PAEROA HOCKEY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4334, 22 September 1950, Page 5

PAEROA HOCKEY

KAIHERE DEFEATED BEALE SHOOTS WELL A FAST BARD HITTING GAME Paeroa maintained its unbeaten record on its home ground last weekend by defeating Kaihere by three goals to two in a hard game. Both teams favour a fast, hard hitting game and, perhaps because of that similarity, Kaihere players seem to show their best form against Paeroa. Paeroa was perhaps the better balanced team and victory was due to some extent to the fine defence by all three halves as well as the two backs. Paeroa’s half line is functioning better now than at any part of the season but in spite of that the two backs were fully extended on many occasions.

For Kaihere Wilson and Whiteman led the attack and frequently worried the Paeroa defence by their excellent understanding. In spite of his “retirement” Wilson’s stick work and positional play are as good as ever and he directed the attack with all his old cunning. Kaihere scored first from a clever passing movement. Wilson drew the Paeroa defence to the centre and. then tapped the ball to his left where Whiteman took it and carefully Aimed it out of reach of the goalie with a very nice back of the stick shot. Paeroa attacked with determination and from a general melee in the Kaihere circle was awarded a goal when a defender put the ball into his own net. There was some hard hitting across the goal mouth and in trying to field one of these a Kaihere back mis-hit and sent the ball the wrong way. For the final 15 minutes of the first spell the Paeroa halves dominated the game and kept the forwards on attack. Beale received a pass from a halfback and dribbled into the circle. The goalie deflected but could not stop a fierce shot at goal and so Paeroa took the lead. . Again Beale dribbled into the circle but to evade the defenders was forced to his left. The Kaihere goalie ran across to intercept leaving the goal open and Beale centred, the ball going into the goal at an extreme angle. Sherson and Baker were both charging eagerly in and it was difficult to tell whether Beale was passing to them or actually aiming at the goai but the shot had sufficient angle to take it into the net.

In the second half Foote came up to centre-forward for Kaihere and made a number of dangerous solo attacks. Wilson and Whiteman did the same but the forward line lacked something of the cohesion and understanding shown in the" first half, Kaihere was determined to score and launched attacks from its own circle. From one of these Wilson broke through on his own and scored with a well placed shot. The goalie tried to charge it down and got one foot to the ball but could not deflect it clear of the goal. Foote was being well marked by W. Kemp and never once got a clear shot at the goal. O’Meara was also showing his best form and his remarkable eye and spectatcular back of the stick shots were the envy of many younger players. .