BASKETBALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22351, 27 August 1934, Page 6

BASKETBALL

TOURNAMENT CONCLUDED WELLINGTON HEADS MAJOR SECTION • MINOR TROPHY TO POVERTY BAY The final stages'of the New Zealand Basketball tournament attracted a good crowd of spectators to the Drill Hall on Saturday, when the weather was again too wet for outside play. Excellent games were seen, particularly those which decided the minor division competition, and the North-South game was a really exciting encounter. The_ conclusion of the major division competition was decided.on Friday, Wellington having established so great a lead that no other team could catch up, but the fate of the Annie Brown Cup, which goes to the runner-up in the competition, was in doubt until Saturday, when Canterbury successfully beat Otago and definitely took second place. This trophy had been held by Wellington since the inception of the tournament. In the minor division, Poverty Bay went through t& win the President's Shield, which last year was held jointly by Poverty Bay, Waikato, and South Canterbury. These three teams again.made the competition interesting, the lastnamed being the first to drop out when defeated by Waikato in the section final. Poverty Bay then met Waikato and won a well-contested game, the latter and Marlborough having to play off for the Hayhurst Cup, which goes to the runnerup in the minor division. NORTH ISLAND v. SOUTH ISLAND The forceful tactics adopted the South Island team against the North Islanders resulted in the game being one of the most exciting seen in Dunedin for many a day. Clever passing, good team work, and, for the most part, accurate shooting were the. features of the match, and on the play South Island thoroughly deserved its win. Towards the end of the game the light became very poor, and this was reflected in the falling off in the accuracy of the shooting of both sides.

The teams were:— North Island.—J. Eennie (Auckland), N. Bell (Wellington), M. Simmons (Wellington), G. JVTGurk (Wellington), N. Skeen (Auckland), J. Howell (Auckland), J. Sitchbury (Auckland), F. Struthers (Hawke's Bay), M. Blake (Wellington). South Island.—N. Betts Canterbury), 0. Wheatley (Canterbury), I. Glcnnie (Southland), E. Roseveare (Otago), P. Griffiths (Otago), E. Shepherd (Southland), J. Hunter (Canterbury), G. Thompson (Otago), J. Kelly (Southland). From the commencement of play South Island went to a scoring' position, but failed in the shooting. "North Island returned, and J. Rennie shot, but the ball was deflected into the net by a projection from the balcony and the goal was not allowed. Even play followed until South Island evaded the defence, and 0. Wheatley opened the scoring. I. Glennie added another goal, and O. Wheatley scored again. The North Island team, in an excellent effort took play to South's end but poor shooting nullified the effort. South Island had four goals on before W. Bell opened for North Island. South Island was having much the better of the game, and added another two goals in short order, North Island retaliating through N. Bell, who brought North Island's score to three. South Island continued' to have the advantage, bringing the score to 9—-3. The South centre division was decidedly superior to the North centres, of whom N. Skeen was the bes*. J. Hunter was playing an excellent garre in the South Island defence. The htlf time score was: South Island ..'.'. . • 10 goals;. North Island .. .... 6 goals. At the commencement of the second spell South Island went through to score three goals, and after a. short period of fast play South Island scored again. J. Rennie added another two to North's tally, making the scores 14--8. Excitement ran highj and North Island put forth its best efforts to score another three goals. At this stage North Island was playing an improved game, but the shooting was not of the best.. Both sides were unfortunate in not scoring on numesous occasions. With the score at 18—11 both teams were playing fast basketball, but neither could improve its position. Just on time South Island added another goal, and the game ended: . South Island 19 goals. North Island ...... 11 goals. Miss Foster was referee. CANTERBURY v. OTAGO Canterbury was the better team in the game with: Otago for the runners-up trophy, the Annie Brown Cup, previously held by Wellington, The teams\ were as follows: Otago.—W. Howell, H. Mason, N. Benzoni, E. Rosevear, P. Griffiths, G. Thompson. M. Collins, E. Sharp. _ Canterbury.—N. Betts, 0. Wheatley. V. Flood, E. Clements, J. Gibson, G. Winter, J. Hunter, F. Southan, S. Wigmore. Otago opened confidently and attacked, so strongly that it drew ahead to lead by five goals to three. At this stage Canterbury were gradually gaining control, the forwards, playing so well that ■ .the team finally overtook Otago's score to lead by eight goals to six. In the second halt Canterbury was the better team from the first whistle, and was not extended to win by five goals, the scores being:— Canterbury .. .... 14 goals. Otago • • 9 goals. WELLINGTON ▼. AUCKLAND The final game of the senior section between Auckland and Wellington resulted in the former giving its best display in the meeting, although the inconsistency of its forwards marred the team work. The teams were as follows: — Wellington.—M. Simmons, N. Bell, J. Grainger, L. Sturrock, G. M'Gurk, K. White, M. Blake, J. Mitchell, E. Parsons. Auckland.-rA. Noakes, D. Crouch, G. Percival, J.- Howell. N. Skeen, M. Pettitt, P. Norris, J. Stitchbury, H. Wood. The first spell was fast and even, although Auckland had missed a number of opportunities, and Wellington was in the lead at half time. Wellington made few errors in the second half, its defence running the Auckland forwards out of position, so that consistent scoring was impossible, while the winners' forwards goaled accurately when . opportunity offered. The final scores were:— Wellington 18 goals. Auckland ...' 11 goals. MINOR DIVISION MARLBOROUGH r. WELLINGTON ' MINOR After leading by 9 goals to 4 at half time, Marlborough failed to maintain its bustling tactics against Wellington Minor, whose play underwent a rapid improvement towards the finish of the game. . The teams were:— Marlborough.—M. Glesson, N. Douglas, D. Kennedy, P. Thomas, E. Thomas, R.Gilbert, H. Wander, E. Dalziel, B. Allen. Wellington Minor.—J. Burns, H. Dixon, T. Chennels, D. Marsden, 0. Pope, E. Pope, M. Lambourne, K. Cooke, J. Benton. . \ N. Douglas showed good form from the beginning of the game, in the first few minutes of which she caught a high ball nicely, and found the basket. Bustling tactics had Wellington Minor strictly on the defensive, but towards the end of the spell they improved greatly, and narrowed Marlborough's lead to 9—4. In the second spell the game contained more incident, flashes of brilliant piny investing the tussle with interest and excitement for a vociferous gallery. The scoring was very close, but Marlborough managed to maintain the lead to the finish. Scores: Marlborough .. -14 goals. Wellington Minor .. 12 goals. Miss Pearce was the referee. WAIRARAPA ▼. WEST COAST Except for a brief period in the second spell, West Coast failed to reproduce its

