One hockey match a puzzle

Press, 11 June 1977, Page 56

One hockey match a puzzle

By

KEVIN TUTTY

At least three, and probably four Christchurch teams- will remain in the Philips Cup national club hockey knockout competition when second-round games are completed tomorrow.

Six of the seven Christchurch teams still in the §lO,OOO competition will meet at the Polo grounds on South Hagley Park tomorrow afternoon. The 'seventh Sydenham-Cashmere, will meet Oamaru, at Oamaru, today.

At Hagley Park University will play Linwood United, Redcliffs will meet Woolston Working Men’s Club, and Harewood-Burnside will play High School Old Boys. University, Redcliffs and Sydenham can be confidently expected to win their games, but the result of the Hare-wood-Old Boys encounter cannot be predicted with any certainty. These two teams have met twice in club play this season, and both times Old Boys have won by a single goal. On the second occasion two weeks ago, the win was achieved in the last 30 seconds from a penaltycomer.

Both sides have strong defences and forwards with a good level of individual skill, but not always able to use it to form a cohesive attacking unit. Alan Chesney (Harewood) and Geoff Gibson (Old Boys) are both fine centre halves and if either can gain supremacy in the mid-field area, then his side should win.

Old Boys have a young forward line, including two Canterbury colts, Geoff Deakins and Doug Fitzgerald, who in the last few weeks have started to strike an efficient combination. Harewood’s forwards too are youthful, and the team is fortunate that lan Hill, the inside right, is able to play. He was ordered from the field in a Philips Cup match at Ashburton two weeks ago, and was given a reprimand by the Canterbury Hockey Association this week. Linwood will be hard pressed to beat University even though it is a well balanced team with several outstanding players. With forwards of the calibre of Darryl Small, Balvant Bhana and Tim Trevena Brown, Linwood has goal scoring potential but the big factor in any upset will be the work rate of the Linwood forwards and halves. The University side has a tremendous work rate, especially among the forwards,

and if Linwood can match this by back tackling the University forwards then it will improve its winning chance.

Sydenham - Cashmere has achieved much this season after being among the lower teams in the senior competition last season. Dedication and determination have paid dividends, and providing it does not strike University in the third round, Sydenham should make the quarterfinals.

It is not always the superior team, but an ability to capitalise on the slightest scoring chance in the circle has put it in the second round. In its first-round match, Selwyn-Hillmorton was territorially superior but could not score. Woolston has not won a game in the Christchurch competition this season. Its first win was two weeks ago against Kiwi of Blenheim, in the first round of the Philips Cup. Tom Brennan, the Wool-

ston coach, says the team has had a taste of victory and is now determined to sample it a second time — in its second-round match against Redcliffs tomorrow. That will not be easy. Redcliffs has a sound side but its forwards, although competent, have not had a [high rate of success with shots at goal. If they can force penalty-corners they (probably have a match win|ner in Tony Ineson, the |centre half and New Zealand icaptain.