WATER POLO Beckenham champion again

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34048, 12 January 1976, Page 7

WATER POLO Beckenham champion again

After yet another, titanic struggle. Becken-ham-Sock burn yesterday at Queen Elizabeth II Park won the Trans Tours national club water polo championship and with it the Ryan t up for the third successive year.

It was not a day, nor a tournament, for weak nerves. The mere fact that four teams —Maranui, Hutt (both Wellington), Wharenui IChristchurch) and Kaikorai (Dunedin) — should share second place bears more than adequate testament to the closeness and evenness of the tournament that is now probably the premier water polo occasion of the year. Maranui. the team which went into what was virtually the lead by the final against Beckenham-Sockbum as the only team which could topple the champion, gave a magnificient performance, racing to a 2-0 lead in the final quarter and remaining two goals in front at halftime. Another team might have wilted—just as Beckenham-Sockbum. in fact, had done when well down against Wharenui—but the champions were made of stern stuff. By sheer guts, strong will and force of personality, BeckenhamSockbum played its way back into the game and drew level at 4-all with just less than a minute remaining, when its captain, Bryan Mustchin, placed the ball perfectly into the net.

But alt the action was still to eome in the final 57sec. Maranui was awarded a penalty but Spoor’s shot was saved by Murray Davie.

To Beckenham-Sockburn’s chagrin, however, Davie was ruled to have pushed off the back wall and Spoor made no mistake at his second attempt. Becken-ham-Sockbum had not finished, however. They stormed back and won a penalty, and Mark Harding brought his team level with 27sec to go. And Becken-ham-Sockbum even won possession and Harding was having another big shot when the final hooter sounded.

What a fine and uniform standard of performance there was throughout the three days. Only Victoria University did not win a game; only it could be considered anything like an easyopponent, and even it was sometimes difficult.

North Shore and Avondale, the; Auckland clubs which finished just above it in the table, were worrisome opponents, particularly North Shore, as Wharenui found out yesterday morning in the first game. Even after its loss on Saturday evening to Kaikorai, at the end of a tiring day. Wharenui was still very much a championship contender. Partly because it made the mistake of not fielding its top line-up from the start, partly because it was too lethargic. Wharenui never got on top of its game until the last quarter, and then it was too late.

First thing on Saturday morning. Wharenui had provided the tournament’s greatest upset when it roundly' beat Becken-ham-Sockburn, 8-6. Though the score appeared close, there w’as only ever one team in it. Wharenui cruised to a 3-0 quartertime lead, and to 5-2 at halftime. But it really put the seal on victory in the third quarter by bolting away to an 8-3 advantage and Beckenham-Sock-burn’s final flutter never looked like bringing it close enough. Then Kaikorai went out *and drew with Maranui and the 1973 champion, runner-up in each of the subsequent years, did its chances no good at all by being held to a draw by Avondale also.

So the toosy-turvv results w«*nt on: Maranui beating Hutt, Kaikorai easily overwhelming Avondale, Hutt beating Kaikorai just as easily, and Beckenham-Sock-bum being pushed to the limit by Avondale, especially the Tuoro brothers. Because of the wav they were drawing with and beating each other, it seemed only justice that Wharenui, Hutt, Kaikorai and Maranui should share the

runner-up prize. But in the final analysis, it was Wharenui that should have been second alone, and even involved in a play-off for first. Those two games dropped in the final third of the tournament, and particularly that against North Shore, will certainly haunt that fine young team for some nights to come. Results and scorers:— Hutt 7 (G. L. Schuster 4. W. E. Martlew, G. F. Duffy, R. P. Bol), Avondale 4 (P, S. Tuoro 2. N. McLeod 2). Wharenui 8 (T. M. B. McGirr 2, P. R. Tweedie 2. R. A. Clark 2. G. W. Campbell, M. J. Lewis), Beckenham-Sockburn 6 (M. A. Harding 3, B. M. Mustchin, D. J. W. Reid, J. A. Symon).

Kaikorai 7 (R. E. McConnochie 3. J. Loutit. M .J. Craig, .J. Brown,) Maranaui 7 (D. H Spoor 4, K. A. Mark 2, G. McArdle). North Shore 14 (B, Henman 7, P. Mulligan 3. R. Bell 2, H. R. Pollock, W. Linn), Victoria University 11 (B. J. Britten 4. W. Dewe 3. A. Gibson. K. Moriarty, G. B. Stephens, R. Walker) Maranui 9 (Spoor 5, C. L. Ashley 2, A. J. Fogel, R. M. Paterson), Hutt 7 (P. O’Reilly 2, 80l 2, Schuster, G. McDonald. Martley).

Kaikorai 12 (McConnochie S, Craig 2, T. Loutit 2, J. Conrov, S. McLaughian. J. Loutit), Avondale 6 (P. Tuoro 3, McLeod, G. A. Knights, C. H. Tuoro).

Wharenui 12 'Tweedie 5, Campbell 2, Clark 2, D. J. Ferigo, C. I. Lewis, S. J. Wakefield), Victoria University 5 (Moriarty 2, Stephens 2, Britten). Beckenham-Sockbum 14 (Mustchin 4, Reid 4, M. Harding 2, J. F. Laugesen 2, Symon, P. Walls), North Shore 7 (Henman 3, Pollock 2, Bell. Mulligan). Avondale 9 (P. Tuoro 6, McLeod 2. C. F. Banner-Martin), Maranui 9 (Ashley' 3, Fogel 2, Spoor 2, P. W. Dyson 2). Kaikorai 11 (Craig 4, McConnochie 4. Conroy 2. T. Loutit), Wharenui 7 (Tweedie 3, Clark 3, Campbell). North Shore 7 (Bell 3. Henman 2. K. D. Stoneman, Mulligan), Wharenui 6 (Clark 4, Tweedie 2). Hutt 10 (80l 4, Martlew 2, Duffy 2, Schuster, O’Reilly), Kaikorai 6 (Conrov 2. McConnochie 2, Craig, T. Loutit). Maranui 9 (Paterson 4, Dyson 2, Fogel. Ashley, Spoor), Victoria University 2 (J. Manning, Britten).

Beckenham-Sockburn 13 (M. Harding 6, Reid 3. Mustchin 3, K. J. Baker), Avondale 10 (P.

Tuoro 5, C. Tuoro 4, BannerMartin). Kaikorai 12 (Conroy 5, McConnochie 3, Craig 2, Brown, B. Lichter), North Shore 7 (Henman 3. Bell 2, Mulligan, Pollock). Wharenui 7 (Clark 3, Campbell 2, M. Lewis, M. J. Trembath), Hutt 7 (Schuster 4, R. M. S. Johnston 2, Martlew’). Avondale 13 (C. Tuoro 4, Banner-Martin 3, B. Hopkins 3, P. Tuoro 2, R. Bremner), Victoria University 4 (Britten 2, Stephens, Walker). Beckenham-Sockburn 5 (Reid 2, Mustchin 2, Harding) Maranui 5 (Spoor 3, Mark, Paterson).