Second National Under 23 Trial

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31093, 23 June 1966, Page 14

Second National Under 23 Trial

Christchurch will hold the second national trial to select a New Zealand under-23 soccer team to play Australia and the Hong Kong combined club side later this season.

The second trial, between: the under-23 teams of Canter-1 bury and Otago, wilT be played at English Park on Sunday, July 3. The Canterbury team will be chosen by the senior selector (Mr V. R. Smith) and the Otago team by its provincial selector. After this match it is planned to hold either a North v. South match or Auckland v. Rest of New Zealand, in Auckland later In July. One of the three national selectors, Mr G. Smith, of Christchurch, at the week-end watched the first trial in Auckland, where Auckland beat the Rest of the North Island, 3-1. “It was largely the triumph of a team that has played together this season against a side which had come together for the first time," Mr Smith said yesterday. “This match also showed that the under-23 team that was brought together for the first time last year wilt again provide the nucleus of the team that will play Australia and Hong Kong. “I thought there were at least three positions that would probably be keenly

; contested —wing-half, eentrehalf and inside-forward." Mr Smith picked out three players who had been outstanding in the Auckland trial—G. Lamont, the Auckland inside-left. E. Thomas, the diminutive Waikato fullback, and J. Harlock, the Waikato goal-keeper. “Harlock gave a display of fearless, technically brilliant goalkeeping,” said Mr Smith. “If he continues to reproduce his performance against Auckland he will be a ! distinct threat to last season's under-23 'keeper, O. Nuttridge, of Canterbury.” The one big disappointment of the Auckland trial, said Mr Smith, was the withdrawal of three prominent players because of injury or illness—D. Jones (Auckland), M. Burgess (Auckland), and J. Moyes (Waikato). Among the other players to reveal good form were C. Latimour, the Auckland right-back, J. Leg, the Auckland left-wing, D. Gendatl, the Wellington left-half, and B. Leutschke, the Auckland left wing. Auckland led the Rest of the North Island, 2-1, at halftime, and only clinched the match in the last few minutes with its third goaf.