Hockey team’s record preserved

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 48

Hockey team’s record preserved

The Canterbury A men’s hockey team preserved its unbeaten record this season with an easy 8-1 win over Ashburton at Porritt Park last evening. Canterbury had a stranglehold on the match, and Ashburton reached the Canterbury circle only a handful of times. On one of those occasions, on the first minute of the second half, a

casual Canterbury defence enabled Derek Cooper to score from a cross from the right. Canterbury plays Wellington in Wellington on Sunday and a repeat of such lax defence will be costly against the Wellington forwards. Progress was difficult for Canterbury. Ashburton defended solidly, often with all 11 players inside

its 25m area. Canterbury passed the ball about with urgency and patience until the gaps opened. The seventh goal, scored , by Richard Schoeman, was an example of its persistence. Eleven passes were strung together before Schoeman completed the move with a deflection. Had the forwards taken more care with their shooting, Canterbury

would easily . have reached double figures. Several shots were wide of the target. A number of others were superbly saved by the Ashburton goalkeeper, Graham Moore. Several times he faced one-on-one confrontations with forwards, and each time he won. Canterbury 8 (Mike Skilton 3, Schoeman 2, Grant Edwards 2, Selwyn Wong) beat Ashburton 1 (Derek Cooper).