Lessons for officials

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 11

Lessons for officials

"VEW ZEALAND salvaged its reputation as the leading country in women's world basketball when it beat Australia in the second test at Dunedin, but many things must be straightened out if New Zealand hopes to beat such strong visiting teams in fu.ure. The administrators of the game must not select more than 22 trialists for the test squad, they must spread the nominations around the seven positions, and announce the final composition of the team well before the team is scheduled to play.

A repeat of the confusion at the national trials when there were 33 trialists competing for seven positions would certainly damage the confidence the players have in the selectors. What made those trials all the more ludicrous was that 14 of the 33 were competing for two positions, goal attack and goal shoot, and one of the trialists, Joan Harnett, the New Zealand captain, has no peer in New Zealand at goal attack. There should be no more than three players competing for each position, and then selectors at the trials will have an easier task assessing individual players and different combinations.

When the team for the first test was announced only an hour before the O ame began, New Zealand Slayers had no time to prepare properly. There was Httle enough time to establish a smooth combination In thejhree days before the first test, but the problems could have been alleviated if the three Canterbury players, Harnett, C. McMaster, and S. Langrope, who formed such a brilliant combination in the second test,

had been played in the first match. But with these lessons aside, there must be high praise for the performance of the team and the coach, Mrs. T. Jamieson, for the remarkable reversal of form after just one week of intensive training. Mrs Jamieson settled on the combination of Harnett, McMaster and Langrope and introduced the bounce pass as new play. She also trained them long and hard for that week, but the team was stronger than Australia in the vital last quarter. Australia had so often on this tour beaten teams with a dazzling display in that period, but New

Zealand scored 14 goals to Australia’s 11 in the last quarter at Dunedin. Australia was a little jaded throughout the match and its passes for the first time on the tour were lobbed; it needed too many passes to get into the goal circle and its play was restricted to the sideline, which made it easier for the New Zealand defence. New Zealand must- now look to Jamaica and its defence of the world cup. The players are here aplenty to assure that the title stays with New Zealand but the administrative changes must be made to find the best players and realise that potential.