Fine Young Merivale Team

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29931, 19 September 1962, Page 13

Fine Young Merivale Team

WHILE much can be said of young footballers who are prolific scorers, the success of the Merivale under 7st 71b team this season has . been achieved by a concerted effort Coached for the last three years by Mr Eric Phillipson, these players have developed into a welldrilled side, putting into operation movements which would do justice to any senior team. Perfectly executed scissor passes completely outwitted the opposition on many occasions. Regular attendance at prac- I tices developed a team spirit ! which played a major part ' in winning the competition > This proved itself in the final match against Marist, which shared the lead with Merivale Trailing 3-nil at i half-time. Merivale fought back and emerged the winner by 21 points to 3. This match gave Dennis Smythe his sixty-sixth try, and by converting it himself brought his personal tally to 200 points During the season 15 players scored points. Besides Smythe’s fine effort, Gl Everest scored 96 points, A. Phillipson 76, B. Faass 57. G Dunn 30. and B. Hobson 30. Altogether, 527 points were scored with 35 against, although many matches were stopped early because of Merivale’s high scores. The only loss of the season ■was to Albion. 3-nil, in the first round. Forwards like R. Hunt, P. Clothier, G. Everest, and J. Douglas, encouraged by the captain. B Hobson (an out-

standing break - away), played a major part in amassing this huge team total. The scrum worked well, and the half-back, D. Phillipson, had no trouble in setting his backs in motion. They had the ability and speed to use possession. Tight-heads to M. Bain ran into double figures in almost every game. Hobson. Dunn, Douglas, Everest, A. Phillipson, Faass and Smythe were the seven-a-side team which won

both the Queen's Birthday tournament at Kaiapoi and the C.R.F.U. under 7st 71b tournament. Smythe, A. Phillipson, Dunn, Bain and Spence gained selection in the Canterbury team which beat the West Coast, 9-3, at Greymouth in atrocious conditions. Much of the credit for the team’s success must go to Mr Phillipson, who has developed both talent and team-work in these young footballers