Tenacious Sydenham side holds back University

Press, 21 April 1986, Page 27

Tenacious Sydenham side holds back University

The Christchurch senior men’s hockey championship will be an enthralling competition in 1986 if the type of results that have dominated the first three rounds continue . for the rest of the season. After the second round University found itself unexpectedly at the head of the title race, but was brought abruptly back to earth on Saturday when held to a scoreless draw by Sydenham, which finished last in the championship last year. Sydenham is a tenacious team, and its last placing last year was not indicative of the hockey it can produce.

On Saturday it foughtdesperately to hold University, and in the end its mammoth efforts were rewarded.

University had its opportunities. More than 12 first-half penalty corners illustrated its dominance, but as the game progressed, the team became increasingly devoid of attacking ideas.

There was a second surprise on Saturday. Kent Prier Redcliffs enjoyed, and deserved, a 2-0 lead at half-time. It continued to dominate in the second half, but without scoring. In the last eight minutes its world fell apart with two costly defensive errors that allowed Rangiora to draw level at 2-2.

Liquorland Harewood and Selwyn both had comfortable wins which enabled them to draw level with University at the head of the points table. The outstanding game of the day was the main match at Porritt Oval. Wormaid Pegasus, a young side with undoubted talent, finally put all that talent into a cohesive partnership and ran High School Old Boys

ragged with a 4-0 win. It was an impressive performance by Pegasus, and perhaps a sign that this young team is finally realising its potential, but has been unable to turn it into results. THE POINTS TABLE IS:

HAREWOOD 2 (C. Leslie, B. Bhana), LINWOOD O. A goal in the first five minutes gave Harewood some breathing space to settle into its pattern and exert pressure on the Linwood defence.

Chris Leslie put Harewood ahead with a penalty comer shot, and from that point the team lifted its general play, and began to place heavy pressure on the Linwood defence.

The pressure continued in the second half, but to its credit Linwood played with unyielding determination and Harewood found shots at goal hard to come by. There were several basic errors among the Harewood players, particularly the forwards when attacks were reaching their zenith. There were also some good passing movements that just failed to result in goals. lan Riach made good progress down the left wing. The second goal came from one of his crosses (two minutes into the second half. Balvant Bhana, who played his first game of the season, deflected the cross into the goal.

Chris Leslie worked hard at inside left, back tackling and linking with the other forwards, and at centre half David Penfold passed accurately and sensibly. Mike Skilton was a forceful right half.

Linwood’s defence revolved around Robin Whitmore and the Hobson brothers, Scott and Mark. Their work rate was extremely high, and they put the damper on a score of Harewood attacks.

UNIVERSITY 0, SYDENHAM 0. University looked far from a championship win-

ning team as it tried, with increasing desperation, to penetrate the defence of a team determined to hold it out

University missed many chances in the first half. It had 12 penalty comers and could not convert any of them into anything like a goal.

Twice it had the Sydenham goal-keeper, Marty Fitzsimons, stranded on the ground, but somehow the University players contrived to put the ball wide of the goal.

A lambasting from the coach, Mr Cyril Walter, at half-time did nothing to alleviate University's woes. Indeed, as the match went on, so did the errors. Sydenham broke free twice and threatened to put its stamp on the game, but the University defence held.

A lack of control among the forwards and a desire by individuals to beat the Sydenham defence single handed, did not help University’s cause.

The University halves fought valiantly to get suitable ball to their forwards, but it was seldom appreciated.

Sydenham’s defence was over worked, but Dick Pettit and Fitzsimons in goal kept the defence organised, and as it turned out, intact.

REDCLIFFS 2 (M. Marks, R. Ebert), RANGIORA 2 (M. Amos, J. Woods). How Redcliffs lost this game was a mystery. It was 2-0 ahead at half-time, had all the possession it needed, and yet in the space of eight minutes its world crumbled around it. From the outset Redcliffs looked the superior team. It passed the ball with aplomb and did 90 per cent of the attacking. It kept the Rangiora defence busy repelling the Redcliffs attacks.

