Two teams get first points

Press, 26 April 1988, Page 32

Two teams get first points

Woolston. an<J High School Old Boys gamed their first points in the! Christchurch premier men’s (hockey championship at Porritt Oval yesterday.

Woolston! played Sydenham, and these' twjo teams are likely to be near the bottom of the table, this season. Woolston played with flair yesterday, and -thoroughly deserved its success, because the varied ’attack that it employed paid off. High School! Old Boys has had a bad staijt to the season with losses in its previous three games [against strong teams. !

Yesterday it did - not play with the' freedom it has shown in (earlier games and after being a [goal up had to settle for a il-l draw with Redcliffs which is starting to build a pattern after spending the first three games settling down wjjhi n largely new attack. ‘ I

The two other championship games scheduled for lhe week-end between Pegasus and Un'iversity. and Harewood arid Selwyn. were postponed until May 3. Both Pegasus arid Harewood had players |at the New Zealand squad's (ioaching week-end in Wellington. HIGH SCHOOL OLD BOYS 1 (Kerry Thomas) REDCLIFFS 1 (Ben Herbert) Redd ffs enjoyed a dominance of possession but it, had to come from behind to score the equhlL«er and was then frustrated in the last! 15 minutes||when it poured .several attacks into the Old Boys circle. |l The first 15 minutes; belonged Ito Redcliffs. It [controlled the mid-field and [built its attacks safely, but could not pierce the tight Old Boys defence once inside the 25m area. Twenty-five minutes Into the firslt-half Old Boys made

its first attack into the! Redcliffs circle and forded a penalty-corner which Kerry Thomas thumped home.

Bruce Loader, in the Redcliffs goal, made a ’ point blank save three minutes into the second-half. That near miss brought more urgency into the Redcliffs attack.

Ben Herbert equalised from a penalty-corner nine minutes into the half, but several others forced by Redcliffs in the half were spoilt by poor trapping of the hit out.

, For a period in the middle of the half, play see-sawed with both sides getting shots at goal. There were also a host of trapping and passing errors, but the closeness of the game maintained the tension.

One Old Boys penalty-cor-ner rebounded off Loader's pads on to the cross-bar and to the feet of three Old!Boys forwards but they failed to

control the ball and Redcliffs cleared. At: the other end Rod Hefford; and Jeremy Paynter broke into the circle several times but could not set up the vital goal.

Redcliffs missed the thrust of Richard Schomean at centre-forward. He was at the New; Zealand coaching school. WOOLSTON 3 (Barry Phillips'2. Mark Rapsonl I SYDENHAM 0 Woolston enjoyed more space than it had had in its previous three games. Tlje forwards in particular found gaps in the mid-field and attacking area and placed frequent pressure on the Sydenham defence. The Woolston passing was more accurate and possessed more urgency than Sydenham’s. W oolston went a goal ahead after 15 minutes with a Iwell constructed move that started

at half-way and involved several players. Mark Rapsqn featured in the move and was in position to finish it with the Sydenham defence split asunder. ’ ' I In the second-half Woolston tightened its grip, breaking out of defence swiftly. Barry Phillips. Malcolm Wood and Rapson caused the sluggish Sydenham defence considerable consternation with their ability to run on to through balls and overhead passes.! Phillips scored Woolstori's second goal when the bill deflected to him in the goalmouth. and he scored the third after a series of cross field passes left him free'in the circle.

The Sydenham forwards restricted their ability to attack by failing to use the full width of the field. The sidelines could have been taken in 10m on each side in the second-half and it would not have affected them.