Composure wins for Checkers

Press, 2 July 1984, Page 24

Composure wins for Checkers

The Edgeware Service Station-Mairehau and Admiral Lodge-Checkers Christchurch senior men’s basketball championship clash at Cowles Stadium on Saturday afternoon may not have been the best game of the day but it provided sufficient tension and controversy to gain the match-of-the-day award. Checkers won 76-73, but only in the dying seconds and after allowing Mairehau to recover from a 10-point deficit with a few minutes to go to square the score at 73-all at the 30second clock. Then Mairehau “blew” a certain two-pointer with indecision and Checkers’ young Maurice Corkery drew a foul off Mairehau’s Brian Fifield and shot a two-point penalty. It was left to the Mairehau forward, Mike Shaw, to get another- point from the best of two attempts after he had been fouled in the last second. However, Shaw had to wait a couple of minutes after the game had finished for his attempts as there was a fair amount of confusion between the referees, Bill Whelan and John Grocott, and one or two Mairehau players complained of unfair refereeing. In the midst of the controversy Shaw quietly asked Mr Grocott if he could take his penalty attempts. Mr Grocott obliged and Shaw shot one out of two while Mr Whelan continued a by then light-hearted explanation of the referees’ decisions during the game. Mairehau had no reason to complain. It deserved everything it got and if some of the players had devoted more time to the physical aspect instead of the vocal side they would have done better. The referees could well have been justified in handing out more than two technical fouls.

For skill and strength, however, the top game of the day was between Butler Auto Spares and Businessworld

Computers-University. It was a game that often promised much but never quite fulfilled the many flashes of absorbing basketball.

It was a game that literally sorted the men from the boys and Butlers’ greater all-round ability saw it ease out to a 7756 victory and share the championship lead with Aranui. Continental Caterers-Rangi-ora competed almost on a par with Aranui in the first half, being down only two points, 3032, at the break. It was a different story in the second half, however, where the abilities of Bert Knops and John Rademakers, both returning after league duties, overcame a weakening Rangiora resistance. In the end Aranui won 93-54 and with a bit of luck could have reached a century of points. The,inclusion of the league players to the club teams made a refreshing change in the standard and the infusion of their skills was reflected in the scoresheets.

The 3ZM Canterbury captain, Clyde Huntley (Checkers) led the scoring with 30 points, followed by Knops (29), Rademakers (24), lan Webb (Butlers) 24, Chris Dobbs (Butlers) 20, Dave Usmar (University) 20, Lance Dixon (Rangiora) 19, and Andy Bennett (Butlers) 17. The only nonleague player to get more than 20 points was the consistent Peter Kuipers (Mairehau), with 23.

Between them the league players scored 183 points and it was a pity that Dixon’s fellow league players, John Hill and Dave Edmonds, did not join him to help Rangiora, who have had a bad season. Rangiora has not won a game and the addition of both Hill and Edmonds would not only have given the two good match-play exercise for their forthcoming trip to South-East Asia with the New Zealand team but also have been a

morale-booster to the club.

Results: Aranui 93, Rangiora 54; Butlers 77, University 56; Checkers 76, Mairehau 73; Old Boys a bye. Championship points:

Aranui 93 Rangiora 54 Aranui: B. Knops 29, J. Rademakers 24, P. Hill 13, A. Timn 12, N. Costain 6, T. Costain 5, R. Davis 4. Rangiora: L. Dixon 19, A. Robson 12, P. Hobbs 9, R. Whearty 8, P. Boulter, P. Burns, D. King 2. Half-time: 32-30 (Aranui). Aranui kept a share of the championship lead by defeating Rangiora, 93-54, but it was not without problems. The inclusion of Lance Dixon, freed of league duties, had Rangiora in the game at the end of the first half. Rangiora trailed by only two points (30-32) at the interval, but the halfs demands wilted a tiring Rangiora and Aranui’s two league players, Bert Knops and John Rademakers, had something of a field day in the second spell. Aranui’s 39-point advantage at the finish demonstrated the side’s superiority. The Rangiora coach and captain, Alan Robson, has not had an easy job this season, with the club’s top players, Dixon, John Hill, and Dave Edmonds, involved in the Canterbury league. He expected better on Saturday, but only Dixon turned up, and did well. Hill and Edmonds, selected-for the forthcoming New Zealand

tour of South-East Asia, were unavailable, and Rangiora suffered.

