Cashmere makes title safe

Press, 10 August 1981, Page 18

Cashmere makes title safe

Cashmere Wanderers duly wrapped up the Hertz League soccer championship on Saturday. As expected, Cashmere proved far too strong for the relegationdoomed Timaru City and won in a canter, 5-0.

Although Nomads United, with a game to play, can join Cashmere on 32 points, it would need a highly unlikely winning margin of 14 goals to surpass Cashmere’s superior goal difference. Nomads will complete its programme against Halswell United at English Park on Wednesday evening.

Despite the fine play of Geoff Rodgers in the Timaru goal, Cashmere never looked likely to be denied the points it needed to go on to the league championship play-off with the southern section winner.

Cashmere scored three

times in the first 22 minutes to put the result beyond any doubt, and added the clinching goals in the second half. Drew Hendrie scored the second and third. Tony Orpwood the first, Neil Lillie the fourth, and Robbie Noster the fifth. Nomads, ever hopeful that Cashmere might come unstuck, hit Burndale United for six, but now faces the unusual prospect of going through the season without a defeat and yet ending up second best. Malcolm Parker became the first player this season to score four times, while the brothers, Michael and David Banks, added the other two for Nomads. Ron Renfrew scored a consolation

goal for Burndale. Western, with goals by Jimmy Coyle, Mark Smith, and Phil Ayres, made certain of finishing third by defeating Shamrock, which scored first through Barry O’Neill. New Brighton’s loss to Halswell United left the fourth position (and the last qualifying place for Canterbury clubs in next season’s revamped competition) still to be decided. To move ahead of Shamrock, Brighton now needs to take at least one point from its final fixture against Burndale. Wayne Burt (penalty), Paul Kirner, and Chris Jones scored for Halswell. and Jeff Neil (penalty) for Brighton. The competition table is:—

Christchurch United confirmed its second placing in the Premier division by beat- ' ing Rangers, 3-2. while High School Old Boys had a field • day against University, winn= . ing 11-2. An upset was the/ defeat of Technical, the com- , petition winner, by Woolston W.M.C., 2-3.

CASHMERE E A f't I’ W 1.) L Cashmere 18 15 2 1 45 8 32 Nomads 17 13 4 0 35 11 30 Western 17 10 3 4 38 17 23 Shamrock 18 7 5 6 20 21 19 Brighton 17 8 3 6 22 24 19 Technical 18 6 4 8 29 23 16 Halswell 17 □ 4 8 27 27 14 Burndale 16 3 4 9 21 36 10 Hearts 18 2 2 14 25 50 6 Timaru 18 2 1 15 8 52 5