Auckland too strong for Canterbury in national hockey

Press, 29 August 1977, Page 3

Auckland too strong for Canterbury in national hockey

From

KEVIN TITTY,

, in Wanganui

The strength of Auckland I again proved too great a ] barrier for Canterbury to I overcome in the Challenge i Shield final at the Rothmans | national hockey tcfurnament ion Saturday. Canterbury fought trernen[dously hard to break Auckland's hold on the shield, which it won for the fourth successive year, but a pen-alty-stroke by Ramesh Patel 27 minutes into the first half ruined its chances.

The Canterbury team was disappointed it did not at least draw and it had cause for despondency. In the second half it dominated play but could not penetrate the rock firm Auckland defence. Five times during the 'game Tony Ineson’s penaltyI comer shots were turned out of the goal mouth by the Auckland full-backs, Greg Dayman and Mohindra Unka. Dayman turned three shots around the goal-post, and Unka, in his final appearance for Auckland before moving to Poverty Bay, stopped two. One of Dayman’s saves was particularly lucky. The ball deflected off the pads of Maurice Marquet, the Auckland goalkeeper, and on to (the stick of a grateful Day- < man. An inch or two either |side and the ball might have! (Struck his feet, almost surely (resulting in a penalty-stroke.] Patel’s goal from a pen-] alty-stroke was the result of lone of the few Auckland at-! stacks that caught the! | Canterbury defence off ] guard. Arthur Parkin picked up a loose ball outside the 25-yard line and slipped a perfect pass to Patel near the top of the circle. He burst into the circle with the cover defence spreadeagled. A desperate tackle by Ineson resulted in the umpire, Mr E. Johnson, awarding the stroke. It was unfortunate Ineson made such a bad tackle. Had he allowed Patel to ran a few yards further he would ! have been over the back-

I line. As it was. Rodger [ McHarg, the Canterbury I goal-keeper, had any shot I covered. Apart from six penalty- ' corners — four in the first ihalf and two in the second I— Auckland had few other [shots at goal. Canterbury i also had few chances, its best being from the nine i penalty-corners it was awarded during the game. On its form earlier in the week Canterbury was not expected to give Auckland such strong opposition, but the final brought the best out of the side and all the key players had good games. John Christensen, who was scratching to find form,

had a superb game and on; three occasions in the first [ half almost set up goals forl Canterbury. He made incisive dribbles into the circle! that had the Auckland! defence scrambling. He received his second temporary I suspension in as many days! mid-way through the first half after a high tackle on an Auckland player. Later Mohan Patel received a suspension for a similar offence, but generally the umpires’ rulings on over-vigorous play were not]

stern enough. In the second half Canterbury spent long periods insde the Auckland half, but as the half wore on its mission became more futile. Dayman, Trevor Laurence anil Gorringe played extremely well in the Auckland defence and, aided hy good back-tackling from Patel and Jeff Archibald, thwarted many Canterbury attacks. Gorringe, the Auckland centre half, marked Barry Maister so closely that the Canterbury centre forward was ineffective, and if he moved out of centre field Patel and Archibald harassed him. Thur Borren made several very useful runs, using his close control effectively, and forced several penalty-cor-ners. His back-tackling was valuable and although he featured in a few movements with Barry Maister. [seldom did they look the I danger they have been in the past. The Canterbury wings, Roydon Agent on the right, until he was substituted by Balvant Bhana after 50 minutes, and Chris Maister on th' left were given no room to work by the Auckland wing halves, Laurence and Mohan Patel. Selwyn Maister, the Canterbury centre half, played with the authority expected of him, but he and the other defenders had difficulty finding gaps to! feed the forwards through — a tribute to the well-mar-

shalled Auckland defence. Although Ineson made the mistake that led to Auckland’s goal he played soundly and kep’ Canterbury’s chances alive with five minutes remaining when he dived in front of the goal to save an Auckland shot. Gary Marshall, the other full-back, made some fine tackles, and the wing halves, Alan Chesney and Paul Ackerley, fed well and controlled the Auckland wings. Rodger McHarg, in the Canterbury goal, made two good saves but had little chance of saving the pen-] alty-stroke. Ramesh Patel proved a problem for the Canterbury

defence with his brilliant dtibbling and Arthur Parkin’s similar ability at centre forward also kept the Canterbury defence on its mettle. Archibald’s greatest asset was the feeding of his fellow forwards. In the Rothmans Cup final South Canterbury had a deserved 3-0 win over Taranaki. The result was a fair

t indication of South Canter-' r bury’s dominance. Graeme „ Stanbury, from a penalty-[ s! stroke, and Evan McKerchar t-i scored the goals. 5 1 The West Coast turned on] ’its best performance of the ' I week in the India Plate sec'ltion to clinch the trophy ■(with 7-2 win against Piako non Saturday.

i Results:— INDIA PLATE Southland 4. Air Force 0; West (. oast 4. Povertx Bay U; I Army 1, Piako 0; Rotorua 3, I Marlborough 2; West Coast 7, Piako 2 ROTHMAN'S CUP ' Horowbenua 3, Ashburton 2; North Otago 4. fauranga 1, Hutt Valley I, Hamilton 0; South Canter bun 3, Taranaki 0. CHALLENGE SHIELD Manawatu 1. Otago 0; Wairarapa 4. Neison 3; Wellington 2. Northland 1; Auckland 1. Canterbury 0.