Hockey leader has to fight for win

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33912, 4 August 1975, Page 11

Hockey leader has to fight for win

University won the Trans l ours men's hockey prcliminar championship on Saturday in a day of topsy-turxy results

! Redcliffs upset the second-placed Linwood United side, by beating it 3-0. Redcliffs has shown much potential during the season but it has seldom displayed its talents fully until Saturday. University is now in an unassailable position, five points ahead of Linwood with onlyone game to play. But the (champion side had to fight for its win on Saturday against a determined SelwynHillmorton side which is fighting for points to put it in the top six teams for the Trans Tours 400. The main interest over the final two weeks will be in the battle for the sixth position on the points table. At present, Harewood-Bumside, which beat Sydenham-Cash-mere on Saturday, holds that place, but it is only one point ahead of Hagley Old Boys and Selwyn. Woolston Working Men’s Club took a vital point on Saturday when it drew 3-all with Hagley, but it has two hard games in the last two weeks and its fifth placing could still slip from it. Results were: University 2, Selwyn-Hillmor-ton 1. Redcliffs 3, Linwood United 0. Woolston Working Men’s Club 3, Hagley Old Boys 3. I Harewood-Bumside 2, Syden-ham-Cashmere 1. The points table is: P W D L F A Pts

LETHARGIC LEADER University did not show its usual dominance against SelwynHUlmorton. It had more than half the possession but the for. wards seemed to lack an interest in scoring goals. Thur Borren scored after 20 minutes from a goal-mouth mee le, but it was not until seven minutes from full-time that Chris Maister put University ahead from a penalty-corner. Selwyn mounted several vigorous attacks from the start of the second-half and after five minutes Rob McGregor swooped on a loose ball in the circle and pushed it through several scrambling defenders. Realising it was in danger of drawing, or perhaps losing. University put more effort into its game and won several penaltycorners. It. was the last of these from which Chris Maister scored. The Selwyn goal-keeper, Stan Harvey, had much to do keeping the University forwards at bay. He made many superb saves. Probably the easiest was a penalty-stroke early in the first half which Selwyn Maister pushed straight to him. The backs, Yogi Velluppallai and Khana tackled and covered ex-, tremely well. The passing of the Selwyn halves was more accurate | than usual producing more at-| tacks. Mark Burtt and McGregor; dribbled well in the attacks. The University halves andi backs made more errors than usual, with trapping and passing; in particular, suffering. DISPUTED GOAL A draw between Woolston and Hagley was a fair result, although several Hagley players Brotested bitterly at the aw-ard-ig of the penalty-stroke which gave Woolston its third goal. It

, was unfortunate too. that they continued their unsportsmanlike conduct after the final whistle. r The penalty-stroke resulted > from a shot at xoul by Tom Bren ; nan from a penalty-comer. The ball was stopped near the goal*: I line by a Hagley defender's foot, ibut they protested it was going ■outside the goal. Indeed it w.i> ; very close, but any protests i Should have ended then. ■ The teams scored goal for goal, with first Hagley taking the lead and Woolston equalising. After Woolston scored its third goal it /applied severe pressure to the; . Hagley defence and came close 1 to scoring several times. But 1 calm defence by the goalkeeper, Paul Wayman, Keith ’ Thomson. Peter Cox and Andrew Cook kept the Korea level Don Knight and Roydon Agent ; plaved forcefully for Woolston' and got good support from the other forwards, and behind them ! the halves varied their passes well to set up attacks. Geoff Copsey in goal made a number of : fine saves. Athol Forrest and i Jeff Bailey dribbled well in the . Hagley forwards but the front line lacked its usual cohesion. SECOND WIN • Harewood-Bumside scored only • Its second win of the season and increased the number of goals ’ it had scored in its 13 previous matches by a third. Its two goals i on Saturday gave it eight goals in 14 games. It has conceded only 14 — an average of one a game. Harewood is struggling to make the top six. but with so ' few goals against it it should be in a much more comfortable position. It has talented forwards» but they lack the ability to move in confined spaces. On Saturday they were given considerable latitude by Sydenham and J received a lot of penalty-corners, but the lack of a strong hitter .Prevented it from benefiting from them. Alan Chesney controlled plav 'well at centre-half for Harewood • and gave close support to his forwards on attack. Don Stanton; iwas elusive in the Harewood forward line. Alan Kirwan worked doggedly in the Sydenham defence with success, but the halves committed themselves to tackles too early and were often beaten. David Kirwan on the right-wing was the most dangerous Syden- , ham forward. LINWOOD LACK PURPOSE i The score of 3-0 against Lin- . wood was slightly flattering for . Redcliffs. Play, particularly in the first-half was even, but after I

the first goal, scored b% Richard Munt, Linwood's enthusiasm seemed to slump I The second goal, a penaltystroke, took the wind completely ■ out of I.inwood's sails It uka awarded at the top of the cii< Id and the Linwood players had reason to look dismayed . Tony Inesnn. uho scored RcdIcliffs second and third goal* • dominated the mid-field, backing up the other defenders and pro Riding strong support tor his forwards on attack Barry Spiers was the most elusive forward and combined well with the other [members of the attack Linwood's attacks were verv spasmodic and were mainly by !individuals. Has Dullabh and Pai 'sot Bhana both dribbled stronglv but were well covered when they got close to the circle In the ‘defence. John Whitford and Kanfi Bhudia. the Linwood lullbacks, plaved very soundlx seldom makinr errors Balvant Bhana missed a chance to score for Linwood when he failed to convert a penalty-stroke late in the game

Univ. 15 14 0 1 57 15 26 i-iUWOOd 15 9 3 3 21 13 21 H.S.O.B. 14 8 4 2 22 11 18 Redcliffs 14 4 5 5 22 29 13 Wools. 14 4 3 7 13 24 11 Hrwd 14 2 5 7 8 14 9 Selwyn 14 2 6 6 12 17 8 Hagley 14 3 4 7 20 30 8 ayaen. 14 2 2 10 11 33 6