form against Wairarapa, who maintained an early lead to win by 23 goals to 13. The teams were:— Wairarapa.—P. Kilminster, O. Long, R. Percy, M. Jones, R. Brown, N. Fleming, G. Angove, M. Gadsby, L. Renner.. West Coast.—H. Ridland, M. Price, B. Tennent, D. Bunt, M. Herring, K. Duncan, I. MMillan, M. Tennent, W. Stevenson. Wairarpa quickly took the lead from the opening whist]-:, overshadowing West Coast completely, the shooting being accurate, and the defence excellent. O. Long and R. Percy combined in passing bouts that invariably went to the shooting third. The half time score was Wairarapa 12, West Coast 3. West Coasts shooting underwent a rapid improvement in the second spell, M. Price netting three goals. Wairarapa then came away in a concerted movement, the forwards combining nicely with the centres to take the ball to the net, where P. Kilminster scored to make the score 18—10 in Wairarapa's favour. A period of desultory play, noticeable for chances of netting being lost, was broken by 0. Long securing two. goals to put her side well in the lead. Coast's efforts were being stemmed by good defence. Toward the end of the game Wairarapa was never extended, the pace being too much for Coast. Wairarapa 23 goals. West Coast 13 goals. Miss Wharton was the referee.

POVERTY BAY v. ASHBURTON A thrilling struggle which provided first-class basketball was given in the game between Poverty Bay (one of the leaders in thi s section) and Ashburton, who led B—6 at half time. In the second spell, however, Bay made repeated thrusts in an effort to take the lead, which was obtained by means of accurate and crisp passing. Only a few minutes, before the final, however, Ashburton levelled the scores and managed to hold Poverty Bay till the finish. The teams were:— ■,•'. Poverty Bay.—R. Stephenson, R. Good, T. Muirhead, E. Wallace, C. Williamson,. A. Heaslip, L. Byrne, S. Dodd, P. Beale. Ashburton.—C. Hewson, R. M'Millan, J. M'Millan, M. Brosnahan, F. Meredith, M. Schluter, I. M'Lennan, T. Stalker, A. Wells. -

