Indoor Basketball Wellington Retains N.Z. Men’s Title

Press, Volume C, Issue 29608, 2 September 1961, Page 13

Indoor Basketball Wellington Retains N.Z. Men’s Title

AUCKLAND, Sept 1. Wellington, the defending champion, scored a wellearned victory over Hamilton, 43-29, to win the New Zealand men’s indoor basketball title tonight. The final was tense and exciting throughout. Although Hamilton played a strong defensive game and left Wellington at a distance from the basket, it had no counter to the superb set-shooting of the Wellington captain, B. Bowden, who scored 17 points. Wellington gave a fine exhibition of team play, with A. Bland and R. Martin and Bowden playing well. They gave nothing away on defence, controlled their defensive backboard, and when on attack took long shots and usually scored. Hamilton again-proved very strong under its own basket. The captain, C. Agnew, again played an outstanding game and scored eight of his team’s points. Auckland took third place when it beat Southland. 4225. R. Price and P. Lenehan were the outstanding Southland players, on both attack and defence. M. Watkinson,

(New Zealand Press Association)

R. Williams, and C. Hancock, the captain, played well in the Auckland forwards, and J. E. Bull played a particularly solid game on guard defence. With more constructive play and more accurate shooting, Otago B beat Hawke's Bay. 45-29, to take the second division title. Hawke’s Bay depended too much on R. Wotherspoon, who was so closely guarded by the Otago defence that he was never a scoring threat. The other Hawke’s Bay players seemed unable to get into scoring position. L. Pearson and D. Milne were outstanding for Otago B scoring freely and rebounding well. Results were:— First Division Section 1: Hamilton 28. Nelson 27; Auckland 48. Rotorua 38. Section 2: Wellington 52. Southland 28; Palmerston North 39. Hutt Valley 38 Play-off for third place: Auckland 42. Southland 25. Second Division Final: Otago B 45. Hawke’s Bay 29. Championship final: Wellington 43. Hamilton 29.