WOMEN’S MATCH

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28951, 20 July 1959, Page 8

WOMEN’S MATCH

Canterbury Beats Malvern . bury Women’* Hockey Association because of the representative matches between Canterbury and Malvern. These games were played at Kirwee on a ’firm and reasonably level ground, and overhead conditions were fine and sunny. The results were:— Canterbury A 8, Malvern A 1. Canterbury B 2, Malvern B

CANTERBURY V. MALVERN Consiueraoie interest was aroused in tnis maicn because of its bearing on me composiuun ot these teams lor tne National a. Cup tournament to be held in Timaru toward* tne end of August, ine game was iasc And open, and Canteroury ae&ervea its decisive win because of superior speed, especially in tne forwaiu line, and more elective combination anu covering on defence. . . it was a piomismg start for.Canterbuly’S representative season, and with more intensive practice to-* getner, me team should develop sufficiently to make a very serious bid lor the K Cup and national championship honours. For Canterbury the custodian. B. Maikinson, was sufficiently tested by the opposition to be obliged to make a niimber of good saves, and her form was better than in recent club matches. Both backs played soundly, although there was a tendency for the’bail to rebound at times when they were trapping. At left-back, N. Lennie intercepted well, and her switching of play to the right flank was cleverly executed. Her partner, J. Hall, showed improved form, but she must learn to cover tier partner with greater speed when the latter is confronted with an opposing attack on that side of the field. A. Fleete played a very solid game at right-half, being tireless in providing cover defence. The centrehalf, S. Comer, was outstanding, her positional play and passing being of an exceptionally high order. She was the pivot of the team to a very marked degree At left-half, N. Powell trapped well, and her midfield play was generally satisfactory, but there were too many occasions when she failed to retreat sufficiently far for the purposes of providing cover defence which the left-half position should give. She had a very strong running opponent to mark, and the two players had a considerable duel of skill throughout the match. Canterbury’s best forward was M. Donnelly, on the left-wing. She made many penetrating runs based on speed, good footwork and sound ball control, and she showed considerable ability in the circle. At inside-left. H. Turner did not quite reproduce her form of recent club matches. She tended to dribble too far, and neglected opportunities to use her other inside forwards. Although her speed and control took her past several opponents, the length of her dribbles allowed the opposing defence to recover. At centre-forward, T. Minehan's major contribution was her unselfish distribution of the ball which opened up the play and lent cohesion to the forward line as a whole. J. Thomson, at inside-right, made creditable efforts to follow suit, and her speedy dribbling was always useful. On the right-wing, S. McCaw was too fast for her opposing lefthalf, and was able to cut infield behind her with marked effect on a number of occasions ’ln the circle she was always a serious threat to the Malvern defence. In spite of the score the Malvern goal-keeper, W. Townsend, played soundly, and her two backs, J. McKay and M. Colee, trapped and cleared well, particularly in the first half. In the second spell they were often caught square, and their clearances became badly directed as the pressure increased. F. Musson, at left-half, was sound enough when in possession of the bail but lacked the speed of the ppposlng forwards. B. Mangels, at centre-half, intercepted well and made creditable efforts to keep her team's right flank on the attack. The .right-half, N. Wilson, had a busy afternoon and played reasonably well, although she experienced difficulty in trying to hold M. Donnelly Malvern’s best forward was H. Westaway on the right-wing. Because of her speed, ball control and well-placed passes she was always a threat to Canterbury, and she received good support from M. Redmond at inside-right, who made some fine runs and distributed the play well with skilful passing. F. Seaton showed dash and determination In the centre, but Malvern was not as strong on Its left flank. J. Thomson, at inside-left, indulged in too much solo play and made Httle effort to distribute the ball. For this reason and because of Malvern’s concentration upon its right flank attack the left-wing, A. Early, saw little of the play. Goals were scored for Canterbury by M. Donnelly (2). S. McCaw (2). H Turner and J. Thomson, while M. Redmond scored for Malvern. The teams were:— Canterbury: B. Makinson; J. Hall. N. Lennie; A. Fleete. S. Comer, N. Rowell: S. McCaw, J. Thomson, T. Minehan H. Turner, M. Donnelly. Tn the first half T. Minehan nlaved on the rlvht-wlng and S. McCaw ’t centre-forward, hut at half-time thev changed positions. Malvern.—W Townsend: M. Colee T McKay. N. Wilson. B Mangels, F Musson: H. Westaway. M. Redmond. F Seaton. J Thomson. A. Early. Match Between B Teams This was a rather scrappy game in which neither team showed much combined play. Canterbury maintained a slight edge over its opponents throughout the ’ game, and deservedly won by two goals to nil.