Fast and open basketball marked the opening stages of the game, both sides throwing the ball about in fine style. Ashburton gained the first goal, C. Hewson netting the ball after forcing the Bay into its own shooting third, while she again found the basket a moment later with a well-judged shot. With both teams striving hard to increase their totals, the game resolved .itself into an exciting struggle. . In the second spell, Bay made several incursions into Ashburton's third, but good defensive work repulsed all efforts to score. The game was providing fast and accurate shooting, and Poverty Bay equalled the scores again as the result of goals by S. Dodd and L. Byrne (2). Poverty Bay 9, Ashburton 9. For the first time in the game Poverty Bay took the lead, and were three.goals ahead with 10 minutes to play.' Ashburton's positional game underwent a rapid improvement at this stage and this, together with long-range passing, had Bay in trouble. With three minutes to go both sides strove desperately to take the lead, and eventually S." Dodd scored. A.moment later, however, R. M'Millan made the scores equal again, and the game ended:— Poverty Bay .. ..... 12 goals. Ashburton 12 goals. Mrs H. D. Muir was the referee. MANAWATU v. BULLER Manawatu were much too strong for Buller, a fast pace proving an obstacle that militated against any accurate work by the Buller girls. On the other hand, Manawatu's play contained flashes of excellent combination, especially in the shooting third. The teams were:— Manawatu.—J. Payne, J. Clevely, E. Macdonald, J. Barrie, E. Sinclair, M. Bishop, M. Macdonald, N. Miiverton, J. Buller.—A. Costello, J. Robertson, J. Watson, J. Riley M. Jenkin, W. Greenwood, R. Risk, M. Rees, J. Strachan.

From the commencement, Manawatu showed an all-round superiority, and scored rapidly, J. Payne and E. Macdonald netting the majority of the goals. Buller then made a partial recovery, J. Robertson and J. Watson finding the basket in turn. Manawatu's fast passing provided too great an obstacle. In the second spell, Manawatu made repeated invasions into Buller's shooting third with successful results, the score towards the close being 23—10 in Manawatu's favour. Several chances of netting by both sides were lost through inaccurate shooting when in a favourable position. Just before the whistle Buller made a final' spurt, the game ending:— Manawatu .. .. .. . • 28 goals. Buller 11 goalsMr Kinross was the referee. MARLBOROUGH v. WAIKATO Marlborough gained second place in the minor division by defeating Waikato by the margin of 21 goals to 15. The teams were:— Marlborough—M. Glesson, N. Douglas, D. Kennedy, P. Thomas, E. Thomas, R. Gilbert, H. Wander, E. Dalziel, B. Allen. _ ~ _ Waikato.—l. Stuart, E. Robinson, B. Armstrong, V. Gobby, Z. Holmes,- P. Sperby, F. M'Nichol, P. Rogers, S. Kempthorne. Marlborough took the >all into Waikato's goal court at the opening and D. Kennedy netted. E. Robinson just failed to score following a Waikato in cursion, and the Marlborough forwards took the ball to the net, M. Glesson scoring, and immediately afterwards N. Douglas scored from the sideline to give Marlborough a three goal lead. Good passing was demoralising _ any Wuikato movements, which were being confined to their own end. Maintaining the pressure, Marlborough -again scored as the result of efforts by D. Kennedy and N. Douglas in turn, while B. Armstrong opened Waikato's account to make the score s—l.5 —1. Marlborough increased its lead by two goals a minute later, M. Gleeson netting twice. Marlborough's accurate passing was first-class, but faulty shooting was terminating many likely movements. N. Douglas netted for Marlborough, and Waikato's total was increased as the result of goals by B. Armstrong (2), and I. Stuart. Just before half time D. Kennedy netted three times for Marlborough and the spell ended: Marlborough 11, Waikato 7 On resumption- Waikato attacked strongly, and B. Armstrong netted with ' a good shot, but Marlborough took charge for a period, goals coming in quick succession, N. Douglas (2), D. Kennedy (2), and M. Gleeson (I), bringing the score to 16—8. Crisp passing bouts were a feature of Marlborough's play, though the defence of Waikato was very

