Sportsman's Notebook CHATHAM CUP SEMI-FINALS ON SATURDAY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29534, 8 June 1961, Page 3

Sportsman's Notebook CHATHAM CUP SEMI-FINALS ON SATURDAY

I The local section of the I Chatham Cup ioterolub soc- | cer competition will draw a step nearer its ccmehj-ior when the two semi-final matches are played on Saturday at English Park. Sh&mrock will meet Nomad*, and City win meet Western. City and Western have met once this season, in the Hurley Shield competition, and Western won, 6-1. There is no reason to suggest that Western will not have another comfortable victory on Saturday. The city team does not seem to be functioning smoothly and. al- | thcugh Western has also had I its troubles, it shouid win. Shamrock eliminated Tech- | r.ical in its last Chatham Cup I match, and has since beaten | W’estem in a Hurley Shield encounter. This team has taken a new- lease of life in recent weeks. Nomads are in good form, and the match should be good. Nomads beat Shamrock. 4-1, in a Hurley Shield fixture early in the season. Although Western has won the Hutley Shield for tihe last nine seasons, it is hard to escape the conclusion that f the winner of the local Chatham Cup final on June 24 will be the winner of Saturday's Shamrock-Nomads match. Both these teams are in form, and Western, with many star players, is still having obvious troubles with its forwards. When Tecthnicai wae eliminated, many tbousjht that Canterbury would not therefore be represented in the naitiorxal final to be played in Wellington in August. Technical, last year's national runner-up, was thought to be the only Christchurch team wh ch could beat the powerful Northeim team from Dunedin. However, a belowstrength Nomads team held Northern to a draw at Easter. » # * Rugby League If the New Zealand Rugby League team is to do well in the coming test matches against Australia, a competent and consistent gadkicker wall have to be found. The leading contenders, G. R. Phillips, N. L. Denton, and W. Sorenson, all of Auckland, have been far from impressive in club and provincial games this season. New Zealand's coach for the tests with Australia, -'•fr D. R. White, considers that lack of practice is the cause of the repeated failures Under Mr White the New Zealand team will practise goal-kicking every afternoon during . the week before the test match. Unfortunately Mr White is not available to coach the New Zealand team on the tour of England and France later this year. « «: » Table Tennis The Canterbury table tennis players, J. Armstrong and T. R. D. Flint, came very close to taking some titles from a strong field at the Hutt Valley open ehampion- - ships last week-end. Armstrong reached the final of the men's singles, where he lost to the national champion. M. L. Durm, 21-18. 21-16, 22-20. Armsitrong and Flint lost to Dunn and J. S Crossley in the final of the men's doubles in another close three-game match, the score being 24-22, 25-23, 21-18 Flint was eliminated from the men's singles in a quarterfinal by G. Roselli, who lost to Armstrong in the next round. * * • Judo Black Belt Advice has been received that C. Hoogestrate. of the Canterbury Amateur Judo Club, has qualified for a coveted black belt. At the start of this season, Hoogestrate was only a blue belt, but at the New Zealand championehros earlier, he was

given a brown belt with a recommendation to try for a black belt at the South Island championships last week-end. » C ♦ Depleted Team Three of University's key backs will be absent when the team meets Mar Ist at Lancaster Park in an important senior Rugby match on Saturday. The centre. D. Hoskin, a Canterbury representative. is expected to be out of town on a university geography project in South Canterbury. A F. Orme, the first five-eighths, will be taking part in the New Zealand Maori trials at Rotorua-, and the Canterbury wing. D J Davison, will also be out of town. Another University wing, B. Weencnk, has an injured knee, and is not certain that he will be able to play.