Goal spurs Canty to victory

Press, 5 September 1980, Page 24

Goal spurs Canty to victory

From

KEVIN TUTTY

in Auckland

A relentless Canterbury effort overcame an early one-goal deficit to earn it a place in the Challenge Shield semi-finals today, at the national men’s hockey tournament in Auckland!

In its final pool game yesterday Canterbury beat Wellington, 3-1. Canterbury was definitely the better team, its forwards passing the ball with more fluency and dribbling with more skill on a difficult ground. Overnight rain left the surface of the ground soft arid greasy, and consequently both teams had to reduce the pace of their play to apply, more concentration to trapping and hitting. Wellington • scored first after four niihutes, some lax defence by Canterbury permitting the goal. Phil Benfield, the Wellington leftback, took a 16-metre hit in centre-field; A gap was left through to the half-way line where Alan Mclntyre was

waiting. The ball was passed to Peter Miskimmin and on to Chuni Bhikha who forced a penalty-corner. Miskimmin scored from the rebound. The goal extracted greater urgency from Canterbury arid for the next 20-minutes it dominated. In the seventh minute Mark Burtt had the first of three shots which

had goal written oyer them but missed. He robbed a Wellington defender and from outside his left post flicked the ball towards the goal. It struck, a Wellington defender’s leg en route to the goal but the umpire, Bill Hawke, did not see the infringement and Canterbury - missed what should have been a penaltystroke. Two minutes later Burtt slipped a pass to Barry Maister in front of the goal,

but a small puddle stopped the ball before it reached him and allowed the defence to clear. Half a minute later Canterbury received a penal-ty-corner and Ross Ambler’s shot hit the net above the regulation 45cm height but was allowed by Mr Hawke. Burtt’s frustration finally ended in the second-half.

After. 17 minutes Barry Maister fired a hard shot at the goal-keeper, and the ball rebounded over his head towards the top of the goal. Benfield . and Buckingham, the full-backs, between them stopped it with their hands, but Burtt was on the spot and nudged the ball in before it dropped to the ground. That was Canterbury’s third goal. The second came after 46min from a Chris Maister penalty-comer. He

took the hit in the absence of Ross Ambler who was having a spell in the “sinbin” after an altercation; with Alan Mclntyre, the Wellington captain. Canterbury’s was a fine team effort. All the forwards played well. Barry Maister’s close control in the ‘ circle forced

several .penalty-comers. Mark Burtt,, after "the first few minutes, kept Mclntyre out of. the game and was always handy to receive a pass on-attack. i ’Selwyn Maister’s passing was his best of the week, and the rest of his play almost without fault; and Jeff Gibson’s speed to recover at right-half, was a feature .of the good all-round performance. ■; Stuart “ Grimshaw, ' the youngA Wellington centre-

half, made some neat tackles and clearances .inside .his circle arid Wayne Buckingham and Bhikha were not far behind as trustworthy defenders. Canterbury plays Wanganui today in its semi-final and Auckland plays Wellington in the other; Yesterday Northland missed a penaltystroke with 15 minutes remaining against Auckland, which would have given it a place in the semi-finals.', < Canterbury B < was un? troubled to beat Piako, 5-0, and today it meets Wellington B in an India Plate semi-final.

Both Canterbury teams should win comfortably .if they repeat their form of yesterday. West Coast lost, to Air Force, 1-3, yesterday to finish bottom of its pool in the India Plate and is now struggling to stay off the bottom spot at the tournament.