Women’s hockey

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33532, 13 May 1974, Page 14

Women ’s hockey

Cranmer. so recently challenged for its place In senior women’s hockey in a relegation match, caused the major upset of the third round. It beat a heavily-favoured Carlton team by one goal, and is now joint leader of the competition with Aranui and Rawhltf, both of which had wins. Aranui at the expense of the favoured Harewood. Results: Cranmer 2, Carlton 1. Digbys 2. Burnside 2. Rawhiti 2, University 1. Aranui 3, Harewood 2. Points: Aranui, Cranmer and Rawhiti 2; Burnside, Carlton and University 1J; Harewood 1: Dlgbys J. Fine goat-keeping Although Harewood took the initiative early, and held a territorial advantage for much of

■ the game. Aranui triumphed with r the decisive goal being scored i just before full-time. t Aranui owed a great deal to 1 its goalie, M. Woodhouse, who / repulsed a number of Harewood r attacks, but the winner was also 1 well served by improved teamj work betwen the forwards, And f there was good support from the right half. A. Closey. The best of the Harewood players were the backs, L. Sutherland and K. Gilray. Harewood was the early leader. S. Howell (right wing) crashing in a stinging shot, but the Aranui inside left, M. Coull, eoualised with a penalty flick before i half-time. 1 Aranui took the lead for- the ; first time when the centre forward. S. Cowles, scored from a penalty comer, and although Harewood equalised, through its ■ centre forward, B. Turbott. after . a period of steady pressure, I Coull had the last say with her second penalty flick. Comfortable win Rawhiti was slow to settle down, and University dictated olay in the early stages. But Rawhiti then started to put its long-passing game into effect and results followed quickly. R. Carroll, the centre forward, scored the first goal, after a cross from the right, and the second goal, to the inside left. C. Butts. ■ followed quickly. Rawhiti controlled most of the second half, splitting the Univer--1 sity defence with accurate long passes, but several shots went wide or were stopped by the University goalie, S. Waddell. Surprisingly, University scored the only foal of the second half by D. Fiddes (centre forward) from a penalty late in the game. J. Wright played particularly well for Rawhiti at right back. Fine team-work Cranmer made no mistake about its surprise victory, combining well and with its attacking movements flowing and beautifully executed. Although the first auarter-houris play was scrappy, the game soon improved and S. Pryor, the Cranmer centre forward, had her team leading 1-0 at half-time. The lead was increased when the right wing. S. Moch. broke away, centred, and the inside left. E. Somers, picked up the cross in the air and batted it Into the goal. Carlton’s inside left, S. Haig, narrowed the gap, but it was then too late. Had Carlton’s forwards united as their opponents did. the game could well have gone very differently. Lost chances Digbys had more scoring chances than Bumside, and had some of the high shots which beat , the goalie been allowed, would surely have won. But Bumside . also had its chances and often . Dlgbys relied very heavily on D. , McKinnel on defence. : The inside lefts scored the first goals—S. Keddell, from a penalty, i for Dl’by. and J. Marks for f Burnside. Digbys went ahead . again when its centre forward. ■ M. Darch. scored but Burnside drew level again through the > inside right. H. Denny. i The Digbys inside right. C. i Thom, played particularly well, i and S Lynn, the Bumside centre > half, distributed the ball well.