Rangiora stayed in the game for the first half, with Dixon (19 points), Robson (12) and Paul Hobbs (9) being prominent The picture changed, however, in the last half and Aranui cruised to an expected clear-cut success.

Rademakers and Knops played games expected of league players. Knops got 29 points, Rademakers 24, and Phil Hill chimed in with 13 well-taken points for Aranui. Knops’s display was in keeping with his performance at Nelson last week-end when he virtually shut out the high scoring Jacques Tuz. The Costain brothers, Neville (6) and Trevor (5), were other sound Aranui players. Butlers 77 University 56

Butlers: I. Webb 24, C. Dobbs 20, A. Bennett 17, J. Bosch 10, K. Jones 4, B. Duggan 2. University: D. Usmar 20, K. Eriksen 12, B. Alexander, J. Caldwell 6, R. Evans, P. Mulvihill, T. Thodey 4. Half-time: 37-29 (Butlers).

Butlers took a long time to subdue a well-drilled University side missing one of its top players, Colin Crampton. Butlers, with league players Andy Bennett, lan Webb and Chris Dobbs back, and Bill Duggan recovered from an injury, eventually found the class to defeat a willing University side.

Dave Usmar was quite outstanding for University. He is not a “flashy” player, but is a reliable and consistent “rock” for a University team that often goes off the boil. However, not even an Usmar at full potential could

quell a Butlers team at full strength and looking to win its first major championship for several years. Still, Butlers’ performance was not that satisfying and there were many periods of inactivity and indifference that need to be corrected.

Butlers looked like “blitzing” University in the first quarter, and the students recovered well to trail by only eight points (29-37) at half-time. University got to within four points of Butlers in the opening minutes of the second half, but Butlers then got into overdrive and that was it

Webb (24 points) has matured into a fine player for Butlers; Bennett (17) had an excellent first half; Dobbs (20) was an unobtrusive but effective guard; John Bosch (10) welcomed the relief of being the "king-pin”; while Ken Jones, Duggan and Peter Cook worked effectively, particularly Duggan in lessening the scoring abilities of University’s Richard Evans and Keith Eriksen.

Usmar (20 points), Eriksen (12) and Evans (4) apart, University’s Bill Alexander (6) had a game deserving of more court time. An American, Alexander, who considers himself improving on his present 90 per cent fitness, has ball skills that warrant greater appreciation.

Checkers 76 Mairehau 73 Checkers: C. Huntley 30, M. Eder 14, M. Shaw 9, M. Corkery 8, P. Martin 7, T. Brunel 4, P. McGrath, S. Butler 2. Mairehau: P. Kuipers 23, B. Fifield, M. Seaward 12, B. Hall 8, D. Green 7, M. Weir 6. P. Berry 1. If composure means any-

thing then Checkers deserved its win. While Mairehau often carried out character assassinations against the referees and several of its opposition, Checkers kept grinding away and its success was deserved.

For all that, Mairehau should not have lost With one or two exceptions, notably Clyde Huntley and Peter Ward, man-for-man Mairehau was the superior side, but without the cooling hand of its coach, John Fairweather, who was indisposed, matters got out of hand at times and led to indiscretions that required a firm hand of authority. Mairehau led for the better part of the first half only to lose the initiative with some stupid mistakes. Checkers led 37-36 at the break, only to give away the advantage. However, it recovered to have a 10-point lead with four minutes left

The Checkers coach, Tony McFarlin, then withdrew the astute and high-scoring Clyde Huntley from the court, confident of success and bringing younger members of his bench on to the court

The move backfired. Mairehau pulled back to level at 71-all and again at 73-all In a comedy of errors it was left to Checkers’ Maurice Corkery to get the winning points. Huntley was his usual effective self, getting a game-high of 30 points. He and Peter Ward worked well on the fast break. The young trio of Mike Eder (14), Mike Shaw (9) and Paul Martin (7) did well in trying circumstances. Peter Kuipers (23 points) and Mike Seaward (12), always adept at the fake pass, were two Mairehau players to avoid the vocal war-of-words in the second half and play well Brian Fifield (12) had his moments as did Bede Hall (8).

P W L F A Pt Aranui 2 2 — 167 116 4 Butlers 2 2 — 160 114 4 Checkers 2 1 1 138 147 2 Mairehau 2 1 1 145 144 2 HS.O.B. 1 ■ " 1 58 83 0 Rangiora 2 — 2 122 165 0 University 1 — 1 56 77 0