CAVERSHAM DEFIES RULING AN ... Technical takes lead in race for $500

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32407, 21 September 1970, Page 17

CAVERSHAM DEFIES RULING AN ... Technical takes lead in race for $500

(Bp Our Soccer Reporter)

Everything happened to Caversham (and to the hopes of Otago soccer) on Saturday, and none of it was good. After a day of turmoil, Technical was left one point in the clear at the top of the southern league, first division, and Caversham had dropped to third place, behind its fellow Dunedin club, St Kilda* Mornington.

AU was poised for the final match of the season, at Christchurch next Saturday, when Caversham have to meet New Brighton, needing a victory to overhaul Technical, or at the least a draw to overtake St Kilda on goal average and win a place in the national league play-off series.

On Saturday, Caversham defied an official ruling that it could not field two prayers whose transfers had not been accepted by the Southern League, learned that the National League Committee, meeting in Wellington, had refused an Otago entry into next season’s Rothmanssponsored competition, and then was beaten 3-2 by Technical. The two Caversham players in dispute were D. Stenhouse and B. Boomer, both formerly of Dunedin Technical. Stenhouse played for the whole of the game on Saturday and Boomer went on as a substitute in the second half. WARNING GIVEN Before the match the secretary of the Southern League Council (Mr M. K. Pahi) said: “I have told

Caversham they cannot play either Stenhouse or Boomer as the players’ transfers have not been accepted by the league at this late stage of the season.

“I have also told the club that if either Stenhouse or Boomer is played, Caversham would be liable to a fine and to lose any points gained from die match. I understand the club intends to defy the ruling and appeal against it to the New Zealand Football Association.” In the event, and if the convictions stand, Caversham will only have to pay a fine, not concede any points. Rocked by Technical’s goal-scoring rush in the second half, when the Christchurch club scored three times in 11 minutes without reply, Caversham belatedly fought back to net twice —the second from a penalty with the last kick of the match.

SQUABBLE CONTINUING However, the squabble between the dub and the league council is far from over. It was intimated by Caversham that the club intended to include both Stenhouse and Boomer in its squad to meet New Brighton next week.

If this occurred, and the league council’s action upheld, Caversham would lose both points at stake, despite the outcome of the match, would remain in third place, and St Kilda, as the competition runner-up, would be eligible to take part in the national league play-off series next month against Waterside (Wellington) and Mount Albert (Auckland). It would also leave Technical on top of the table, as the southern league champion, and the winner of the $5OO prize for the second successive year. However, as a partner in Christchurch United, the South Island’s only national league side in the 1970 season, Technical would not be eligible for the national competition play-off. "SET A PRECEDENT" Defending their action in playing Stenhouse and Boomer, Caversham officials said: “The Southern League Council set a precedent on late transfers by allowing St Kilda to take Dunedin City players. We have asked for the same right, and will take our case to the New Zealand Football Association, where we are sure we would be upheld.” However, none of the prematch sourness could take away from Technical any of the fruits of its victory. It was thoroughly deserved, and only in the dosing stages when Caversham fought back desperately, and at the start of the second half when the Dunedin club hit a post, was Technical matched, in resolution and aggression. Even then, the penalty awarded to Caversham in the last second was harsh. There was no intention on the part of S. Squire to handle the ball—it was simply that he had no time to get his hand out of the way. From the spot, W. Fleming hammered the ball into the net to make the score 2-3, and the referee (Mr C. Houston) whistled for a goal, and immediately whistled again to end the match. WELL-TAKEN GOALS However, the match had been won and lost between the fiftyfifth and sixty-sixth minutes when Squire, P. Kay and C. Jones scored for Technical—all welltaken goals. Shortly before this, Stenhouse had headed against the post with the Technical goal-keeper, W. Weir, well beaten. Later, Caversham’s player-coach,. D. Daniels, and M. Ferguson combined in the game’s two most spectacular moves. From the first, Ferguson headed inches over the bar; from the second his header beat Weir and began Caversham’s fight back. But this goal, coming with only eight minutes remaining, left Caversham with too little time to save the match.

Play was hard and earnest from start to finish, and outstanding on either side was Squire. It was fitting, therefore, that in the Technical dressingroom after the match he was awarded the dub’s “player of the year” trophy. Had Caversham been making a similar award it must have gone to Ferguson, who did not concede victory until the end, despite being very effectively blocked for most of the game by Squire.

The league table, with one game to play, is:— Goals P W D L F A Pts Tech. 18 12 1 5 38 23 25 St Kilda 18 11 2 5 38 29 24 Cavshm 17 10 3 4 42 23 23 Sham. 18 9 2 7 30 23 20 Bright’n 17 6 5 6 31 26 17 City 18 6 5 7 27 25 17 Roslyn 18 5 5 8 25 42 15 Western 18 4 5 9 23 30 13 Rangers 18 3 7 8 24 37 13 North'n 18 4 3 11 25 45 11