Hockey team in awesome form for final

Press, 1 September 1989, Page 48

Hockey team in awesome form for final

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Canterbury is one match away from the completion of an exceptional season in women’s hockey, and threateningly it has reached its most awesome form at the right time.

Canterbury last night beat Waikato, 7-0, in a semi-final of the Premier Trophy section of the national women’s tournament, at Porritt Park, and will play Auckland in the final tomorrow. Earlier yesterday Auckland beat Hawke’s Bay, 20.

Canterbury has been building to peak form slowly this week, but the first 20 minutes of its semi-final last night was its best hockey of the season.

It started with urgency, understanding and precision passing that cut the Waikato defence to ribbons time and again. Canterbury was four goals ahead after 14 minutes and not surprisingly the pace then slackened, but the red and blacks remained in total charge.

They have now played four games at the tournament, scored 22 goals and conceded none. Those statistics are another chapter in an already magnificent record this season.

Canterbury has played 16 representative games, including an international against Japan, scored 81 goals — an average of more than five a game — and conceded five. Those figures suggest a Canterbury win tomorrow but the coach, Shirley Haig, and the team members, are highly conscious

that four of the goals conceded this season have been to Auckland. At the Champions tournament in Wellington in June Canterbury beat Auckland, 21, and in a representative match in Auckland last month the result was a 3-3 draw.

Canterbury delighted the crowd of several hundred with its play last night. There had been a worry before the tournament that the Canterbury players might be jaded. Nine of the squad are

members of the national team which has had a busy season, but the players dispelled any notions last night that they were jaded. Passing in the crucial area inside the opposition 25 has been lax on occasions this season but last night those passes were-

made with laser-beam ac-

curacy in the first 20 minutes. All the forwards dribbled with skill and determination and supported by a lively midfield Waikato was camped for long periods inside its

half. It conceded 11 penalty corners in the first half. Mary Clinton belted in three first-half penalty corners and the other goal was a magnificent drive on the run from the top of the circle by the energetic Kate Trolove, who received a beautiful pass from the inside right,

Maree Flannery. Sue Duggan scored from a penalty corner variation in the second half, Chris Arthur from a penaltystroke, and Jenny Turner completed the scoring five minutes from the end. Auckland always looked the superior side in the other semi-final. It held possession well' and its forwards showed more skill and variety on attack. Hawke’s Bay lacked the same vitality on attack although it was still able to cause the Aucklanders some anxious moments. Robyn Toomey scored the first Auckland goal after 23 minutes from a penaltycorner. A minute later Trudy Kilkolly, the Hawke’s Bay sweeper, was given a temporary suspension for a tackle that was no worse than numerous others perpetrated during the game but which went unpunished. Kilkolly’s steadying influence on defence was missed and during her absence Toomey scored again. Canterbury B assured itself of first place in the Floyd Shield section when it beat Eastern Southland, 4-0. It has scored 19 goals in four games and conceded none, giving the Canterbury teams a superb double to date.

Results, page 19