Lack-lustre hockey win to Canty

Press, 21 August 1978, Page 3

Lack-lustre hockey win to Canty

By

KEVIN TUTTY

I Canterbury s final rehear)sal for the national hockey j tournament, starting in Masj terton next Sunday, was an I unconvincing 4-0 win i against Ashburton at Ash--Iburton yesterday. j It was not the full Canteri bury team — George Carsnoutsos and Mark Burtt I were out with injuries and | Barry Maister played only one half — but Canterbury did not dominate to the extent it is capable. Ashburton; to its credit, played well, marking closely and harassing the Canterbury forwards and halves into a number of errors. But there were many unforced trapping errors from Canterbury, which must have caused the coach, Cyril Walter, some anguish. Admittedly the ground was unpredictable, but Ashpurton trapped without too ! much difficulty and the greatest fault of the Canterbury players appeared to be >a lack of concentration and ( their general play looked leti hargic. ■ The first-half was score- | less. Although Canterbury dominated possession it came close to scoring on only a couple of occasions. Neil Edmundson scored | the first goal two minutes I into the second-half when he: followed the ball to the) goal-keeper’s pads, but it! was another 18 minutes be-) fore the next goal came, \ also from Edmundson. Selwyn -Maister, the key ito Canterbury’s attacks at centre-half, received close attention throughout the game, as did John Christensen, the inside-right, and they were often confronted by two players the instant they received the ball. Christensen, did find space at times and used it well to set up the right-wing, Edmundson, in the first-half ‘ and Roydon Agent in the second. It was through the right-flank in the last 15 minutes that Canterbury made its best attacks as the Ashburton defence began to tire. But throughout, the lefthalf and Ashburton captain, I Brace Rickard and the leftback, Maurice Bonnington, j played thoughtfully, not allowing themselves to be ’ committed to tackles against! the skilful stickwork of the)* Canterbury players. Edmundson’s second goal!] came after a loose ball was) < not cleared. Minutes later an( t Ashburton defender stopped!;

a shot at goal with his foot, but Selwyn Maister’s penal-ty-stroke, hard and low to the left was superbly covered by the goal-keeper, Graeme Salton. That was the start of a hectic final 10 minutes for the Ashburton defence. Three minutes later John Christensen scored with a chest high shot from a pen-alty-corner, and then Barry Maister hit a goal-post with another. Edmundson scored his third of the afternoon, two minutes from the end when he pounced one another partly cleared shot. The Canterbury full-backs,j Geoff Gibson and Tony Ineson did not receive much work and that probably prompted Ineson to attempt a couple of dribbles that led nowhere. Alan Chesney made a couple of similar attempts to take over the role of the right-wing, also without success. Bruce McLean received few chances on the left-wing for Canterbury but made good use of what he had, and Edmundson, particularly at centre-forward in the sec-ond-half, was the sharpest) Canterbury forward. The Ashburton forwards) made some promising at-) tacks but they fell down) through lack of support and) against the strong coverl defence of Canterbury. How-) ever they showed they have) the ability and fitness to do well in the Rothmans Cup (second section) at the national tournament. In an early game Canterbury' B beat Ashburton B 100. The Ashburton team was a makeshift one, organised on the withdrawal of North Otago. It lacked the skill and fitness of Canterbury, reinforced by Barry Maister, Paul Ackerley, Agent, Rodger McHarg, Bhikhu Bhana and Chris Maister. At half-time the score was 4-0 and in the second-half Canterbury ran the Ashburton side into the ground The outstanding player however was the Ashburton , goal-keeper, Lawrence Rattray. He blocked and cleared i probably twice as many! shots as passed him. He was): besieged for the entire game! but his aggressive and mo-1 bile play was an inspiration I io his team-mates. Canterbury’s goals were scored by Barry Maister (3), 1 Chris Maister (2), Darryl Si.tall (2), Ackerley, Agent I and Richard Munt. j