Hockey West Coast entry worth while

Press, 9 April 1979, Page 25

Hockey West Coast entry worth while

The West Coast’s entry in the inter-association hockey league, which is being incorporated with the Christchurch, senior competition, has proved to be well worth while after the first round. The Coast played two games at the week-end to save itself a trip to Christchurch later in the competition, and it returned home last evening with a loss and a win to its credit. On Saturday the Coast lost to Svdenham-Cashmere, but yesterdav it was too strong for Woolston and won 2-0, a good indication of its dominance of the game. . Woolston itself featured in a surprise result on Saturday when it drew with High School Old Boys, 1-all. Had it not been for a stupid error late in the game it might have won. Old Boys equalised from a penalty-corner five minutes from full-time. It was awarded when a Woolston player hit the ball away after a breach inside the ». Pegasus caused the greatest surprise of the first round when it beat Redcliffs, 3-0. Pegasus has recovered from the loss of two key players from last season, the Griffin'brothers, and its game based on sound teamwork should cause most of the other senior sides probelms. Unfortunately it will lose two key players — Ivan Thomson and Roger Turner — later in the season. Selwyn-Hillmorton missed its two New Zealand representatives, Mark Burtt and George Carnoutsos, from its forward line and onlv managed a draw with Timaru United, one of two South Canterbury sides in the interassociation league. The other South Canterbury team, South Canterbury Country, lost to Linwood United but showed it has talent which should develop with exposu?e to the higher standard of play in the league. Results and scorers were: Pegasus 3 (I. Thomson 2, D. iseate i),Kedciiffs u. Selwyn-Hillmorton 0. Timaru United U. Svdenham-Cashmere 2 (M. Peacock, D. Williams), West Coast u. University 4 (S. Maister 2, B. Mais ter. W. Shillito). Harewood 1 (B. McLean). High School Old Boys 1 (P. Ritarm), woolston 1 (G. cnaikiin). Linwood 4 (R. Parry, D. Small, T. Waghorn, G. Barrett), South Canterbury Country 2 (C. Leslie, L. McKercnar). West Coast 2 (C. Schafer, A. Schafer), woolston u. TEAM-WORK WINS West Coast gave Woolston a lesson in how hockey should be plaved at Garrick Park yesterday. The Coast thoroughly deserved its win and it would have been an injustice had it drawn, as it appeared it might have when Woolston came close to scoring 10 minutes from tne end. The Coast concentrated on the basic principles of passing and trapping, and it had the Woolston defence at sea in the final quarter When it had open space the Coast moved forward quickly, but it was not afraid to use lateral passes when the need arose — even at the top of the Woolston circle. The Coasts first goat came from a penalty-corner struck by the beefy full-back, Alan Schafer, and his brother, Colin, scored the second 10 minutes from full-time when he turned a cross from the right wing, Allan Hill, past the Woolston goalkeeper, Gary Copsey. Colin Schafer led his team superbly from centre-half. He encouraged them verbally for good play, and was an excellent

example with well-timed and accurate passes, particularly to his nside-right, Brian Aynsley. He in turn combined with Hill in some rapid passing movements down the ngnt flank. Copsey, in goal, was the best Woolston player, but in front of iim the defence was poorly organised, and there was little understanding between the forwards. COMFORTABLE WIN Three goals in the first half and stout defence in the second enabled Pegasus to score a comfortable and unexpected 3-0 win against Kedcliifs. The successful senior debut of Neil Watson, and Jeff Bailey’s return to the right win after several season’s absence, were the main features of the Pegasus win. Roger Turner nandled his new position at inside-right energetically and combined well wiin Paul Gardiner at centre-forward. Paul Wayman, perhaps the most underrated goal-keeper in Christchurch, picked up the pieces for a defence which will need to tidy up some aspects of positional play in future games. For Redcliffs, Neil Coster at right-half was steady on defence and played a useful attacking role, but in general the defence lacked cohesion. lan Jackson, with some skilful dribbling and good running off the ball, was by far Redcliffs’s best forward, but his colleagues seemed reluctant to give him tne ban. Pegasus’s goals came from two penalty corners by Ivan Thomson and a field goal by Darryl Neate. MINOR UPSET Woolston caused a minoi; upset when it held the highly regarded High School Old Boys side to 1-all. Neither side came to grips with the slow ground, with the result that passes seldom reached their intended destinations. Those that did were often mistrapped. Woolston scored first early in the second half when Geoff Chaikin slipped tne ball past the Old Boys goalline defence only seconds after a previous shot from Steve Cox had nit tne post.

