BASKET BALL

Southland Times, Issue 20538, 14 July 1928, Page 7 (Supplement)

BASKET BALL

(By “Defence.”) ! NEW ZEALAND TOURNAMENT I The dates for the annual tournament ' have at last been settled, but in a way j that does not help the southern associal tions to gain the coveted cup. Since the Auckland Association refuses to extend hospitality to the visiting teams over a weekend, the Southland team especially will have a very strenuous time. A telegram announcing that no change could be made in the dates already named by the Auckland Basketball Association, August 22 to August 25, was received by the New Zealand President too late to be announced to the Southland Basketball Association at its meeting last week, so no definite arrangements (have yet been made for the Southland team. The officers of the association in an informal discussion however are considering the advisability of taking I the team as far as Dunedin on Sunday, August 19 and staying the night there, going on to Wellington with the Otago team on Monday morning. The team would then have a chance of a good night's sleep which they might not get on the train and would do away with the difficulty of spending a whole day aimlessly in Christchurch. xA whole day will have to be spent in Wellington on Tuesday, 21st, by all the South Island teams, who will leave with the Wellington team by the Limited on Tuesday night arriving in Auckland at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday. The Auckland Basketball .Association insists that matches commence the same afternoon at 1.30 p.m., which is why I said at the beginning that the southern associations had not much chance of winning the New Zealand Basketball Cup. I am not familiar enough with the North Island time-table to know the exact details of the return journey, but if possible the team leaves on Sunday night, August 26, catches the ferry on Monday night and arrives home again on Tuesday, 28th, at 9.2 p.m. There are a few associations! not yet in a position to affiliate with the New Zealand Association and it is possible that Southland may be invited to play matches in these centres on the homeward journey which would delay the return home two or three days. I have not seen the team at practice, but I consider there are some surprises in it. B. Wall (Rata), M. Boyd (Rata), A. McGavock (Kiwi), I. Dempster (Kiwi) were practically chosen at the commencement of the season, and E. McCurdy (Rata), M. Wright (Makarewa) and A. Calder (High School) were added to the list quite early, but there has been a good deal of consideration about the others. S. Murdoch (Rata) was not seriously in the running until quite recently, P. Calder (Bluff), A. Abbey-Jones (Pirates) holding equal honours, but Stella has evidently been included for her quickness and the ease with which she has learnt to combine with B. Wall and M. Wright. M. Shand (Rata) played very well indeed earlier in the season, but after the match with Bluff I had thought neither she nor E. McCurdy were good enough. 1 liked N. Clare (High School), C. Wiig (Bluff), Mrs Mortimer (Makarewa) better. Bluff players I Expect are not included be cause the game they play being so different from that aimed at by the selector makes it difficult for them to combine with the rest of the team. Miss Greig has made being able to catch any and every ball the first consideration which will be why Rose Hinchey (High School), D. Bryan (Kiwi) and A. AbbeyJones (Pirates) are not there. B. Wall Is not always a sure catch, but she has the best idea of position of anyone in Southland ’and because of that she is a valuable member. NEW ZEALAND TROPHIES. The New Zealand Basketball Association owns a very fine silver cup which was presented to the association anonymously in 1925, and has been won on the two occasions there have been tournaments by Auckland; at Dunedin in 1926 during the exhibition and at Wellington in 1927. On these occasions Wellington has come a very close second. Last year also the N.Z. Council designed silver fern leaf badges with a basketball in the centre of the leaf and each member of the winning team owns one. OTAGO MATCH. Next week I shall have the names of the Otago team for publication. The team arrives on Saturday morning by the night express from Christchurch, and will play at 3 p.m. at Waihopai School. After the match they and the Southland team will be entertained at afternoon tea at the Mary Elizabeth and later there will be a dance at the City Hotel. Any basketbailer may come at a cost of 2/6. Arrangements are also in hand to take the team motoring on Sunday, and they will leave here by the night express. The match between Southland and Otago will be preceded at 2 p.m. by a game between Technical College and Collegiate Intermediate (Wednesday team). I would suggest that primary schools’ coaches might inform their teams, so that some of these players may see a first class game. SATURDAY’S MATCHES. St. Mary’s played thei best game this season against Pirates, who beat them only by 2 points. The Pirates team was rather disorganized certainly; neither A. Abbey Jones nor L. Lawrence was playing and these were replaced by two intermediate j players, but the team was quite a good

