CHATHAM CUP SOCCER History was on side of Blockhouse

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33290, 30 July 1973, Page 11

CHATHAM CUP SOCCER History was on side of Blockhouse

i u Blockhouse Bay had carefully studied previous results of clubs drawn at home in the Chatham Cup but forced to plav on then opponents ground, the Auckland club would not have threatened to boycott the competition.

In fact. Blockhouse I did the “hat-trick” when it beat Christchurch United on Saturday and kept intact an unusual record. Since the ope i draw for the quarter-finais onwards ■ was started in 1970, there! have been three occasions ; when the name of the team 1 first out of the cup has played away under the ruling that no city shall have more than one match except when all teams are from that city. It happened the first time in 1970 when Western Suburbs had to travel to Christchurch to play New Brighton—and won in extra time. It occurred the next time in 1971 when Wellington City i went to Auckland to play MountWellington—and won 1-0. And the third time was at the week-end—and Blockhouse beat United 1-0. Now it might happen a fourth time—in the draw for the semifinals on Tuesday. Of the four; survivors, three are from Auck-; land and one from Gisborne. One of the semi-finals must! therefore be a clash of Auckland; clubs, which will mean that J Gisborne City must be at home! whatever happens in the draw.; Gisborne, with an outsiders'! chance of still taking the Roth- ■ mans National League cham-i pionship if United faiters, is the ! only team left with an opportunity to complete the 1973 national soccer double. Another double possibility would arise if North Shore; United won the Chatham Cup this year. It is also favoured to take the Northern League regional competition and enter the national league play-off series at the end of this season. North Shore caused the second b'g upset of Saturday’s quarterfinals when it beat the national league side. Caversham, in Auckland. Caversham was outplayed, more even than the result indicates. and the Dunedin club will now know the trouble it will have staying in the national league if it has to go into the

play-off series. North Shore will probably be its strongest challenger. .AS? 1 gear’s runner-up, Mount Wellington, got through to the semi-finals with the esc! of two' penalties against WellingtonDiamond united at the Basin Reserve. And it had the aid of two penalties in holding United to a 4-4 draw in the final on the same! ground last September. I Details of the quarter-finals l were:

Christchurch United 0, Blockhouse Bay I (M. Farad—halftime 0-0. Kiwi United 1 ij. Patoni. Gis-' borne City 3 iM. Knox, L. Cudd, S. Grout;—half-time 0-0. North Shore United 2 (I. Phillips. D. Jones penalty), Caversham o—half-tim'e0 —half-tim'e 1-0. Wellington-Diamond United 0, Mount Wellington 3 <B. Turner •2 penalties. D. Taviort—half-time 0-1