Canterbury A upset by B side

Press, 20 August 1984, Page 26

Canterbury A upset by B side

By

KEVIN TUTTY

The Canterbury A hockey team received a substantial dent to its pride, and a few lessons on the game, when it was beaten 4-1 by the Canterbury B team in a representative match at Porritt Park yesterday afternoon. It was the last match for both teams before they start their campaigns in the 1984 Adidas national tournament .in Gisborne next Sunday. Canterbury B deserved its success because it played with more urgency and kept pressure on a tentative A defence that had great difficulty clearing the ball to its attack. Canterbury A was without its coach, Mr Jim Bowden, and several of its key it should still en able to produce a better performance against the B side. After all, Canterbury A will be attempting to win the premier trophy in New Zealand hockey, the Challenge Shield, at the start of next week. Canterbury B applied pressure to the key players in the A team, forcing errors, and then counter-at-tacking quickly. Around the circle area

the B team showed considerably more imagination and its devotion to attack earned it a 2-0 lead by the interval. The first goal was scored by Glen Hayde from a meelee in front of the goal, and his brother Chris, added the second from a penalty corner. In the secondhalf, Gavin Cumberpatch, virtually secured the game for the B team when he scored after a good build-up. The A team, attempting to salvage some pride from an increasingly embarrassing situation, got a consolation goal from lan Riach. However, in the Hying stages the B team rubbed a little more salt into the wounds when Glen Hayde scored the last goal.

Even though it was with-, out its coach, arid two mem-j bers of the team, Pim Bor-, ren and Rob Smith, Canterbury A lacked sparkle and, imagination in all aspects ofits play. , If will need a dramatic’ improvement from the team-' to reach the semi-finals in’ Gisborne in spite of drawing' the easy pool. : Canterbury B has perhaps J its best team since it, started playing in the B’ secton of the tournament' five years ago. It has reached the semi-finals only' once, but this year has the • personnel to achieve that, end again and perhaps chai- > lenge Auckland B which has 1 dominated the section since' the major.association’s were’ allowed to enter teams. >