelson 13; Taranaki 18, AshburMb?r U y tt MaSb Th® 13 North s‘affey IT; koura 20. Wiirarapa 14; Canterbury Minor points in the three grades were:_ First Grade (eight games played). Auckland 15, Canterbury 14. Otago 10, Wellington 9, Wanganui 8, Hawke s Bay 6, Southland 6, Tauranga 4, Manawatu 0 Second Grade (11 games piayed)Hutt Valley 20, Taranaki 20, Ashburton 14, Matamata 14, South Canterbury 14, Rotorua 13, Southland Minor 13. M al A lb °£°yg h tft Horowhenua 6. West Coast 4, Waikato 2, NThird (nine games played) .—Canterbury Minor 16, Hokitika 14, Northland 14 Temuka 12, Wellington Minor 11, Kaikoura 6, Thames Valley 6, Otago Minor 5, Wairarapa 5, North Otago 1. Trophy winners were:— New Zealand Cup.—Auckland (J. Tur ner) Annie Brown Cup (runner-up): second grade!: Taranaki (M Joyce) and Hutt Valley (M. O’Sullivan), equal. Hayhurst Cup (run-ner-up): Ashburton (P Cullen), South Canterbury (M. Sullivan), Matamata (C. C< Kiwi t Trophy (third grade).: Canterbury Minor (A. Henderson). Armstrong Shield (runner-up): Hokitika (P. Fleming) and Northland (A. Ruth), equal. Violent Gilmour Trophy (team with least number of goals scored against it). Canterbury Minor.