Late sport Water polo series won by Pegasus

Press, 17 January 1979, Page 6

Late sport Water polo series won by Pegasus

By

RAY CAIRNS

Pegasus appears, with few reservations, the country’s premier women’s water polo club side. It virtually ‘‘sewed : up” the championship, decided over three tournaments, with victory in the 'second leg at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday. ; That second straight victory — the first was in Wellington during Labour weekend — almost makes the j third and final leg a formality. At Whakatane in March, jPegasus would need to be as How as third, and Newi market first, for the two to • even share the title. In its unbeaten tournaiment, Pegasus beat at different times Newmarket A. Maj ranui. North Beach and Whakatane. the clubs which finished immediately below it in the tournament. But yet again, its strongest opposition came from the veteran Newmarket A side. The match looked to be headed for an anti-climax when Pegasus went confidently out to a 4-1 first quarter lead, but the great fighting qualities of Newmarket, and its calmness borne of long experience, brought it dramatically to a mere 5-4 deficit at half-time. It was even 5-all briefly in •the third quarter, but Pegasus got out to 6-5 and there it stayed in the final quarter. Linda Clarke scored four of the goals, underlying just I how she was missed when I she was under suspension for Monday’s games — after being sent out for brutality on Sunday — and each of her goals came from man-up situations. Present points in the championship are:— Pegasus A 40, Newmarket A 38, Maranui 36, Beckemham 32, Pegasus B 30, Upper Hutt 27, Newmarket

,B 25. Hurt 23j, Wharenui 221, Newmarket D 19. North Beach 17. Whakatane 16. -Wanganui East 13, Newimarket C 9 Detailed results:— SEMI-FINALS HUTT 6 (P. .lames 2. K. ! Duffv 2. A. Devereux. .1 Inglis). NEWMARKET B 4 •(J. Woltf 2, R. Doble, R. Harford). WHARENUI 9 (J. Murdock 4. P. Sparks 3, P. Tayilor, A. Carter), NEWMARKET D 1 (D. Low). BECKENHAM 7 (J. Harding 4. J. Beaumont 2. N. Sykes), UPPER HUTT 3 (A Jackson 3). WHAKATANE 4 (Y. Baart 3, D. Reid). PEGASUS B 1 (L. Sharpies). NEWMARKET A 5 (A. Carter 3, T. Grooby, B. | Griffith). MARANUI 1 (M. Barrell). PEGASUS A 4 (L Jones 2. |C. Coutter. J. Sharpies), NORTH BEACH 1 (D. Suitings). FINALS Eleventh place.— NEWMARKET B 10 (Harford 5. C. Harker 2. Wolff, Doble, T. Sandoy), NEWMARKET D 1 (S. Atkins). Ninth place.— WHARENUI 2 (Sparkes. Carter). HUTT 2 (R. Logan 2). I Seventh place.— PEGASUS B 4 (M. Alexandra 2, Sharpies. R. Barry), UPPER HUTT 2 (S. Criddle, Jackson). Fifth place.— WHAKATANE 6 (Baart. Reid, .1. Gaunter, K. McKay. D. Scott), BECKENHAM 5 (Harding 4. J. Sunbeam). Third place.— MARANUI 5 (J. Barker 2, R. Gibson 2, Barrell), NORTH BEACH 4 !(W. Anink, Sul lings, L. Cormack, own goal). First place. —PEGASUS A 6 (L. Clarke 4, Coulter, Sharpies). NEWMARKET A 5 (Carter 2, Griffith 2, Grooby).