Wharenui helps old rival

Press, 24 October 1978, Page 28

Wharenui helps old rival

From

RAY CAIRNS

at Naenae

Canterbury teams took important early steps towards winning the national interclub water polo championships at Naenae yesterday, but not in the manner they may have expected. Pegasus won the women’s section of the first phase tournament, but the final was an anti-climax after the cliffhanging semi-finals.

Newmarket, the most experienced team in the country, lost a player for brutality — Brenda Griffith, the most experienced of them all —in the first quarter, and such a fit and proficient team as Pegasus could not fail to win with this big advantage.

Meanwhile, BeckenhamSockburn won the men’s section without having a say in the outcome. It had finished its programme unbeaten, with a draw against Maranui —and a very shaky 4-1 win

against Newmarket in its final game — then had to await the outcome of the Wharenui-Maranui game. Wharenui did not fail its old Christchurch rival. Though held in the end to a 5-all draw, it took the game to its fancied opponent, and after conceding an early 1-2 deficit and marched confidently away to lead, 5-3, at three-quarter time. Maranui could not be denied, however, and battled back to draw with 79s remaining, but both teams frittered away their slim chances in the remaining time.

For Wharenui, Russell McConnochie scored four of the goals and John Koens the other, while Wayne Mills and Paul Dyson both scored twice for Maranui and Ashley Fogel once. But just as BeckenhamSockbum had struggled in

its lower strata match against Newmarket — John Davie (three) and Graham Hern scoring the goals — so Wharenui had utmost difficulty in defeating Hutt, 5-3. McConnochie (three) and Koens (two) scored the goals. Though the Beckenham women the previous night had failed to capitalise on their permanent, player-up situations —and also did not proceed with their protest— Pegasus made no such mistake. It marked tightly and well, and gave the admirable Alison Carter and Carolyn Hogan little latitude, though Hogan’s accurate long shooting did keep her team in touch for a little while. In Pegasus’s 6-2 victory, Colleen Coulter scored twice, and Jackie Sharpies, Kerry Sharpies, Linda Clark and Lynette Jones once each. Beckenham was never really in contention in the

play-off for third, except when it came back from 1-5 to 4-5 in the third quarter. Then Michelle Barrell and Joanne Barker, both internationals, took control for Maranui, and a five-goal final quarter took Maranui to an 11-4 victory.

Beckenham’s goals were scored by Jenny Harding (two), Judith Sunbeam and an own goal. New Zealand squads of 24 players were selected for each of the men’s, women’s and under 19 grades, but will not be announced for some days. All have overseas trips in the offing this season, none absolutely certain, but the women probably to Curacao, the men to Australia and North America, and the junior men to Queensland (under 18) and California (under 19).