N.Z. SOCCER SQUAD

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32312, 2 June 1970, Page 24

N.Z. SOCCER SQUAD

(By Our Soccer Reporter)

Four Christchurch United players —G. Davis, G. Griffiths, D. Watson, and V. Pollard —have won places in the New Zealand 14-man soccer squad to play the Hong Kong club, Jardines, at Auckland next Saturday.

A surprise omission is the World Cup and United goalkeeper, D. Phillips, who played outstanding matches for New Zealand in Israel last October.

D. Houghton (Stop Out) and K. Curtin (Courier Rangers) are the two goal-keep-ers named in the squad, announced last night by the convener of the national selectors (Mr G. Evans). Houghton lost his place to Phillips during the World

Cup tour when he broke a finger in a training session. Curtin has been the regular Auckland and northern league 'keeper for the last three years. The squad is:

Curtin, Houghton, Davis, Griffiths, W. Hunter (Eden, vice-captain), G. Lake (Blockhouse Bay), G. Bilby (Seatoun), Pollard, E. Thomas (Mount Wellington), G. Lamont (Mount Wellington, captain), C. Campbell (Blockhouse Bay), Watson, M. Bland (Gisborne City), W. de Graaf (Eastern Suburbs). The squad includes seven players from Auckland, four from Canterbury, two from Wellington, and one from

Gisborne. Curtin, Campbell, and Watson have not played for the senior national side, although Watson is a former under-23 international..

Curtin, Hunter, and Bilby are the only players from clubs outside the Rothmans

National League. Lake returns to the national squad for the first time since he broke a leg more than two years ago—just before the team left on the Asian tour —playing in a Sunday “friendly” match. Lamont, the Mount Wellington player-coach, is another recalled to the national side, and as captain, taking over the position filled by Bilby in the World Cup side.

Pollard becomes a double international in tbe same year for tbe second time. He first played cricket and soccer for New Zealand in 1968, but was not available for the soccer

team last year because of the cricket tour of England, Pakistan, and India. The survivors from the World Cup team are Houghton, Griffiths, Hunter, Bilby, Thomas, Bland, and de Graaf. Several established internationals have been omitted, including R. Mears and C. Latimour (both of Eastern Suburbs), T. Francis (Gisborne City), D. Wallace (Western Suburbs) and C. Shaw (Blockhouse Bay).

Jardines have not had a successful tour so far, winning only the first of their matches, 2-0, against Auckland. Since then they have

been beaten by Canterbury, 6-2, and the central region, 4-1, and drew with Otago-

Southland, 2-2. The tourists play their next match, against a Nelson invitation XI, on Thursday. Chatham Cup (N.Z. Press Association) DUNEDIN. Caversham beat Dunedin City, 7-1, in the Dunedin area Gillette Chatham Cup final yesterday.