Water polo title series tense, open struggle

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 17

Water polo title series tense, open struggle

By RAY CAIRNS Never before has the New Zealand club water polo championship been quite as tense, quite as open as is the 1980-81 title series. The first round, sponsored by Derry Skins, concluded its first two davs at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday, with four of the five teams engaged in a desperate struggle for leadership. And most surprisingly, the team .which languishes at the foot of the table, with but a single point, is Beck-enham-Sockburn, the Christchurch club which so dominated the 19705. It has been a most troubled tournament for the former champion. which made a shaky start, with a draw against Hutt; then a long drought was broken by Newmarket. The latter became the first Auckland club since Waitemata. in 1968 in the then-Ryan Cup final, to beat Beckenham-Sockbum, and this it did by a single goal. But Beckenham-Sockburn’s problems were really compounded in yesterday’s games. Against its Christchurch rival. Wharenui. Beckenham-Sockbum faced nearly three of the quarters a player short after John Davie had been ejected on a “brutality” call. But, befitting its station as probably still the best man-down

defensive team In the courttry, Beckenham-Sockbum not only took the game to its opponent but led for long periods. Wharenui only won its one goal advantage in the final quarter. Even then, Wharenui leaned very heavily on John Koens for its win. In the many man-up situations it found itself, it had the u tmost difficulty scoring against Beckenham-Sock-burn, and only Koens, stationed outside the left post, had the answer.

Then it was Maranui’s turn, and it really possessed too much fire-power for Beckenham-Sockbum; the quick, darting driving of Chris Jarvis, and the expertise with which he delivered his flick shots,'had the Christchurch team in desperate straits. And when the result was beyond doubt, with Maranui scoring its tenth goal for its five-goal victory, a double "brutality" call resulted in Beckenham-Sockbum losing Steohen Ward and Maranui its big hole-man. Jim Shekhdar. The irony of the set-to between these two players was that Steuben Ward was the most likely player to have been in goal with Bryce Ward, his team’s goalie, having been ejected. Instead. Stephen Ward and Shekhdar were 20m away, taking no part in the game.

The standard is remarkably even, and this had been reflected in the results. No obvious winner is emerging, though Maranui is perhaps enjoying a slight favouritism on the rest. Certainly the surprise is Newmarket, bolstered by some Americans otherwise playing for Tasmania, and the best of them, the player of the tournament so far, being Rick Sherberne.

The first games of the second round gave Maranui ! a double against Hutt, while Newmarket moved into sec--1 ond place with its relatively comfortable win against ’ Wharenui, while the judicial committee gave Stephen Ward and Shekhdar each a two-match suspension. Points, with each team having played five games, except for Beckenham-Sock-burn (four), and with goals for and against in parentheses, are:— Maranui 8 (47-37), Newmarket 6 (59-56), Hutt 5 (5153), Wharenui 4 (41-45), Beckenham-Sockbum 1 (3542) Round on* Maranui t (C. L. Ashley 3, C. J. Jarvis 2, R. M. Paterson, P. W. Dyson, W. E. Mills), Hutt S (G. F. Duffy 5). Wharenui 13 (R. A. Clark 4, S. J. Wakefield 2, B. W. Buck 2, G. W. Campbell, J. N. Koens, D. .1. Ferigo, T. M. McGlrr, D. Jennings), Newmarket 13 (R. Sherberne 7, B. Llchter 2, A. Chaney 2, R. Allen, T. Sandoy). Hutt 12 (R. E. McConnochie 3, Duffy 2. J. A. Conroy 2, S. R. Williams 2. W. Mitchell, L. Bergman, P. Thompson), BeckenhamSockbum 12 (J. R. Davie 6, G. Barry 2, D. J. Reid 2, S. A. Ward, M. A. Harding). Wharenui » (Clark 4, Koens), Maranui i (Mills 2, P. Dyson 2, Paterson). Newmarket 13 (Sherberne 5, S. Sandoy 4, P. Montgomerie 2, Lichter, Chaney), BeckenhamSockbum 12 (Davie 3, Harding 3, Ward 2. J. F. Boyce 2, Reid, L. J. Marshall). Hutt 10 (Conroy 4, Duffy 2, J. Payes 2. McConnochie, Williams:, Wharenui » (Clark 4,. Koens 2, Campbell, C. I. Lewis, P. R. Tweedie). , „ Newmarket 11 (Sherberne 5, M. A. Grooby 2, Chaney 2, S. Sandoy, Montgomerie), Maranui 11 I Paterson 4, Jarvis 3, P. Dyson 2, K. W. Brodie, J. Shekhdar). Wharenui 7 (Koens 6, Wakefield), Beckenham-Sockburn i (Harding 3, Barry, Ward, Reid). Hutt 13 (Williams 3, Duffy 3, McConnochie 3, Conroy 2, Thompson, Payes), Newmarket 11 (Sherbern 7, Montgomerie 2, Chaney, Sandoy). Maranui 10 (Jarvis 3, Mills 3, Shekhdar 2, Brodie, Paterson), Beckenham-Sockburn 5 (Barry, Ward, Marshall, Reid, F. B. McMaster). Round Two Newmarket 11 (Sherberne «, Montgomerie 2, S. Sandoy 2, Chaney). Wharenui 7 (Wakefield 2, Clark 2. Koens,. D. H. Fersgo, Campbell). , 1 Maranui 13 (Jarvis 5, Brodie 3, ! Mills 2, J. A. Dyson, P. Dyson. Hesketh), Hutt 11 (McConnochie 14. Duffy 3. N. Williamson ; 2, Conroy, Bergman).