Volleyball rivals vie for lead

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 15

Volleyball rivals vie for lead

The Southern Zone volleyball league will resume tomorrow, after a break of five weeks, with the defending champion, Skellerup Allstars, of Canterbury University, tied for first place with its arch rival, TeachersShirley Old Boys. Both teams have lost only one game; Teachers-Shirley went down to Flint-Kings (Dunedin) in late March but then beat Skellerup with comparative ease the next week-end. These two teams will meet in a top-of-the-table clash at the new Shirley Boys High School gymnasium tomorrow. Skellerup will be determined to avenge its first round defeat, but much will depend on whether it has the services of a New Zealand team member, Mike Dudson. The kingpin of the Skellerup side, Dudson has been plagued by knee injuries since mid-March, and is keen to get back in action.

The third-placed FlintKings will be seeking two wins at home this week-end to stay in touch with the leaders.

A joint leader at the end of the first round, Flint slipped off the pace when it lost two away games, to Teachers and to fifth-placed

Smash, in mid-April. Smash scored two wins that weekend and now lies only two points behind Scorpions (Dunedin). With only four teams qualifying for the national championships, Smash needs more upset wins to assure itself of a place.

At the bottom of the table, Cashmere Old Boys has found itself relegated to eighth position after a routine check by the league committee disclosed that the side had played with an ineligible player. C. 0.8. was declared to be in default in its first seven games which included its only win, against the University B team, which now moves up to seventh place.

In the women’s competition, Skellerup leads, with a clean slate, from Smash women, whose only loss has been to Skellerup. The Skellerup team has dominated the competition so far, as it has for many seasons. Its Dunedin counterpart, Otago University, holds a narrow two-point lead over C. 0.8. women and these four teams are almost certain to qualify for the nationals, as none of the other teams are likely to threaten them.