Hockey clean sweep likely

Press, 22 September 1978, Page 24

Hockey clean sweep likely

By

KEVIN TUTTY

University, with the Championship Shield already in its trophy cabinet for the twelfth successive year, should add the Athol McCrorie Trophy in the final of the secondary 'men’s hockey competition at Porritt Oval tomorrow.

University was unchallenged to win the Championship Shield and it is difficult to see High School Old Boys beating it tomorrow, in spite of the fact it is the only side to beat University this season.

The secondary competition was introduced this year to give players games in the two weeks that the representative team was at the national championship. In previous years teams

have shown little interest in playing after the national tournament, but this year the secondary competition has attracted more interest than the Championship Shield which was won by nine points.

The secondary competitin has seen the emergence of Pegasus as a talented young side capable of matching the top teams, and Harewood and Woolston Working

Men’s Club, which finished well down the table in the Championship Shield, have improved in the competition. The fact that University, for the first time in a decade, has only one player in a New Zealand team, is not likely to change the odds on its winning. It still has five players who have been in New Zealand teams

within the last three years. Old Boys have one player, Jeff Gibson, in the New Zealand team, and his duel with Selwyn Maister for control of the midfield area should be one of the features of the match. Maister has been the regular New Zealand centrehalf for 10 years, and it is likely Gibson will assume sis role in the International Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan next month. Should Gibson win the battle it will take much greater control and cohesion from the Old Boys forwards than they have shown in most games this season for them to beat University.

Gibson, with Rob Smith and Chris Tye, two cool and mobile defenders, and the quick goal-keeper, Graeme

Sligo, will carry the burden of the Old Boys rear-guard. To try and control the University inside forward trio of " John Christensen, Barry Maister and Chris Maister is an unenviable task at any time. But considering the sparkling form of Christensen at the national championships three weeks ago, and Barry Maister at the New Zealand trials last week, it could almost be futile. Old Boys’ best chances of scoring goals lies in its ability to penetrate the extremely sound University half-line Paul Ackerley, Selwyn Maister and Greg Pierce. If it can do that fastbreaking forwards like Gerald Ross, Larry Burrowes and Rob Ebert might be able to find a route to the circle.