Race for runner-up in men’s hockey

Press, 18 July 1977, Page 17

Race for runner-up in men’s hockey

Interest in the senior men'shockey competition now centres: on the race for the runner-up I position. University has already. Won the preliminary championship. and. with one match remaining, is 12 points ahead of its nearest rival. Two teams, Redcliffs and Linwood United, are second-equal

with 17 points, while SelwynHillmorton and High School Old Boys are a point further back. Sydenham-Cashmere virtually assured itself of a place in the top six of the preliminary competition to play for a place in the grand final when it beat Harewood-Burnside on Saturday.

Harewood needed the win to stay in contention for a place but now, with only two games to play, it is three points behind the sixth team, Sydenham, and one of its remaining games is against University. Other games at the week-end had results as expected. Results:

Sydenham-Cashmere 1 (B. Ayson) beat Harewood-Burnside i). University 4 (C. G. Maister 3. B. J. Maister) beat High School Old Boys 1 (G. Gibson), Linwood United 2 IT. Trevena-Brown) drew with Sel-wyn-Hillmorton 2 (G. Carnoutsos, M. Burtt), University 4 (N. Edmundson 2, C. G. Maister, B. J. Maister) beat Pegasus 0, High School Old Boys 2 (R. Ebert, G. Marshall: beat Woolston Work-

A second-half improvement by University gave it a comfortable win against Old Boys at 11am yesterday. At half-time, University led by one goal, a penaltvcorner scored by Chris Maister mid-way through the half. Old Boys’ forwards made considerable progress against the University defence in this period and, if the passing had been more accurate, much more pressure would have resulted. Old Boys marked the key University players closely, especially the centre half, Selwyn Maister, and for a period the supply of ball to the forwards all but dried up. The wing halves, Paul Ackerley and Neil Coster, were used as alternatives to set up attacks. University's second goal was again a penalty-corner by Chris Maister three minutes Into the second half. Old Boys attacked, forced a long corner, and Geoff: Gibson scored with a neat shot across the goal into the right- i hand corner.

University’s third goal, midway through the half, was well. conceived. Thur Borren. in the 1 Inside-right lane, scooped a pass! over the heads of defenders! blocking a ground pass to Neil: Edmundson on the right wing. Racing through, Edmundson reached the ball in the air after:

i'the bounce. His cross hit, a foot •; off the ground, found’ Barrv ' Maister in front of the goal. He I calmly trapped and pushed the ball high into the net with the Old Boys’ defence still recovering. I Chris Maister scored the fourth goal from another penalty-corner four minutes later

Rob Ebert, Doug Fitzgerald, and Gerald Ross were the best Old Boys attacking players. Their running was decisive but, on occasions, a little fast for the irregular surface. The Old Boys full-backs, Gary Marshall and Rob Smith, were the best defenders, the halves

tending to get caught out of position in their eagerness to get the forwards on. to attack. Phil Williams, the University full-back, saved his team several times with deft tackles. Selwyn Maister’s tackling was also valuable but most of his passes in the second half ended on Old Boys sticks.

SQUANDERED CHANGES Harewood-Burnside could not turn a territorial advantage Into goals and, as the game wore on. |the prospect of its losing by a single goal increased. The inevitjablo happened lamin, from fulltime when the ball was nudged into tlie goal by Bria Ayson after a inelee. A few minutes earlier, [Alan Chesney had to make a .goal-line save. ■ In the first half, Harewood (dominated play and reached the ' Sydenliam circle regularly. It forced several penalty corners but all were wasted. Finally, a few minutes from half-time, it was awarded a penalty-stroke —- a reward for its persistent attacks. However, Wayne Seebeck’s stroke, low and to the right, was stopped by Marty Fitzsimons, who thrust out a boot in a reflex action. Harewood perhaps suffered from the introduction of Roydon Agent to the forward line. He and the other forwards lacked the necessary combination to break the Sydenham defence and most of the team’s attacks were individual efforts which were easily halted by Sydenham. Agent almost put Harewood ahead. lOinin. into the second half when he dribbled past several defenders at a long corner but his shot went across the goal, narrowly missing. / Harewood’s left back. lan Steel, played especially well. Several times when Sydenham forwards broke through, he appeared and I stormed the attacks with timely tackles. Chesney’s covering was valuable but he must have been I frustrated at the number of: passes that were wasted bv the: forwards. I ; Fitzsimons was useful as a last I line of defence for Sydenham, '--awing several times, while in! front of him the full-backs. Ross' Ambler and Bevan Hall, nlaved i

Ndeouately hut "’ere susceptible jto long through-passes which I Harewood seldom employed. | MEDIOCRE DISPLAY Selwyn and Linwood, considlered to be two promising young teems, failed to live ira to’their reputations and much of the 'hockey was scrappy.

■ There were many trapping and jpassing errors but Selwyn was: able to score when George I Carnoutsos picked up a reoouuufrom a penalty corner. Tills was the only goal in the first hall. : Selwyn, because it moved the I ball more sharply than Linwood, cooked a more dangerous side -but, from the start of the secondhalf, Tim Trevena-Brown dashed 'through the centre of the field and scored for Linwood. Trevena-Brown gave Linwood the lead with another goal, this time after following in quicklv to tile goal-keeper’s pads. Unfortunately, Linwood could not control the ball sufficiently to keep Selwyn at Bay and, within a couple of minutes. Selwyn drew level when Mark Burtt weaved past several players to score.

Both defences tightened up from tills point and the forwards seemed to lack knowledge on the best way to beat the respective defences. Too often, passes were easily intercepted. PATCHY FORM University had a patchy game against Pegasus, some of the players appearing to show- the strain of several week-ends of club and representative hockey. The fitness and experience of University was too great for Pegasus to overcome. It was down, 0-1. at half-time, and could not control the Universityforward machine in the second half as It slowly worked its way to the Pegasus circle.

The first goal was a penaltvcorner by Chris Maister. Tlie others were field goals — one by Barry Maister and two by Neil Edmundson, who played another fine game on the right wing. Pegasus made attempts to play constructive hockey. Several times it worked its wav to the University circle but failed to score. Willie Griffin, at centrehalf, was typically industrious, both on attack when supporting the forwards, and on deep defence.

The University wing-halves, Paul Ackerley and Neil Coster, had good all-round games. On defence, their tackling and trapping was sure and their passing to the forwards was usually accurate.

OLD BOYS DOMINANT Old Boys dominated their match against Woolston but could manage only two goals against a defence that played creditably in the face of numerous attacks. Brian Taylor, the Woolston [goal-keeper, was inundated with work and carried out his duties well, blocking and clearing manv shots. In front of him, the Woolston defence looked suspect to the through-pass and it had some difficulty coping with the fast, young Old Boys forwards. > . ü Bot J 01d Boys S° al s came in the first half. Rob Ebert, the right wing, scored after a good: movement and Garv Marshall ! scored the second from a penaltycorner. Woolston did Its share of attacking hut there was- little: cohesion among the forwards. Most attemnts to split the Old Bovs defence were spoilt by poor passing at a critical stage.

ing Men’s Club P W 0. D L F A Pts University 15 14 1 0 52 8 29 Linwood 14 6 5 3 23 15 17 Redcliffs 14 7 3 4 17 14 17 Selwyn 15 6 5 24 23 16 H.S.O.B. 14 7 2 5 17 17 16 Sydenham 14 6 3 5 19 18 15 Harewood 14 5 2 7 11 15 12 Pegasus 14 2 9 10 12 32 6 W.W.M.C. 14 0 0 14 7 40 0 COMFORTABLE Wih