Canterbury Disappointed In N.Z. Basketball

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30541, 9 September 1964, Page 15

Canterbury Disappointed In N.Z. Basketball

■pOR basketball enthusix asts, the 1964 season ended on a dull note when Canterbury, after a long run of successes, finished fifth equal at the thirty-fifth Dominion tournament held at Dunedin. In almost any other year, Canterbury’s comparative failure, 4 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw may have occasioned surprised comment, but this year, with four members of the successful New Zealand team as the spearhead and no inexperienced players in the team, Canterbury’s performance was puzzling and disturbing.

Their poor showing came from several varying factors, not the least of which was the injury to the goalshooter, C. McMaster. A severely sprained ankle sustained during the early part of the vital Rotorua-Canter-bury game cost Canterbury her services and left the team seriously weakened in a specialist position. The side’s subsequent defeat by Rotorua, Southland and Otago may have been averted, but observers are still bewildered by the dearth of skilful play which preceded the Rotorua game.

When the team was selected, it seemed on paper to be the strongest side to represent Canterbury for some years, and certainly no one doubted that in the

centre and forward areas there was an abundance of talent. Because of indifferent form in early fixtures, the defence third was rearranged and H. Hutton was movbd from centre into the goal defence position so that her jumping ability could be utilised for intercepting shots at goal. With the goalkeeper, K. O’Reilly, this pair played unchanged throughout the last eight tournament games, and their consistently good play was in marked contrast to the erratic showing of the centre and forward thirds; indeed, there were many times during the week when their sureness in handling and restrained determination were the only, bright features of Canterbury’s play.

Their task was no easy one, for one of the indelible impressions of the thirty-fifth tournament was the complete lack of uniformity among referees with rulings on the infringements which occur when defence, as they are permitted under international rules, attempted to intercept shots at goal and most teams were forced to concede many penalty shots at goal before they could attack with any certainty.

There was, too, a noticeable lack of mobility in the centre area and a foot in-

jury sustained by P. Edmonds in the first game certainly aggravated this defect, but even in the games Canterbury won easily, interceptions of poor passes were very rare, and in only one game, against Rotorua, did Canterbury display any zest for retrieving loose balls.

But it was in the forward area that Canterbury really floundered; statistics reveal that during the eight tournament games 266 goals were scored and 271 shots failed.

Nevertheless Canterbury’s contribution to the Rotorua game was a memorable one and its defeat at the hands of the New Zealand Cup winner was an honourable one. Supporters were greatly impressed by the fine team response when C. McMaster’s injury caused her replacement. J. Martin, J. Blair and C. Brown all changed position with a minimum of delay and the substitute, S. Langrope, was a tireless support to the defence and forward thirds. Rotorua’s forwards, whose ability in tournament games had not been seriously threatened, were forced to exert every skill and it was fitting that Canterbury’s best effort should have been against the new champions.