one nevertheless. Julia Cahill as usually was shooting accurately and there was some good combination, although ignorance of how best to get into position for receiving a ball is still noticeable. I have said before that I don’t think it is usually in the interests of a team to keep on changing the position of the players, but A. Roberts really played an excellent game in the centre and could have given points to many of those who are considered Southland’s best centres. The match between Rata and Makarewa was a very good example of what a game should be, and being so very evenly contested was more interesting. M. Wright has certainly learnt a great deal since she began practising with the reps. She could always throw goals, but now she has learnt the value of coming out to a ball away from her defence and Rata’s defence are a sound combination. Passing in both teams was good and there was a lack of fumbling with the ball. Makarewa won because of their better shooting third. Iris McDonald and L. McLauchlan have improved wonderfully, but they haven't the same confidence when they hold the ball as A. Beer and L. Ward. In the intermediate grade Makarewa played a much superior game to Rosedale, who played as individuals. It is to be wondered that they didn’t play better, because their team was not altered in any way whereas the Makarewa team had a new player in the centre. J. Fotheringham is a strong player and helped her team considerably and the shooting trio were quite as good as usual. St. Peter’s had their second win this season and they thoroughly deserved it. Collegiate like Rosedale were playing a ragged game due possibly to the fact that the members of their team all seemed to have different places. The following table shows the points scored to date:—

REPRESENTATIVE TEAM. The team was announced in the papers | at the beginning of the week, and naturally ; one wonders how many basketballers are • satisfied that it is the last choice. Of . course everyone knows that had three selectors been asked to choose what each considered was the best team Southland has, there would be differences in each list. Miss Greig is undoubtedly the best person in this Province to act as selector, so that the executive will send the team chosen knowing that it will be a good one. I I understand that the selector may change any girl whom she considers does not play to form either at the curtain raiser on July 21 or against Otago on July 28. The team is not complete yet as another girl for each centre has to be announced to travel to Auckland. SCHOOL MATCH. On Monday I was asked by St. Catherine’s club to referee two matches against | St. Patrick’s Teschemaker’s, and I thor- I oughly enjoyed the games. The weather ' conditions were ideal, warm and no wind. The juniors played first and though the I passing was slow, the catching was sure and there was no overguarding. St. Pat- | rick's centres were very weak with the | result that their defences were kept very , busy and their shoots did not handle the i ball at all during the first five minutes. | After that the game was rather more even. 1 The senior game was fast, and there was some very good attempts at passing—1 mean the girls threw correctly, but so often I their support was not in position, the ball I was lost. St. Catherine’s played hard the ■ whole .game and I have never refereed two ! matches in succession where there was so | little need of a whistle. St. Patrick’s had ! good defences, who could stop the ball, ; but. who had no sense of position. Ina j Fraser is a player with a good idea of position and C. Cowie is a sound jumping centre, while M. Martin did a great deal of work in her third. I was disappointed however in that there was so little jumping for the ball by any of the teams. School teams especially should jump for all balls as a matter of course. I understand that the St. Patrick girls play only occasional games with other teams, so that they had not the same experience as the home side. PRIMARY SCHOOL’S MATCH. The following report was given to me of a recent match between the two leading teams in the senior section of the primary schools’ competition. North v. Waihopai. North players: A. Matheson, T. Blackburn, V. Martin, M. Ramsay, M. Woodward, P. Jarvis, D. Pomeroy, J. Bell, M. Cram, Waihopai players: W. Ken sington, A. Kerr, C. Jackson, D. Bryan, F. Hinchy, C. Ronald, M. Huffadine, J. McCrosbie, R. McLeod. It was a most interesting game and the standard of play was high for school basketball. Centres in both teams were the weakest sec* ion, although North were belter than Waihopai. Their jumping centre Mona Woodward nearly always beat Fay Minchy for the ball and intercepted many ; pa.sses meant for the latter player. The Waihopai shoots have a very good idea j of position and of throwing to space but , were a little slow in getting rid of the ball. I North shoots were quick, but did not play ! so well together as the Waihopai three. I Jessie Bell (North) played a very fine game j as defence and did much )xi preventing the ' Waihopai score from mooting higher. For ' a first year player J. (Waihopai' j shapes well and she dfr.ald be heard of . later. The final score tMs 12—8 in favour : of North. And now that we have had one report ■ of a match and that from a spectator, not ] from a member of the Schools’ Association, could we have some more results and the table of points. WEDNESDAY MATCHES. Wednesday players have usually been treated to much better weather than the Saturday basketballers, but this weak play was continually interrupted by heavy showers, and there was a heavy wind all , the time. The practice Reps, v Rest was postponed until to-day, when we hope for better things. Rata Intermediate defaulted to St. Peter’s and it is to be hoped that they can satisfy the executive that the reason was adequate otherwise the team is liable to be fined. The only surprising result was the draw between Kiwi and Collegiate. Collegiate, I hear, played an extraordinarily

