University loses at Ham

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 22

University loses at Ham

Selwyn-Hillmorton ended University’s string of six successive wins in the senior men’s hockey championship with a 4-2 win at Ham on Saturday. It was an unusual game with Selwyn scoring its litst tlnee goals against the run of play, but it had to be commended for its grittiness in the second-half when it held off a strong University challenge. The Selwyn supporters were rapt in the result. It gave them a little extra to celebrate at the club’s seventieth birthday party on Saturday evening. The urgency of the University team in the second-half greatly helped Selwyn. Many trapping and passing errors were made by University and Selwyn was swift, to the loose ball. Mark Burtt and George Carnoutsos . were especially prominent in the midfield area, collecting loose ball and turning it into attack.

Selwyn’s win cut University’s lead to three points and it has a game in hand and the chance to harrow the gap by another two points. Sydenham-Cashmere continued its good form with a. 2-1 win against Harewood. There was some doubt about Syden-. ham’s first goal but it still played well enough to win. For the fifth time in sixmatches Linwood United lost by a single goal. On Saturday it was beaten by Woolston 1-0. Linwood had a grand chance to equalise in the second-half but had a penalty-stroke saved.

Redcliffs had to be content with a point from a scoreless draw against an improving Pegasus team. In the first-half on Saturday Redcliffs was all around the net but could not score.

Harewood, after some fine results in the inter-district league has not maintained the same form in the senior championship and is now in eighth place on the points table, although it has played a game less than most of the teams. Results and scorers were:

Selwyn-Hillmorton 4 (M. Burtt, C. Burtt. P. Hayde. G. Carnoutsos), University 2 (W. Shillito, C. G Maister). Sydenham-Cashmere 2 (R. Thompson, R. Ambler), Harewood 1 (I. Hill).

Woolston 1 IS. POundsford), Linwood United 0. Redcliffs 0, Pegasus 0.

University started positively, pinning Selwyn inside its half for the first five minutes. But then Selwyn burst on to attack down its left-flank to relieve the pressure. A couple of minutes later its attack switched to the right and a quick shot at goal was only partly blocked by Rodger McHarg in the University goal. Mark Burtt pushed the ball into an open net.

University moved on to attack and forced a number, of penaltycorners. The Selwyn defence somehow’held until the twentyseventh minute when Barry Maister weaved past several defenders in the circle and Slipped a pass to Warwick Shillito who completed the goal. Perhaps relaxing just a little University allowed Selwyn to stream straight back on attack and after 32 minutes a snap shot by Patrick Hayde just inside the circle beat the defence.

Selwyn attacked again and two minutes later .Craig Burtt scored with a neat shot into the corner of the goal' from a penalty-corner. University, eager to pull back the lead, made many mistakes in the second-half and Selwyn, just as eager to hold itsJead marked closely and cleared the ball to the. other end of the field whenever it found Itself on deep defence.

Selwyn made few attacks but from one McHarg had the misfortune to get the ball caught in the ton of his pad. He removed it with his hand and a penaltystroke was awarded. Carnoutsos scored from it.

University, with a daunting task ahead of it, continued to fight and five minutes from fulltime Chris Maister narrowed the gap with a penaltj'-corncr.

Harewood is a team of contrasts. It lias had some exciting wins Uns season but lias also played poorly ai times, as it did on Saturday. It was beaten by a SydenhamCashmere side that performed the basics well on a difficult ground at Burwood Park. Only ior a short period of the sec-ond-halt did harewood show any dominance. During that time Baivant Bhana and lan Hill made a number of telling attacks witlil some crisp inter-passing. Sydenham's first goal came after a melee in the first-half. The Harewood players thought the abll had hit the goal-post and stayed out, but after a short pause the goal was awarded, the umpire Alan Scott, ruling the ball had hit inside the net at an angle and bounced out. Hill equalised for Harewood after the interval, but Sydenham continued to pressure Harewood with fast attacks through the centre. A few minutes from fulltime Ross Ambler gave Sydenham the winning goal from a penalty-corner. Ambler, his fellow full-back, and the goal-keeper, Marty Fitzsimmons were stout last lines of defence for Sydenham, while Ross Thompson and Steve Ambler on Sydenham right-flank combined well on attack. The Harewood defence was not as well organised as usual and its cause was not helped by poor trapping and passing. Ron Smith in the Harewood goal was the best defender. POOR STANDARD

The standard of play between Woolston and Linwood was very poor for most of the match. Neither team was helped however, by a very uneven surface at Burwood Park. It negated the ability of the more skilful players.

Steve Poundsford scored Woolston's goal early in the first-half from a penalty-stroke. The push was* not a particularly good one but still beat the Linwood goalkeeper.

Linwood slowly took control but its attacks lacked drive and combination. Its passing was sloppy at vital stages of attack, but it also found it hard lo breach the Woolston defence where Roger Campbell. Tony Neilson and Hamish Gillesnie tackled and trapped confidently. Mid-wav through the second-

'half Linwood was awarded a penalty-stroke. Parsot Bhana’s push was strong hut Gary Copsey in the Wooiston goal dived to his right and stopped tlie chest High shot. Linwood continued to attack with Bruce Trethewey and Darryl Small dribbling well but they were unable to penetrate the Woolston defence. Copsev saved well again a couple of times. BAD GROUND Both Redcliffs and Pegasus were affected by a bumpy ground at Barnett Park. It made hand stops at penalty-corners difficult and so one of Redcliffs’ main attacking weapons was nullified. Tony Ineson was able to gel in only a few clean shots and these were well saved by the Pegasus goal-keeper, Dave Robins.

Redcliffs dominated the firsthalf controlling the ball better than Pegasus but after the interval the latter improved by concentrating on its trapping and passing.

One of Ineson’s penalty-corners was disallowed because of “sticks.” a rule, which is seldom applied these days. Another shot appeared to hit under the crossbar and bounce out, but the umpire ruled it struck the crossbar and did not enter the goal. I

Pegasus made some concerted attacks during the second-half and after one scramble in the circle thought lit should have been awarded a penalty-stroke. Unfortunately it could not make; use of the penalty-corner awarded Instead.

The points table is: P W D L F A Pts University 7 6 0 1 21 6 12 Selwyn 6 4 1 1 12 6 9 Sydenham 6 3 9 1 7 6 8 Redcliffs 6 Z 2 Z ;> 7 6 H.S.O.B. 6 2 1 3 fi 7 □ Woolston 7 2 1 4 4 8 5 Pegasus a 2 1 2 4 9 Harewood 2 0 3 10 4 Linwood fi 0 0 6 2 9 0 UNUSUAL GAME