Soccer Win For N.Z. Predicted

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30390, 14 March 1964, Page 8

Soccer Win For N.Z. Predicted

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright)

HONG KONG, March 13. The touring New Zealand national soccer team stands a good chance of winning its first match against a Hong Kong representative XI tomorrow. It is expected, however, to lose its second—and last —match in Hong Kong, against the combined Chinese on Sundav.

This is. the majority opinion of Hong Kong football officials. Mr Lee Wai-tong, a former international and now a leading soccer commentator, says: “I’ll give the visitors a 50-50 chance. They have the physique, but lack international experience in the sport.” The Hong Kong representative XI is young and relatively weak, but nearly all the combined Chinese players have represented Formosa against South-east Asian soccer nations, Japan and South Korea. They include Mok Chunwah, reputed to be Asia’s best left-winger, the diminutive but formidable Yiu Cheuk-yin, and the “evergreen” Wong Man-wai. Chang Chi-doy, who played for Blackpool in England for a time, and his brother, Chiwai, provide an aggressive combination in the forward line. Hong Kong football fans—most of them Chinese—are still at a loss at how to rate the visitors. The reputation of Arthur Inglis, as an insideforward who packs a shot, has preceded him here and they are on the look-out for him. And understandably, 'they are anxious to see Arthur Leong, son of a Chinese who emigrated to New Zealand some years ago, on the field. Sports writers have warned that the visitors might give Hong Kong a soccer treat. The newspapers. “Wah Kiu Yat Po” and “Nam Wah Man Po,” suggested that the “Kiwis should have learned a lot Mulligan Loses. —M. Mulligan, of Australia, was eliminated yesterday in the quarter-finals of the United Arab Republic international tennis championship. Mulligan went down, 4-6. 2-6 to Pierre Bathes, of France. —(P.A.)

about football by this time.” And the “Hong Kong Standard” sports columnist, lan Petrie, who is himself a football coach, wrote: “New Zealand has been building up its team progressively and may be strong enough to make us sit up and take notice.”