Sportsman’s Notebook Strong Auckland Soccer Squad

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30127, 10 May 1963, Page 7

Sportsman’s Notebook Strong Auckland Soccer Squad

The choice of the 16 players to form this season's Auckland soccer squad is a timely warning of the strenuous task facing Canterbury when it travels to Blandford Park on June 1 for the first of its two Queen’s Birthday week-end E’lghM) F.A. Trophy matches The second will be on the Monday, at Wellington. Auckland’s squad comprises 10 of last year’s successful team, plus three New Zealand representatives who moved to the city during the summer, two recent immigrants from Scotland and a former Bay of Plenty and Waikato representative. The team is:

Goalkeepers: M. G. Clarke 'Mt. Wellington). A. Stroud • North Shore). Full-backs: W. G. Ward • North Shore). G. J. McCormack <Fastern Suburbs). B. J. Wallace 'Onehunga). Half-backs: K. Armstrong • North Shore). A. Cartels •Onebanga), J. G. Kemp • Mt. Roekill >. Forwards: D. Clarke. P. J. Oden (North Shore), J. Sheppard, R. B. Ormond. D. A. Scott (Blockhouse Bay). D. H. Buller. J. D. Bel! • Eastern Suburbs'. R. J. Cochran (Mt. Raskill). Five of this squad—Ward. Wallace, Armstrong, Kemp and Cochran—were in the Auckland team which beat Canterbury. 5-2, at English Park, last September. The six newcomers are Buller, Bell and Ormond, all New Zealand representa-

tives, Stroud and D. Clarke, from Scotland, and M- G. Clarke, who kept goal brilliantly for Hamilton. Technical in last year's Chatham Cup final. The surprise omission is A E. Cozens, of Mt. Roskill. who has been Auckland’s goalkeeper for the last five seasons. He played against Canterbury last year. There is little doubt that Auckland will pose many problems for Canterbury, which will hold its first trials at English Park on Sunday With one or two exceptions the team is of New Zealand strength, and Auckland will be no more easily relieved of the English Trophy in the newly-instituted bi-annual tournament than it was when the trophy w’as played on a challenge basis. ¥ * * Names Changed Several clubs with teams l competing in the Canterbury ; Men’s Basketball Associa-i tion’s weekly competitions; have changed their names! since last season with the re-

suit that a certain amount of confusion exists. Boys’ Gordon Hall is now Y.M.C.A.. Chinese Youth Club is known as Orients and St. Saviour s has changed to Lyttelton. The Y-Boys’ Club has no connexion with the Y.M.C.A. as many persons believe, but was formed by a group of indoor basketball enthusiasts staying at the Y.M.C.A. some years ago. ¥ ¥ ¥ Dispute Resolved The differences of opinion between M. G. Hal berg and the Auckland Amateur Athletic Centre which arose after Halberg competed at a meeting at Kaitaia after being refused permission by the Auckland centre have been resolved.

According to an Auckland report. Halberg and Mr A. L. Lydiard attended a meeting of the Auckland centre and after a full discussion on the matter it was found that the controversy had arisen because of a misunderstanding on the reasons for Halberg running at Kaitaia.

¥* ¥ ¥ “Mile” Relays

Although only four teams are entered in the senior A division of the Canterbury Cross-country Running Management Committee’s “mile” relays being held at Rawhiti Domain tomorrow the race should provide some good competition as senior entries have been divided into two sections by a grading committee.

The senior A section includes the first and second teams from the University club's Hagley steeplechase relay. Olympic and Christchurch. The other two teams are from the Shirley club, which is having its first season of harrier racing, and Marist.

The total entry is 41, one fewer than last year and four short of the 1961 record. The largest entry’ has been received for the colts (men’s under-16) grade, for which there are 16 teams. Entries in the other grades are: Senior B eight, junior eight, and women five.