Shock first win to Rangiora

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 17

Shock first win to Rangiora

Three weeks ago Rangiora had a totally inauspicious entry into the Christchurch senior men’s hockey championship. It lost its first senior game, 0-6. On Saturday its emotions were at the end of the spectrum. Almost unbelievably, Rangiora beat University, 1-0 — its first success in senior hockey.

The wisdom of adding an extra team to the senior competition this year was doubted before the start of the season, and while one win does not totally justify Rangiora’s inclusion, it did serve to expose the inconsistency that has crept into leading senior teams in recent seasons.

Nothing should be taken from Rangiora’s win, however. It fought grimly throughout to maintain touch with University, and especially in the dying minutes when the maroons were camped almost entirely inside the Rangiora 25m area.

The upset, the most dramatic in senior hockey for many years, left Selwyn at the head of the championship. The clash between High School Old Boys and Harewood was deferred because both teams had lost players to representative teams. No date for this key fixture has been set.

Selwyn beat Redcliffs 1-0 in an even game at Porritt Park. It was a result that could have gone either way and scoring chances were so few that the team that scored first was going to have a distinct advantage. Pegasus moved into

fourth place in the championship when it beat Linwood 4-1 on Friday. The game was played a day earlier because Pegasus has a large representation in the Canterbury colts’ team which is playing in Blenheim this week-end.

In the third game, played yesterday, Woolston beat Sydenham 1-0 in another close match, although Woolston showed more control and variety in its attack.

The points table is:

RANGIORA 1 (R. Archer), UNIVERSITY 0 There were looks of abject bewilderment on the faces of the University team after the game. And well there might have been, because with its higher level of skill, University should have won. But it neglected several fundamentals and paid the price. In the first naif University looked headed for a two or three goal half-time lead, but it squandered chances and by doing so began to exert pressure on itself to score.

By early in the second half the pressure was beginning to show, and tentative trapping and rushed passing added to University’s probRangiora, in the meantime, was defending enthusiastically. One shot was cleared from the goal-line after the goal-keeper, Peter Devlin, was beaten. It was the only time he was beaten. Throughout the game he was a constant frustration to the University attack Rangiora made only infrequent attacks but mid-way through the second half Ron Archer scored from one when the University defence mis-trapped and could not clear the ball.

There was a greater urgency in the University play in the last 15 minutes, but also a greater error rate. The forwards neglected to use the full width of the field to attack, which played into the hands of the tightly grouped Rangiora defence. The Rangiora defenders tackled and cleared tirelessly and finally time ran out for University. SELWYN 1 (C. Burtt), REDCLIFFS 0

A large percentage of the game was confined to the mid-field with both teams endeavouring, mostly unsuccessfully because of wayward passing, to establish attacks. When they did string passes together both sides showed a lack of patience and flair which spoilt several promising moves. Selwyn made two good attacks early in the game but poor shooting and crosses enabled the Redcliffs defence to survive and organise itself into a more tightly knit unit Redcliffs itself caused some consternation in the Selwyn defence. Murray Johnson and Richard Munt were the best of the forwards, but there was a lack of support in and near the circle. Lee Munt, in the unaccustomed role of full-back, played well for Redcliffs, and Peter Christensen was a sound centre-half. Craig Burtt, filling in for Robin

Wilson at centre-half for Selwyn, defended well, and on deep defence Mark Beatson made few errors. In the Selwyn attack the best progress was made by Mark Burtt and Jon Carnoutsos on the right-flank, but what seemed to be good understanding in mid-field disintegrated near the circle because of lack of control. The only goal came 10 minutes from full-time when Craig Burtt scored from a penalty-corner, the ball going across the goal-keeper into his left-hand corner. WOOLSTON 1 (C. Hobbs), SYDENHAM 0 Sydenham was a little fortunate not to lose by more than a goal to Woolston. It was only fine goalkeeping by Marty Fitzsimons in the second half that kept the score to the single goal. Sydenham did have a good chance to equalise soon after Craig Hobbs scored Woolston’s goal. Woolston conceded a penaltystroke, but Gary Copsey, inspired perhaps by the way his team-mates were playing, flung himself to his left and saved the ball with his stick

Hobbs, Geoff Chaikin, and Warren Leslie on the Woolston left flank combined effectively and created numerous problems for the Sydenham defence in the second half.

Their short passing was a lesson to other forward lines on the day who dwelt too much on speed and not enough on control. Sydenham lacked the same commitment in its attack, although Paul Gardiner and Ross Thomson, individually, made good progress at times.

Greg Rhodes was a steadying influence in the Woolston defence and Malcolm Wood played competently and made some useful incursions into the attack.

The Sydenham defence, particularly in the second half, always looked under strain and bedraggled, and when Hobbs scored after the ball was only partly cleared, there was no cover defence on hand.

PEGASUS 4 (J. Radovonich 3, D. Grundy), LINWOOD 1 (S. Willocks) Pegasus dominated Linwood in their game played on Friday, but it was not until the second half that the dominance was turned into goals.

At half-time Pegasus led by only one goal and there was a chance one of Linwood’s occasional attacks would result in a goal. There were many wasted opportunities for Pegasus. It forced 11 penalty-corners in the first half but could score from only one, the first.

John Radovonich, who again combined well with Greg Clark on the right flank, scored the first goal and then two others in the second half to complete a hat-trick. Linwood reduced the gap when it received a penalty-stroke which Simon Willocks converted. The stroke was due to a defensive lapse by Pegasus which looked very shaky when having to retreat and regroup. But with three players under 21 in the half-line, some immaturity must be expected, although it will be exploited by teams with stronger attacks. Late in the game, David Grundy, who was a constant irritation to the Linwood defence at centreforward, scored the last Pegasus goal Hockey B

Redcliffs beat Selwyn, 2-0, and H. 5.0.8. and Harewood drew, 2-2, in senior B men’s hockey matches on Saturday.

p W D L F A Pt Sei. 3 2 1 0 4 0 5 Hare. 2 2 0 0 9 1 4 H.S.O.B. 2 2 0 0 9 2 4 Peg. 3 2 0 1 8 5 4 Unsty. Woof. 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 3 3 3 Rang. 3 1 1 1 2 7 3 Red. 3 1 0 2 4 7 2 Syd. 3 0 0 3 1 6 0 Lin. 3 0 0 3 3 12 0