RETAINED BY CANTY

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31096, 27 June 1966, Page 5

RETAINED BY CANTY

Basketball S.I. Title f.V.Z. Press Association? INVERCARGILL. Canterbury retained the South Island women's Indoor basketball title when it beat Otago 52-41 in a tense, exciting final at Surrey Park Stadium. Invercargill, on Saturday night. Although both teams had unbeaten records at the championships belore the final, the experience of the five top Canterbury players was expected to be too much of a hurdle for the Otago team, and so it proved. . Otago put up a stirring fight, however, and had Canterbury rattled at the end of the first half when the score was 26 points each. But any chance Otago may have had to topple Canterbury was lost by the unexplainable tactics of the Otago coach.

He took his top scorers, E. Murray and V. Preston, both off for the first five minutes of the second half, severely weakening the attacking potential of the Otago team. However, the main disadvantage was that Canterbury’s tail centre, Mrs Valerie Young, was then able to monopolise play around the baskets. Previously her activities had been confined by the close attention of Preston.

This point decided the game. Canterbury went into a 12-point lead in those five minutes, and although Murray and Preston were brought back on Otago could not reduce the deficit.

Results of other games were: Otago 71, Eastern Southland 22: Canterbury 73, Southland 42: Southland 36, Eastern Southland 26.