Murray Marks scored the first goal for Redcliffs when he completed a fine build-up down the right flank. Rob Ebert, the energetic right wing, scored the second goal, and Redcliffs looked to have a comfortable jaunt to

success. That* is the way it played until the last 10 minutes, when Rangiora sensed the relaxation and pressured Redcliffs. First Rangiora broke out' of defence and forced a penalty corner.

The strike by Martin Amson was covered when it caught a deflection into the net. Only two minutes from the end a penalty stroke was awarded against the Redcliffs defence and John Woods calmly equallised. Disappointed with his team’s performance, Mr Murray Connor, the Redcliffs coach,; slipped away before the final whistle. PEGASUS 44 (J, Radovonich 3, G. Clark), HIGH SCHOOL OLD BOYS 0. Pegasus has been vaunted as a prospective championship winning team for several seasons. It bas had a talented group of youngsters, but they have lacked direction and maturity and only occasionally have they shown their potential skill. On Saturday, High School Old Boys had a taste of just how accomplished this team can be. Old Boys were on the back foot for 60 per cent of the game, and had extreme difficulty keeping pace with the Pegasus players. The trapping and passing of the Pegasus players was first rate, and the Old Boys players spent much of the first 45 minutes chasing the Pegasus players fruitlessly.

John Radovonich drew the first blood when he scored from a penalty corner, and Greg Clark scored the second goal from an excellent build up down the left flank. Radovonich scored the final two goals — the first after a superbly executed build-up and the last from a penalty stroke.

Radovonich was an efficient inside right, and outside him, David Grundy made rapid progress when he received the ball. Craig Mcßobb was a hardworking and incisive inside left.

The Old Boys attack totally lacked cohesion and the defence was stretched to its limits by the crisp,

precise passing of the Pegasus players. SELWYN 3 (M. Beatson, R. Wilson, G. Carnoutsos); WOOLSTON 0. In spite of aggressive retaliation from Woolston in the middle section of the game, Selwyn rarely looked in danger of defeat and added a wellconceived late goal to assure the win.

Selwyn welcomed the win with some relief, for Woolston in recent years has been its bogey team, and the success revealed an improvement in some of its lead up work to the goal.

For the first 20 minutes Selwyn attacked consistently and engineered several opportunities from which the ball did not always fall kindly, but two penalty stroke goals gave it a working margin from which to pressure Woolston.

However, Woolston then matched Selwyn in the battle for possession, and there were errors from both sides.

In the last quarter, Selwyn regained some assurance and a quick free hit, well-taken by left half, Craig Burtt, found George Carnoutsos picking the line and receiving the ball at the top of the circle with all but the goalkeeper, Gary Copsey behind him.

Carnoutsos’ picking of a corner for his shot was in keeping with much of his accurate and incisive field Play.

On his right, Jon Carnoutsos tested the Woolston defence with some telling runs, while Paul Wyke at centre forward found some space and showed a level of control in tight situations.

Robin Wilson controlled the centre field tightly, while the backs, Mark Beatson and Alister McGregor, were sound in stopping Woolston’s attacks and in returning the ball to their forwards.

In Woolston’s goal, Copsey blocked well, but left the ball untidily at times.

On defence, Malcolm Woods was quick to the loose ball and quicker still to coun-ter-attack. In the forwards, Mark Rapson carried much of his team’s attacking expertise, while the left half, John Austin, defended stoutly.

P W D L F A Pt Harewood 3 2 1 0 7 0 5 University 3 2 1 0 5 0 5 Selwyn 3 2 1 0 7 3 5 Sydenham 3 1 1 1 2 1 3 Linwood 3 1 1 1 2 3 3 Pegasus 3 1 0 2 7 6 2 H.S.O.B. 3 0 2 1 0 4 2 Redcliffs 3 0 2 1 3 8 2 Woolston 3 1 0 2 1 6 2