Club water polo

Press, 24 November 1979, Page 24

Club water polo

Beckenham-Sockburn A and Wharenui extended their comfortable joint-lead still further in the sixth round of the Freshbake premier water polo competition. Those two sides had wins at the expense of their B teams, though not altogether convincingly in each case. Wharenui A certainly beat its B team, 15-2, with far greater understanding. But its best efforts came in the final quarter when, deliberately playing a man short, the A team scored six goals to the one by lan Clark, his first in the premier grade. Earlier, the A team had practised playing a zone defence, without a great deal of conviction. The goals were scored by the commanding Richard Clark (nine, six of them in the first half), Steven Wakefield (three), Chris Lewis and Gary Campbell (both two). W’alls and Joe Boyce the others.

For the B team, for whom Brent Lewis scored the other goal. Matthew Lewis worked industriously, and John Dimick did considerable swimming for scant reward. But Beckenham-Sockburn A had a far more difficult task keeping clear of its B team, the latter player into the game by the power of Mark Harding. Three-all at quarter-time, the B team went to a 5-4 half-time lead with the old heads, Harding and Bryan Mustchin — the latter returning after a half-season lay-off — controlling play well. But the greater breaking speed and understanding of the A team gave it a flattering 9-7 victory. Its goals were scored by John Davie (five), Lachie Marshall, John Symon and Dennis Reid (two). For the B team, Harding scored five of the goals, Peter