India fancied to beat Canterbury

Press, 6 September 1983, Page 32

India fancied to beat Canterbury

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Any prediction of the result of the hockey match between Canterbury and India at Porritt Park today would have to favour the touring side. India should be superior in all departments to Canterbury, but there are factors which could favour the home side and allow it to keep the Indians under control.

The first factor is that the Indians will still be adapting to grass after playing for months on artificial surfaces. On Porritt Park they will need to concentrate more on their trapping because there are many deceptive bumps. The second factor is that the Canterbury team will be as prepared as it could be after a week of hockey and that all but four of the team have played an international game in the last two weeks.

Seven of the starting 11 have played for either New Zealand or the New Zealand Juniors in the last two weeks and two others — Mark Burtt and Balvant Bhana — have played previously for New Zealand at international level. Bhana of course has been recalled to the New Zealand team for the tests against India next week-end.

The reserves, Chris Leslie, Jon Tanner and Don Davis, have also played for either New Zealand or the juniors. All the players then will know the pace at which an international match is played. The Canterbury squad has been looking forward to playing the Indians since

the tour was announced earlier in the season. There is still a thrill in playing an Indian hockey side, especially in front of a home crowd.

Jim Bowden, the Canterbury coach, will play with a 5-3-2 formation, saying yesterday that it would be difficult for the players to revert to a defensive European formation after the traditional pyramid system used at the national tournament last week.

“They are used to the traditional formation and they have the confidence and ability to give the Indians a good game.” For some of the Canterbury players today’s game will be their eighth in 10 days, but Mr Bowden is confident they have the motivation to produce their best hockey, perhaps even better than they played in the final of the Challenge Shield against Auckland on Saturday. India will not decide its starting 11 until this morning, but it should be a top line-up. India is aware of Canterbury’s capabilities after a 2-2 draw with the province the last time the sides played in 1975. Also the Indians will probably want to give their virtual test team another game to adapt to grass.

The Canterbury team is: Dave Stuthridge; Mark Tynan, Andy Innes; Greg Pierce, Robin Wilson, David Penfold; John Radovonich, Balvant Bhana, George Carnoutsos, Mark Burtt, lan Riach. Reserves: Don Davis, Richard Munt, Chris Leslie, Jon Tanner.

Craig Burtt was unavail-