the Royd.s Shield will be won by either Makarewa or Collegiate, although Rata keeps closely behind. The following are the positions:—Collegiate 40, Makarewa 40, Rata 34, Kiwi 32, Pirates 26, Bluff 22, St. I Peter's 21. SUB-ASSOCIATIONS. The Winton Basketball Club held a meeting on Wednesday attended by representatives from Winton, Limehills, Forest Hill and Otautau. It was decided that a Central District Sub-Association be formed and Mr Lewis (Limehills) was appointed president, and Miss Martin (Winton) secretary. A further meeting of delegates from these clubs would be held immediately and competitions arranged and a constitution drawn up. Otautau mentioned that they hoped to form a Western District Sub-Association, but thanked the Winton club for the invitation to be present. After the meeting a knock-out tournament similar to those held last year was played; the results have already been published. There Is a marked improvement in all the play in this district; it is still fur too slow, because there is too little competition, | but some of the passing was most enjoyable. There is still a lack of good catching and not enough jumping for the ball, although 1 was glad to notice that the High School team was evidently being coached along those lines. None of the jumping centres, with the possible exception of M. Manson 1 (Winton) realised that her responsibility in that position was to get the bull to her own side. Each waited on the other and in the case of Otautau the position of standing did not admit of getting the ball quickly. Limehills was disappointing; they can catch and pass and throw goals much better than they did on Wednesday and I feel that Forest Hill deserved its win, 1 although the game had to be prolonged I nearly six minutes before there was a turj ther score and then it was a free throw against an overguard from Limehills. Winton players caught and held their ball ; better than their opponents and their win I was due to that. I would suggest that all these teams should now concentrate on I hearing more about position on the field | when I am sure they could safely challenge some of the town teams.

SENIOR. Club Pts p. W. L. D. Points For. Agnst Bluff 11 11 0 152 65 22 Rata 11 6 n - 83 73 12 Collegiate 11 6 n — 81 61 12 Makarewa 11 6 5 — 110 115 12 Pirates 11 4 7 — 84 104 8 St. Mary’s 11 0 11 — 31 126 0 INTERMEDIATE. Makarewa 11 9 2 124 69 20 Rosedale 11 n 5 1 84 84 11 Collegiate 11 3 6 2 63 74 8 St. Peters 11 2 8 1 63 93 0

good game. Senior P. W. D. L. Points. Kiwi 9 7 1 1 114 64 15 High School 8 5 1 2 122 91 11 Pirates 9 6 — 3 99 66 12 Rata .. .. 8 5 1 2 118 76 11 Makarewa 9 4 — 5 102 83 8 Collegiate .. 8 1 1 6 59 116 3 St. Mary’s 9 0 — fl 40 155 0

INTERMEDIATE Points. p. w. D. L. Collegiate 10 9 — 1 142 34 18 Kiwi .. .. 10 8 — 2 84 34 16 St. Peter’s 10 8 — 2 88 47 16 Rata .. .. 10 6 1 3 76 41 11 Progressive 10 Q — 5 69 59 10 Pirates 10 2 2 K 81 102 6 C. Methodist 10 1 1 8 39 94 3 St. Mary’s 10 0 — 10 16 176 0 At the present time it wouk appear that