Rangers keep top soccer place

Press, 27 April 1987, Page 26

Rangers keep top soccer place

Rangers retained their place at the top of the Hertz travelling soccer league when they scored a comfortable 5-1 win against Caversham at Rangers Park on Saturday. Rangers have won their four opening matches to be three points clear of Burndale United and the Christchurch second team, both of which had good wins on Saturday. Burndale scored four second-half goals to beat the luckless Oamaru, 4-0, at English Park, but for a long time looked in danger of dropping points. Oamaru, which has yet to win a match, proved a stubborn opponent, and the scoreline flattered Bumdale. Oamaru was unlucky not to score on several occasions and its defence, marshalled by the experienced Alan Coffey, proved tough to crack. Coffey’s bald head acted like a radar for the ball in the first half, as Burndale probed forward with high balls. His positive approach brought out the best in his fellow defenders. Oamaru lacked punch in attack however, only Gordon McClennan troubling Burndale, and its midfielders were on the back foot for much of the match. Burndale should have gone into the dressing rooms ahead at half-time, but squandered several chances. The crossbar intervened when Mike Boomer’s chip over the goalkeeper bounced a centimetre too high. Burndale survived an early scare when Mike Banks headed a free kick just wide, but took the lead with a controversial penalty. Boomer was pushed in the back by a defender and knocked off balance, the referee deciding a penalty was justified.

As the Oamaru players argued Boomer slotted the penalty for a 1-0 lead. The Burndale wing, Peter Ross, made the second goal when he weaved to the byeline and crossed for Jeff Hawker to tap in and then scored himself, firing a shot which went under the goalkeeper, Robbie Duncan. Boomer completed the scoring when he ran onto a Hawker pass and beat Duncan with a left-foot shot, just reward for a fine game. Bumdale has now scored 13 goals in four games and conceded only three. If it continues to improve, as seems likely, it should be challenging for the championship until the final rounds. Christchurch hammered South Canterbury United, 5-0, in Timaru, to stay secondequal. South Canterbury has now conceded a mammoth 22 goals in four games.

Results:—Hertz qualifying league section A: Bumdale 1, Baisweil 0; Burwood 2, Ashburton 2; Cashmere 1, Christchurch United 0; Kaiapoi 0, New Brighton 4; Nomads 1, H. 5.0.8. 1. Points—Bumdale 12, New Brighton 12, Cashmere 12, Nomads 7, Baisweil 4, Christchurch 2, Kaiapoi 2, 8.5.0.8. 2, Burwood 1, Ashburton 1. Section B: Rangiora 1, Technical 2; Riccarton 1, Rangers 2; St Albans-Shirley 0, Shamrock 2; Western 6, West Coast 0; Woolston 4, University 1. Points: Woolston 12, Shamrock 10, Technical 10, Rangers 7, University 6, S.A.S. 4, Riccarton 3, Western 3, Rangiora 0, West Coast 0.

P W D L F A Pt Rangers 4 4 0 0 12 3 12 Bumdale 4 3 0 1 13 3 9 Chch 4 3 0 1 12 3 9 Dur..City 4 2 0 2 10 7 6 Western 4 2 0 2 6 6 6 Caversham 4 2 0 2 7 12 6 Oamaru 4 0 0 4 3 13 0 SthCanty 4 0 0 4 4 22 0