SIXTY TEAMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 967, 9 May 1930, Page 13

SIXTY TEAMS

BIG ENTRY FOR BASKETBALL TOURNEY PROSPECTS FOR SEASON Auckland’s basketball girls will start this season’s play tomorrow afternoon when the official opening will take the form of a knockout tournament for grading purposes. Sixty teams will participate in the five grades controlled by the Auckland Basketball Association, the governing authority. After tomorrow’s games there will be an interval of a fortnight before further play, the association’s interclub championship matches for all grades being scheduled to start on May 24. Very fine play is anticipated. in senior grade matches this year. The standard of play maintained by this grade has always been the highest m New Zealand, other centres emulating the style of Auckland representatives as the ideal. With the addition of two new teams to the grade, making a total of eight sides, the competition should be keener and consequently the standard of play improve still further. The new teams are Kaitoa and Edendale, the latter having been promoted from second grade. REPRESENTATIVE PROSPECTS The selection committee to choose this season’s representatives has already been appointed and is to function immediately. It is anticipated that the Auckland team will have a harder struggle than ever to maintain its Dominion supremacy, when it meets the champions from other .centres at Hastings in the New’ Zealand Basketball Association’s tournament this season. Every year it is a sterner fight owing to Southern centres adopting or becoming increasingly efficient in, the Auckland style of play. Last year Auckland retained its laurels

by the narrow’ margin of one goal after a strenuous battle with Wellington in the final. With these facts in view it is expected that this year’s Auckland team will be picked within four weeks of the start of play. By so doing the girls will be able to put in plenty of practice and W'ork up a good combination before the tournament date draws near. A feature of the season will be the entry of several new business house teams into the association's arena. The new sides will be from the following firms: Bridgens’s, Melverns, Brown Bros, and Geddes, Thompson and Hills. These teams are debarred from joining the Interhouse Girls’ Sports Association, which embraces soft goods houses only. The new' house teams have expressed a wish to play under their respective firm' names. An application by the association tu the City Council for the use of a portion of the Western Springs area for playing purposes elicited the reply that the association "was at liberty to inquire further when the grass was sown tliis month.” It is felt that the City Council is not aware of the requirements of the sport in this connection. Play on grass courts in Auckland is climatically unsuitable and generally impossible on account of wet weather making them sodden. With only grass courts available Auckland girls would not have been able to play basketball on one Saturday afterfiooiduring last season. Applications to Training College, University College and Technical College for the use of their courts for the coming season have been granted. INVITATION FROM GISBORNE An invitation has been received from the Poverty Bay Basketball Association to send a team down to Gisborne; the team to stay there for a week or so and practice with local sides. It is feared that lack of funds will prevent this trip from being made. Following is the list of matches for tomorrow: Senior Grade, at University.—l p.m., Training College v. Y.W.C.A., Miss 1.15, Kai Tea v. Killarua, Miss Nagle; 2 p.m.. University Blue v. Waratah, Miss G. Miles; 2.15, Grammar Old Girls v. Edendale. Miss C. MaeFarlane; 3.15, University White v. winners of Waratah and University Blue, Miss J. Harper. Second Grade, at Training College,

1 Court 1.—1.15. Training College B v. Killarua, Miss E. Nieholls; 1.30, Training College A v. Rovers, Miss Ogilvie; 2.15. Seddon v. Lynndale, Miss P. Davidson; 2.30, Kai Toa A v. Victoria. Miss E. Potter; 3.15, Kai Toa B v. winners of Training College B and Killarua. Miss L. Clark. Third Grade, at Training College. Court 3.—1.15, Y.W.C.A. Citizens v. Technical College, to be arranged. 1.30, Edendale v. Seddon, Miss M. Stonex: 2.15. Rata v. Y.W.C.A., Miss G. Mann; 2.30. -‘Herald” v. Turners and Growers, Miss Baldock; 3.15, Manukau v. Rovers, Miss M. Peters; 3.30, McKenzie, Ltd., v. winners of Y.W.C.A, and Technical College, Miss E. Jacobs. Fourth Grade, at Technical College.— 1.15, Y.W.C.A. v. Technical College B, Miss J. Mclntosh; 1.30. Y.W.C.A. Citizens v. Technical College A: 2.15, Arohanui v. Rovers, Miss N. McCoy; 2.30, Suburbs v. Surrey Hills, Miss E. Davis; 3.15, Oratia v. Lynndale, Miss Nora To ye: 3.30. Mc- \ Kenzie, Ltd., v. winners of Y.W.C.A. and Technical College B. Fifth Grade, at Training College, ground 8.—1.15. Technical College v. Y.W.C.A. Citizens, Miss Fairburn; 1.25. Y.W.C.A. v. Turners and Growers; 1.55, Thompson and Hills v. Edendale; 2.5. Seddon v. Aloha. Miss G. Jones; 2.35. Browne Bros, and Geddes v. Arohanui, Miss Stonex; 2.45, Parisian v. Bridgens. Miss Ogilvie; 3.15, Melverns v. winners of Technical College and Y.W.C.A. Citizens. Miss 11. Roberts. Owing to the large number of teams in the fifth grade, the matches had to be made 10 minutes each way, instead of the usual 15 minutes.