Polished hockey from Canterbury

Press, 3 August 1981, Page 3

Polished hockey from Canterbury

Canterbury continued its preparation for the New-mans-Adidas national tournament. and a concerted bid for the Challenge Shield, with an 11-0 win against Ashburton at Porritt Park yesterday.

Ashburton was unfortunate to strike the Canterbury forwards in a mood where they were prepared to pass the ball about for 70 minutes. There was little the Ashburton defence could do to stop the waves of Canterbury attacks.

It was a polished performance by the Canterbury side on a difficult ground, and earned the praise of the Ashburton coach, Mr W. Doak. “It is the best I have seen Canterbury play for a long time." Apart from a short spell mid-way through the first half, Canterbury kept up the pressure, the forwards teaming in some scintillating passing movements. Ashburton forced three penalty-corners mid-way through the first half when it had the Canterbury ’ defence on the back-foot, its only period of dominance. Canterbury by comparison forced 13 penalty-corners in the match and seven corners.

The floodgates opened after onlv four minutes when

Mark Burtt scored the easiest of goals when he received a deft .pass from Neil Edmundson.

The seventh goal, scored by George Carnoutsos, was the best of the 11. He dribbled into the top of the circle, feinted to pass right, but swept the ball around and past a wrong-footed defence.

Cyril Walter, the Canterbury coach, started with a second-string forward line. Steve Ambler was on the right wing and Neil Edmundson at centre-forward, but both fitted in with the three regular forwards, Balvant Bhana, Mark Burtt and lan Riach, as if they had been toegther all season. Edmundson’s running off the ball was highly effective and Ambler had both speed and control on the wing. Edmundson did not score a goal, but his selfless passing set up three others. Bhana’s dribbling and stickwork had the Ashburton defence baffled, but it went into overload when Carnoutsos teamed with him in the second half. Warwick Shillito did not see much of the ball on the right wing in the second half but was an incisive dribbler.

Mark Burtt had a high work-rate at inside-left, and

with the left wing. lan Riach formed a very effective alternative attack to the rightflank. Riach ' has developed into a skilled left wing in just half a season.

Ross Fowler, the Canterbury centre-half, dominated the mid-field. To his credit he maintained an urgency in his play when it would have been easy to slip into a lower gear.

Ashburton's marking was loose, but such was the precision with which the Canterbury forwards were playing it would have made little difference to the score. The Ashburton half-line of John McKay, Graeme Spicer and Dougal Moore were tenacious workers under pressure, but could have done with more support from their forwards. The backs, Lindsay Winchester and Murray Bonnington, tackled valiantly, but were overcome by the weight of attacks and the close control of the Canterbury forwards.

Scorers for Canterbury were: Burtt (4 and 14 mins), Greg Barrett (penalty-corner 6 mins), Steve Ambler (18 and 30 mins), Carnoutsos (39, 44 and 60 mins). Riach (49 mins), and Ross Ambler (Penalty-corners 55 and 61 mins).