Chch in line for cup final

Press, 5 August 1976, Page 30

Chch in line for cup final

Christchurch will be host to the Lion Chatham Cup soccer final if either one, or both, of the local sides survive the semi-finals the weekend after next, the New Zealand Football Association has decided. Trans Tours United meets Blockhouse Bay at Auckland and New Brighton meets Eastern Suburbs at Christchurch, retaining the possibility of an all Christchurch final. If that is the case, or if either local side reaches the final, it will be held at Queen Elizabeth II Park on Saturday, September 4, or possibly September 5. If it is between two Auckland sides it will be at Auckland. Trans Tours United will meet Blockhouse Bay on two consecutive. days. — in. the cup on Saturday, August 14, and in the Rothmans League at Auckland, on Sunday, August 15. According to Mr Ron Kelly, chairman of the New Zealand Football Association, this is probably not the first time a side has played two days in a row — Gisborne may have done it two years ago — but it will be the first time it has involved the same two sides.

Gisborne and Stop Out met in the cup, then each side met other sides who had also played the day before to keep it fair, he said, emphasising that he was speaking from memory.

The arrangement represents a huge financial saving for United, because the N.Z.F.A. will pay the team’s fares to and from Auckland and accommodation for Friday night, as it going to a cup match, leaving only the bill for Saturday’s accommodation.

The club’s chairman (Mr F. J. H. Haydon) said the club was happy about the idea, which would save about $BOO. “Neither we nor Blockhouse is in a title-chasing

position, and it would be futile to chase something that is not there. Something has to be done to get these matches played, and I can’t really see any other way,” he said. The amended fixture list until the end of the season is.— Saturday, August 7: Mt Wellington v. New Brighton. Sunday, August 8: North Shore v. Trans Tours United, Gisborne City v. Eastern Suburbs, Stop Out v. Caversham. Saturday, August 14: Cup semifinals. Sunday, August 15: Blockhouse Bay v. Trans Tours United, Gisborne City v. Stop Out. Wednesday, August 18: North Shore v. Eastern Suburbs, W.D.U. v. North Shore. Saturday, August 21: Blockhouse Bay V. Stop Out. Sunday, August 22: Eastern Suburbs v. New Brighton, W.D.U. v. Mt Wellington, Trans Tours United v. Gisborne City, Caversham- v; North Shore. Wednesday. August 25: Trans Tours United v. New Brighton, Mt Wellington v. Eastern Suburbs. Sunday, August 29: Eastern Suburbs v. Stop Out, Gisborne City v. Mt WeUington, Caversham v. Trans Tours United, New Brighton v. W.D.U. Tuesday, August 31: Stop Out v. W.D.U., Mt Wellington v. Blockhouse Bay. Tuesday, September 7: North Shore v. Blockhouse Bay. Tuesday, September 14: New Brighton v. Gisborne City. Sunday, September 19: Stop Out v. Gisborne City,. Blockhouse Bay v. Caversham. The following games depend on the result of the cup semifinals and should the team involved lose It will be played on the second of the alternative dates. Wednesday, August 18, or Sunday, September 5: New Brighton v. Mt WeUington, Stop Out v. Trans Tours United. Sunday, September 12, or Sunday, September 5: Blockhouse Bay v. Caversham.

Chess.— The organisers of the Bienne, Switzerland, inter-zonal chess tournament have said they had no knowledge of a meeting In Bienne this month between the former world champion, Bobby Fischer, and the titleholder, Anatoly Karpov. Reports from Amsterdam quoting the president of the International Chess Federation said the two agreed in principle to play an exhibition match and would meet In Bienne to work out the details.