Colts Beat Nelson In Zone Final

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31399, 19 June 1967, Page 10

Colts Beat Nelson In Zone Final

The future of men’s basketball in Canterbury Is in good hands if the performance of the provincial colts side on Saturday night was any indication. It beat the strong Nelson colts, 51-36, in the northern zone final of the South Island championship and now stands an excellent chance of contesting the final of the New Zealand championship later in the season.

Playing on its home court at Cowles Stadium, the Canterbury team was clearly superior to Nelson and thoroughly deserved its win.

In the first half there was little between the two teams, although Canterbury enjoyed a slight points advantage. It led 24-21 at half time. After* the break, Canterbury, led by J. Culliford and T. Guthrie, who both played outstanding games, applied more pressure and slowly but surely drew ahead. Scores were:—

Canterbury 51: J. Culliford 17, T. Guthrie 12, K. Luxton 9, J. Uttley 6, J. MacLachlan 4, A. Taylor 2, R. Millard 1. Nelson 36: J. Landells 11, K. Rainey 8, A. Wright 4, B. Harding 4, M. Wallace 3, C. Huse 2, R. Colello 2, A. Freeman 2. There was little doubt that the outstanding figure on the court was the former Wellington colt, Culliford. He completely guarded the usually high-scoring Nelson player, Wright, out of the game and delighted the crowd with his aggressive offensive play. His driving was little short of brilliant. Guthrie was only slightly less

impressive. He took his shots when they were on and was extremely efficient in other aspects of his play. Luxton and Uttley were also impressive. Because of the effective Canterbury defence, Nelson’s chances tor score were at a premium. One of the tallest players, Landells, was the only player who had reasonable success getting his shots away, although Rainey was always a danger.