BASKETBALL

Southland Times, Issue 24420, 28 April 1941, Page 3

BASKETBALL

Opening Round Of Competitions

The 1941 basketball competitions opened at the Duke street courts on Saturday afternoon. The standard of play was quite good, although rain made playing conditions difficult in some of the later matches. The shooting generally was accurate, particularly in the first grade. Although there were some big winning margins, most of the games were keenly contested. Detailed results are:— FIRST GRADE WALLACETOWN 27 v. McKENZIE’S 2 Playing its first match in the senior grade, Wallacetown beat McKenzie’s in convincing fashion and showed that its entry into the first grade was justified. The Wallacetown team includes some very promisng players and it should be able to give some of the stronger sides a keen game. The shooting of the Wallacetown attacks on Saturday was outstanding, M. Nelson scoring many good goals. As a result of a superiority in the .centre third, Wallacetown secured an abundance of ball. McKenzie’s was definitely outclassed in most departments of the game.

RATA 23 v. STUART’S 10 Stuart’s gave a good display against the strong Rata team and the game was not as one-sided as the score would indicate. Stuart’s opened well and scored three successive goals before Rata settled down. There were many keen struggles for possession in the centre third, with the Rata players slightly superior. A. Pittaway (Rata) was responsible for some good interceptions and J. Swale (Stuart’s) made some fine saves. The Rata attacks saw plenty of the ball and, with L. Mehaffey shooting well, was able to gain a substantial lead. The members of the Stuart’s attack third were not provided with so many opportunities, although their shooting was fairly accurate. The half-time scores were 14-5 in Rata’s favour. Rata held the upper hand in the second half and produced some brilliant passing movements.

HIGH SCHOOL 21 v. TECHNICAL 5 Despite a good start, Technical was outclassed by High School in the later stages of the game. The High School defences had an advantage in height and once they settled down the Technical attacks found it very difficult to penetrate their defence. The High School attacks were not always consistent in their shooting in the first half, but improved in the second half. High School was the better team on the day. COLLEGIATE 19 v. MAKAREWA 12 As a result of good defensive play by both teams, there were no goals scored in the first six minutes of this match. Fortunes fluctuated in the first half and there was little between the teams. Collegiate had a one-goal lead at half-time. Collegiate’s combination and handling improved in the second half and good shooting enabled the team to gain a lead. N. Mathias, the former Central representative, was in good form in Collegiate’s attack third and netted some good goals. D. Mortimer (centre) played a clever game for Makarewa. SECOND GRADE Makarewa 21 beat Rata 4. Woodlands 28 beat Technical 14. St. Mary’s 21 beat Woolworth’s 4. Bluff 14 beat Pirates 12. Kew Nurses 17 beat Collegiate 7. Lome Hospital 14 beat High School 10. THIRD GRADE Pirates 14 beat Rata 4. Kennington 20 beat Stuart’s 7. Collegiate 10 beat St. Mary’s 8. Makarewa 19 beat Bluff 5. \ FOURTH GRADE Bluff 9 beat St. Mary’s 4. Collegiate 10 beat Kennington 6.