Keen Competition in South Island Basketball Championship Tournament

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27096, 2 June 1949, Page 4

Keen Competition in South Island Basketball Championship Tournament

Sports Commentary

By the Sports Editor

Otago will be represented at Christchurch over the King’s Birthday week-end by both men’s and women’s indoor basketball teams which wil] compete in the South Island Championships. No details are available as to which provinces will be competing, .but it is probable that Nelson, Canterbury and Southland in addition to Otago will send teams, in which event the competitions should be keenly contested.

The Otago men’s team, announced last week, should meet with general satisfaction since it contains a judicious mixture of experience and youth and, therefore, should give a good account of itself in spite of the fact that the players have not yet had many competition games in which to play themselves into form. Perhaps the most notable absentee from this' year's team is the versatile J. W. Paterson, known equally well for his lawn tennis and Rugby ability, who in the past has found his way into New Zealand indoor basketball teams, -nd on one occasion captained the national team; but after several years of continued activity, both winter and summer, he has decided that he will take a rest. Unlike the men, Otago women’s teams have not been prominent in either South Island or New Zealand championships. In fact, a Grading Committee appointed at the last national women s championships recommended that Otago be relegated to B Grade competition until such time as its standard of play warrants its contesting the senior championship. The team announced to contest this year’s South Island Championship contains the names of some players who will be representing the province for the first time. If this combination does reasonably well at Christchurch, and then continues to practise together until the national championships under the direction of an experienced coach, there is no reason why they should not improve to the standard required to justify their being promoted for future New Zealand championships.