University too good for Old Boys

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33918, 11 August 1975, Page 11

University too good for Old Boys

With four teams vying for places in the top six of th Trans Tours senior men’s hockey preliminary championshir the stage is set for an enthralling final round next Saturday.

Four teams—University, which has already won the preliminary championship. Linwood United, High School Old Boys, and Redcliffs—are assured of places in the top six for the Trans Tours 100. the main championship to be played later this month and next month.

Woolston Working Men's Club. Selwyn-Hillmorton, Harewood-Burnside and Hagley Old Boys will be the teams fighting to fill the last two places in the Trans Tours 400 next Saturday.

Hagley and Selwyn will meet in one vital game next week, and the others will be between Harewood and Redcliffs and Woolston and Linwood.

The two points that were deducted from Selwyn and Hagley for failure to return result” cards are going to prove vital.

On Saturday University beat High School Old Boys in the main match. It was a dour struggle and the result was a fair indication of the merits of the teams. Hagley and Harewmod both kept themselves, in the running for the Trans Tours 400 by drawing their match at Cottesmore College, 1-all. Woolston took a muchI needed point off Redcliffs when the teams drew 2-all, 'and in the fourth game Sei|wyn gained its first win of the second round when it beat Sydenham 3-0. Selwyn has been disappointing in the second round losing four of its seven games. It lost only two in the first round. Results and scorers were:— University 1 (Arthur Borren), High School Old Boys 0. Redcliffs 2 (A. ineson, B. Beaumont), Woolston Working Men's Club 2 (R. Agent, G. Chalklen).

Selwyn-Hlllmorton 3 (Khana 1, P. Hayde), SydenhamCashmere 0. Hagley Old Boys 1 (I. Thomson), Harewood-Burnside 1 (D. Stanton).

CLOSE-MARKING GAME University and Old Boys: started at a furious pace, hut. with botli sides making more errors than they should have, the pace soon slowed. The marking became closer and the closedribbling University forwards often found their paths blocked bv sticks and bodies. The stop-at-all-cost tactics, including dive tackling, by somel of the Old Boys defenders, threatened to end in flare-ups,' but the umpires controlled playi well. Ross Bailey (Old Boys) was given a five minute spell behind his net near full-time. The half-time score was nil-all but University had missed a penaltv-stroke. Selwyn Maister I pushed a penalty-stroke along the ground to the left of Dave Stuthrldge in the Old Boys goal. Stuthridge shot out his left foot and made a fine save. Stuthrldge was mainly responsible for keeping University’s score to one goal. He made a number of fine saves. Old Bovs missed a chance tr level the score, however, It minutes from full time when it

I was awarded a penaltv*tioke Gary Marshall pushed the ball I high over Rodgct Mi Harn’s Jett 1 shoulder. Thur Borren covered a tremendous amount of ground baek i tackling and linking in the iUniversitx forward line, and in the halves Paul Ackerley was astute with his passing and tackling. Geoff Gibson <Old Boys) played an excellent game at centre-half. Ills tackling and : clearing on (foep defenct w«m particularly commendable. Gar\ Marshall and Maurice Kidd added much to a strong defence LACK-LUSTRE GAME The Harewood-Hagley game was vital to both teams and their chances of making the top six for the Trans Tours 400. but ■ anyone not knowing that fact could have mistaken it just for another scrapping senior game Neither team looked interested in the result until the last 10 minutes, and for most of the match appeared intent on s arguing among themselves and with the umpires rather than playing hockey. As one spectator remarked after the match: “There should be no shortage of umpires in : Canterbury. There was plenty of advice from the players. ’’ Each side scored in the first I half from pen alt >-corners — Don Stanton for Harewood and han Thomson for Hagley but neither side looked like adding to that in the second-half although each had several penalty-corners and corners. Both centre-halves. Alan iChesney (Harewoodi and Andrew (Cook (Hagley), played intelligently, tackling safely on defence and distributing the ball with good variation to the forwards. Both defences were stacked and cancelled the opposing forwards out of the game. Don Stanton and lan Hill made sporadic breaks for Harewood. and Ivan Thomson and Athol Forrest did the same for Hagley, but they were quickly stifled. WOOLSTON RALLIES Redcliffs lacked the control and penetration it had shown in recent matches, but the point it allowed Woolston was a vital one and takes it a step closer to the top six. Both sides took a considerable time to settle down and neither was under much pressure in the early stages. Woolston swept into the Redcliffs circle about mid way through the half and was awarded a penalty-stroke, which Roy don Agent converted Redcliffs put more purpose into its play and soon after the interval the Redcliffs captain, Tony Ineson equalised with a penaltystroke. Further pressure was put on the Woolston defence and the Woolston goal-keeper. Geoff Copsey, and full-back, Tom Brennan, were prominent with outstanding defence work Red cliffs however, eventually took the lead, Brendan Beaumont scoring a field goal | Prompted by this setback. Woolston began to exert pres isure on Redcliffs with frequent attacks and with four minutes remaining Geoff Chalklen scooped the ball into the goal after a scramble in the circle, COMFORTABLE WIN Selwyn-Hillmorton, realising it needed two points, never allowed Sydenham-Cashmere a chance to challenge seriously for the lead. Sewyn varied its attacks well with Mark Burtt and David Clements both dribbling eiusively. and being well supported by the other forwards. But it could ’ not score from a field goal. It forced several penalty-corners, and from one of these Khana scored. In the second half the pattern of play was similar, and still Selwyn could not scofe from

held piav It* remaining goals iame from a secmii. penalty-corner b\ khana and «. penalty stroke b* Patrick Ha\de Sclw'u’s halves, w ell led b' Ton\ Jur\ at centre-half, formed ;• strong line of tirM defence nlm h was seldom broken b\ the Sxdcnhain forwards, and when it wa*. Yogi Veiiuppallai and Khana allowed them tu progre** no further Sxdrnham concentrated too much on it* right hand side and although Da\ id Kiruan at Ost wa* able to make pi ogre** the Seluxn defence sixin nullified hi« play Ross Ambler and Marty Fitzsimmons tn the >Vdenham defence both showed improvement on recent form

The points table is:— A Pts P W D L F University 16 15 0 1 58 15 Linwood 15 9 .3 3 21 13 21 ' H.S.O.B. 15 8 4 0 22 12 18 Redcliffs 15 4 6 n 24 31 14 Woolston 15 4 4 7 15 26 12 Selwyn 15 3 6 6 15 17 10 Harewood 15 2 6 7 9 15 10 Hagiey 15 .3 5 7 21 31 9 Sydenham 15 2 2 11 11 36 6