Y-Boys Win Again In Men’s Basketball

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31660, 22 April 1968, Page 9

Y-Boys Win Again In Men’s Basketball

A well-drilled Y-Boys team gave men’s basketball supporters plenty to think about when it convincingly beat University A, 45-30, in the second round of the Canterbury A grade men’s basketball competition at Cowles Stadium on Saturday.

Y-Boys, ranked fifth last year, produced easily the best form this season to beat the students by an unexpectedly wide margin. Everybody was prepared to concede that Y-Boys were playing good basketball after their win over Old Boys in the first round but nobody really expected that University A, considered one of the top championship contenders, would have much trouble winning. This win has provided the senior competition with its greatest stimulant for years. Old Boys, although beaten narrowly by Y-Boys in the opening round, are well in the running after beating the highly fancied Old Maroons side 31-30 in a tense finish. And although there was a definite lack of co-ordination, Y.M.C.A. produced enough good form in its 44-18 win over Burnham to indicate that it would be one of the top teams. Y-Boys and Y.M.C.A., which has only played one game, are the only two unbeaten teams. Points are: Y-Boys 4, Old Maroons 2, Burnham 2, Old Boys 2. Y.M.C.A. 2, University A 2, Rex 0. UPSET WIH Y-BOVS 45; K. Williams 15, C. Morris 10, K. Baker 7, K. Ewings 6, R. Dew 4, D. Toeliner 2. N. Vincent 1. UNIVERSITY A 30: J. Culliford 12, J. Stead 6, P. Stigley 6. Few followers expected Y-Boys to beat University A, one of the two top teams last season, and they were certainly unprepared for the convincing manner in which it achieved this. From the start Y-Boys looked the better combination. The team pfayed a fast, breaking game and never gave its more favoured opponents a chance to settle down. At half-time. Y-Boys led 21-12 and the game was far from over. However, it managed to maintain this leading margin and towards the finish was once more going away. On the day, Y-Boys was definitely the better team and must now be considered a leading contender for

this season’s championship. Its defence was most efficient. Y-Boys displayed some outstanding team-work and although everybody made errors at some time there was no weak link of any consequence. K. Williams probably played his most oustanding game since he moved to Christchurch two seasons ago and certainly deserved the 15 points he scored. His jump shooting and general play were of high order. However, the main honours in the team went to the former New Zealand player, C. Morris. His guarding, anticipation and shooting were at times brilliant and his feeding from mid-court brought many goals. K. Baker and K. Ewings, the two tall men in the side, also played their part well. The University players did not reach their capabilities. Only J. Culliford proved an effective attacking force and he could hardly win the game on his own. Players, who were regarded as the best in the province last season, looked very second rate on Saturday. P. Stigley played well towards the end but it was far too late. Y.M.C.A. WIN Y.M.C.A. 44: D. Rattray 14, R. Millard 11, M. Busch 6, D. Symonds 4. P. Ross 4. J. McNaught 3, M. Clements 2. BURNHAM 18; B. D. Watson 7, B. G. Rose 5, J. W. Pederson 2. D. R. Simons, 2, G. J. Costello 2. This was Y.M.C.A.’s first game of the season and the team took some time to settle down. Once it did it played basketball of a reasonably high standard, although the team did not look as strong as that which won the senior championship last season. At the finish Y.M.C.A. was well in command after having led 29-12 at half-time, but Burnham was far from disgraced. The standard it set, especially early in the game, was its best for years. The margin between the teams was perhaps slightly unrealistic, although Y.M.C.A. was certainly the best team. The main interest in this game was the performance of the Y.M.C.A. centre, R. Millard, in his first A grade club game. He was replacing R. Entwistle, one of the finest centres ever to play in Canterbury, but his performance was far from disappointing. He used his great height to advantage and proved a great strength on both backboards. D. Rattray was not in the Y.M.C.A. first line-up, but he finished as one of the top players. His shooting was excellent. M. Busch was once again the brains behind the win. His feeding was excellent.

B. D. Watson and B. G. Rose were the outstanding performers for Burnham. Watson rarely put a foot wrong and Rose showed much more aggression than usual. Costello rebounded well but had a hard time matching Millard, who had a height advantage of several inches, CLOSI GAMI OLD BOYS 31: A. Hounsell 11, K. Luxton 7, K. Milligan 6, R. Skurr 3, T. Guthrie 2, I. Simson 2. OLD MAROONS 30: E. Retter 12, K. Fricker 8, A. Taylor 5, J. Edyvean 4, J. Riley 1. Although they led all the way, Old Boys only won by one point and in the closing seconds looked likely to throw away the game. Twice in the Anal minute of the game they fouled opposition players but in each case luck was on their side. In four free throws, the Old Maroons scored one goal. However, in spite of this, Old Boys deserved to win. For much of the game they played better basketball, called their switches well and looked a better combination. Old Maroons had some outstanding players on the court but somehow or other they failed to combine into an effective unit. K. Fricker was undoubtedly the best player on the court. He had a wide range of shots and made the most of his opportunities. The eight points he scored for Old Maroons were thoroughly deserved. E. Retter was another prominent Old Maroons player. He was deceptively quick and made few mistakes. W. E. Smith, one of the strongest attacking players in Canterbury for many years, concerned himself with guiding the team from mid-court and his talent was wasted. For Old Boys, A. Hounsell pliayed another solid game in the centre. He had some tall men against him but came through with colours flying. K. Milligan was also in fine form. The most pleasing feature was the manner in which young players such as T. Guthrie and R Skurr fitted into the team pattern. It seems clear that the best of Old Boys has yet to come. Old Boys led 16-11 at half-time. LOWER GRADES B Grade.—University C 29, Cashmere High School 29: Old Boys B 36, Y.M.C.A. B 20; Taxes A 58, Christchurch B.H.S. 23; Y-Boys B 41, Wigram-Police 22. C Grade.—University D 46, Toe H 31; Stars A 38, Old Boys C 31; N.A.C. 15, Burnham B 7: Y-Boys C beat Rex B by default. D Grade.—University E 30, Christchurch B.H.S. B 21; Mairehau High School B 23, Stars B 14; Old Boys D 35, N.A.C. B 9.