jteady. Waikato began. to invest more polish into the game, and I. Stuart and E. Robinson netted in turn. Marlborough drew ahead again, M. Glesson and N Douglas finding the basket twice each. Further movements by Marlborough placed them well ahead, the game ending: Marlborough .. .. 21 goals " Waikato 15 goals Mr Kinross was the referee. THE FINAL GAME POVERTY BAY'S GOOD WIN The final game for the President's Shield, between Poverty Bay and Waikato, proved one of the most interesting of the tournament, Bay winning by a margin of one goal after Waikato had held the lead for the greater part of the game. The teams were: — Poverty Bay.—R. Stephenson, R. Good, T. Muirhead. E. Wallace, C. Williamson, A. Heaslip, L. Byrne, S. Dodd, P. Beale. Waikato.—l. Stuart, C. Robinson, S. Ladd, V. Gobby, Z. Holmes, S. Sperby, F. M'Nichol, P. Rogers, S. Kempthorne. Waikato set up an attack from the commencement, I. Stuart essaying two unsuccessful shots at goal from the shooting third. The same player returned almost immediately to open the scoring, and a moment later put her side two goals ahead. S. Ladd scored twice to make the score 4—o in Waikato's favour. Poverty Bay took play to Waikato's shooting third, where L. Byrne scored, and shortly after P. Beale added two more goals, and an excellent shot by P. Beale brought the scores even. Just before half time Waikato scored, and the bell went with the scores 6—5 in Waikato's favour.

Good passing by Poverty Bay characterised the opening of the second half, and the pcore rose to 7—6. Despite desperate efforts by Bay, Waikato continued to have the better of the game. Halfway through the second spell scoring was even, and Bay then secured a one-goal lead, winch was maintained until the final, bell. The game ended: — Poverty Bay 11 goals. Waikato 10 goals. Miss Muir was the referee. LOWER STANDARD OF PLAY The standard of play in the Senior Section was not so high as that produced in previous tournaments, due, in part, to the fact that a number of teams included younger and less experienced players than they have fielded in earlier tournaments. Passing movements were not concerted and forward play was less accurate, the best team displays being given by Wellington, the only team to show improvement, and to play up to standard. Other senior teams were more evenly matched. Otago beat Southland, Southland beat Auckland, Auckland boat Otago. Canterbury, the runners-up and winners of the Annie Brown Cup, played a better game this year, but the play was still characterised by an unorthodox long pa.ss, which was effective against f all other teams' defenders.

Poverty Bay, the winners of the Minor Section, were consistently good and played excellent basketball throughout the tournament, being particularly impressive in defeating Waikato by the narrow margin of one point. The run-ners-un in this section, Marlborough, had a well-deserved success, and this team was one of the niost improved in the tournament. The team has attended tournaments for six years, and this is the first occasion on which it has made progress. RESULTS 6 OF TOURNAMENT

Section winner: Poverty Bay. SECTION FINAL (President's Trophy). Poverty Bay 1 beat Waikato nil. SECTION RUNNERS-UP (Hayhurst Cup). Marlborough beat Waikato.

WINNERS TO DATE NEW ZEALAND CUP 1926—Auckland, at Dunedin. 1927—Auckland, at Wellington. 1928—Auckland, at Auckland. 1929 —Auckland, at Christchurch. 1930—Auckland, at Hastings. 1931—Auckland (by challenge). 1932—Otago, at Invercargill. 1933—Auckland, at Gisborne. 1934—Wellington, at Dunedin. ANNIE BROWN CUP ' 1929—Wellington. 1930—Wellington. 1931—N0 tournament. 1932—Wellington. 1933—Wellington. 1934—Canterbury. PRESIDENT'S SHIELD 1932—Ashburton. 1933—Waikato, South Canterbury, and Poverty Bay. 1934—Poverty Bay. HAYHURST CUP 1933—Wairarapa. 1934—Marlborough.

MAJOR SECTION TABLE. Points. Shield P.W.L.D. F. A. Pts. Wellington ., 5 5 92 59 10 Canterbury .. 5 3 1 1 73 57 7 Southland .. 5 2 2 1 76 54 5 Auckland .... 5 2 3 — 77 77 .4 Hawke's Bay .. 5 — 5 — 47 104 — MINOR SECTION TABLE. Section I. Waikato .... 6 6 — 4 98 58 South Canterbury 6 5 1 — 110 60 Southland Minor 6 3 2 1 77 68 North Otago' .. 6 3 3 — 81 77 Bush 6 2 4—52 72 Manawatu .. 6 1 4 1 103 109 12 10 7 6 4 3 Section winner: Waikato. Section II. Poverty Bay .. 5 4 — 1 78 42 Marlborough .. 5 4 1 — 95 74 Ashburton .. 5 3 1 1 105 79 Wairarapa .. 5 2 3 — 79 82 Wellington Minor 5 1 4 — 76 92 West Coast .. 5 — 5 — 45 109 9 7 4 2