The equaliser for Old Boys < came five minutes from full-time i when Paul Ritarni found the net i from a penalty-corner. EXPERIENCE TELLS 1 As it has been for the last 12 years, University will be the most difficult side to beat in the senior competition this season. Its game on Saturday was against ■ one of the stronger club sides, Harewood, but there was never J much doubt about the result. University’s 4-1 win was an indication of the strengths of the , teams. 1 Harewood has suffered from the loss of Alan Chesney, now living in Australia, and Balvant ; Bhana, who. is away with the New Zealand team. University, ] on the other hand, hardly 1 noticed the loss of Paul Acker- 1 ley, who has moved to Manawatu, and John Christensen, w’ho is also absent with the New Zealand side. With players of the calibre of the Maister brothers, Barry, Selwyn, and Chris, Greg Pierce, Ewen Holstein, and Rodger McHarg, University still has 1 ample experience. Harewood had the first scoring chance but the goal was disallowed because a forward was off-side. Soon afterwards University scored through Warwick Shillito, the inside-right, playing in his first senior match. Selwyn Maister gave University a second goal from a penalty-corner, but Harewood fought back and narrowed the gap when Bruce McLean scored minutes before the interval. In the secon dhalf early-season errors crept into the play of both teams, but University maintained enough control to dominate possession. The Harewood defence finally cracked after several attacks and Barry Maister scored. The fourth University goal was scored by Selwyn Maiscer from a penalty-stroke. TEAM REVITALISED South Canterbury Country posed quite a few problems in this game before Linwood United finally cast off the lethargy ne finally cast off the lethargy one supporter appropriately described as “the beginning-of-sea-son blues." In the first half Linwood play

ers frequently failed to find their man with passes, hit over the top of the ball, and appearing to lack either the speed or fitness of tneir opponents. Mid-way through the first half South Canterbury scored twice in the space of smin — once from a penalty-stroke directed high into the net by Chris Leslie. Only a late goal by Roy Parry gave some respectability to Linwood’s first half, during which one team member was moved to exclaim: “Where’s the bloody detence?" In the second spell, though, it was a different story. Linwood revealed some deficiencies but there was a more urgent air, passes were strung together more accurately, and three fine goals were added to secure what was eventually quite an easy victory. One of the better Linwood players was the right wing, Graham Williams, who was a little inconsistent but featured with one dashing solo burst in the second half that all but led to a goal. Williams helped put his team in front soon afterwards with a good pass across the goal which enabled Terry Waghorn to score with a spectacular diving lunge at close range. Greg Barrett, at right back, also played well. Leslie was industrious on the right win for South Canterbury and there were also encouraging efforts from Mike Hervey (fullback), who made some fine saves, Allan Hull, and Eion McKerchar. LOST CHANCES Selwyn-Hillmorton players and supporters were bemoaning squandered opportunities after the scoreless draw with Timaru United. The home side had at least its fair share of penalty corners, yet was unable to convert any of them into goals. Some goals were saved by the skill of the Timaru goal-keeper, whose performance eminentlysuited a man with a name like Barry Angel. There w r as some good work on defence, too, by the backs, Neville Rawstron and ‘ Nigel Blake, the latter saving one probable goal in the closing seconds from a well-struck attempt

by the Selwyn inside-right, Jeff Pepper. Generally, the Selwyn effort was notable for one major failing — poor passing — while the Timaru players, on the other hand, found their men very well. No Selwyn team members really distinguished themselves and their play was rather “muddiv.” However, the centre-half, Robin Wilson, gave a typically steady performance. Timaru went close to scoring ( on quite a few occasions in the secon 1 half; the right wing, Wayne Anner, was the most impressive on attack. NOT OUTPLAYED While Sydenham-Cashmere was perhaps marginally superior in all facets of the game, West Coast at least deserved the reward of one goal considering the amount of attacking it did. Coast had more penalty corners than Sydenham and never really looked like capitalising on them, but on other occasions; field goals looked imminent and Marty Fitzsimons, a national trialist, was once really stretched to stop a shot thundering towards the corner of the net. Sydenham scored one goal in each half, the first a good drive down the middle by Murray Peacock (centre-half), when the ball came loose at the top of the circle, and the other a penaltycorner by Doug Williamson after a deft hand-stop. Williamson, the centre-for-ward, looked very frustrated at times with his failures to get the ball into the back of the net. Once he directed the ball straight at the keeper’s pads and only a minute or two later put a shot high over the top from close in, as he again attempted too big a hit. For much of the game play surged back and forth down the field, but it was Coast which did most of the attacking in the second spell. The two Coast wings, John Barnard and Allan Hill, both had their moments and Graham Twist (inside-left) did his share of the attacking. Peacock was probably the star for Sydenham with Fitzsimons in grand form in goal, but too many passed were missed for the team to be over-satisfied.