Old Boys unlucky in hockey final

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 6

Old Boys unlucky in hockey final

By

KEVIN TUTTY

It was a case of third time unlucky for High School Old Boys in the grand final of the Inter-district hockey competition at Porritt Park yesterday.

Old Boys had been a finalist in the competition for the last three years. On the first two occasions it lost to University, and yesterday it lost, 0-1, to Harewood.

■ It was a deserved win for Elarewood. for it was more constructive on attack. But that was not difficult, because Old Boys wa s a complete failure when it attempted to string passes together.

There was little to enthuse over during the game. Porritt Park Oval was soft on top, which made dribbling a hazardous exercise, but the forwards -of both teams attempted to show their dribbling skills, and 98 per cent of the .time dribbled into trouble.

Both teams took, some time to settle but after the first, quarter Harewood . started to string passes together, with Balvant Bhana, lan Riach, and lan Hill, in the forward line, moving into gaps expertly.

The only goal came four minutes from half-time, after a series of Harewood attacks. It was awarded a penalty corner, and. Bhana’s push hit Paul Kitani’s foot on the goal-line. Bhana . converted the penalty stroke.

The second- half produced less constructive play than the first, but it was more interesting, mainly- because two players were given temporary suspensions. Graeme Sligo, the Old Boys goal-keeper, spent 15 minutes behind the Old Boys net after a tussle with Hill mid-way through the half.

Riach. a New Zealand junior, spent about 10 minutes behind the Harewood goal later, but he was as bewildered as the spectators about the reason for his dismissal. To say the least, the suspension was harsh. Fortunately for Old Boys, the only time it dominated the game was the period Sligo was behind the net. For those 15 minutes Harewood was unable to move from its own half and also had a couple of narrow escapes. Ron Smith, the Harewood goal- 1

| keeper, made two good saves and once when he was beaten. [ lan Steel was on the goal-line to trap cleanly and clear the ball. Steel was probably the most consistent player an the field. His tackling and trapping were almost without blemish.