Association Football

VUW shared first place with MUM in this year's Association Football —the first time for over 10 years that VUW has attained first place. Reports on each of the VUW matches follow.

Victoria v. Massey

Massey's forwards were very fast and with the Victoria defence unsettled the half-time score was 3-0 to Massey. In the second half the home side played with more determination, with the final score 4-1, K. P. Too, R. Nwaokobia and S. Marshall scored for Massey and Van der Brooke for Victoria. Sundaran, Anderson and Too in the Massey team all had good games, while Arcus, Hongaladaron and Howell played well in the defeated Victoria side.

VUW 1, MUM 4 Victoria v. Otago

VUW improved out of sight compared with their morning's effort and were quicker to the ball in the first half than OU. They ran up a two-goal lead by half-time, both scored by Heywood. OU had the better of a dour second half, but Heywood managed to complete his hat-trick.

VUW 3, OU 0 Victoria v. Canterbury

CU played with the wind in the first half and were first to score when Mwasina dribbled around several men for a simple shot. Later in the half Lee headed in a goal from a corner to give CU a two-nil lead at half-time. VUW pressed hard in the second half but it was not until late in the half that Johnstone reduced the leeway by heading in a corner kick. VUW now threw everything into the game and a few minutes before the end VUW fullback Kerr scored from a very good long shot.

CU 2, VUW 2 Victoria defeated Lincoln 8-1

Scorers for VUW were Allison (2) Chira (2), Copper (2), Howell and a defender. With the VUW team playing better on every appearance the CAC side had very little chance Progress points: AU, VUW. MUM, CU, 5; OU, 4; CAC 0.

The tournament was now wide open with many results possible. The most interesting would have been a four-way tie for first—quite unprecedented.

Victoria defeated Auckland 4-1 to share first place over-all with MUM. No report of the match is available—but the result shows the extent to which the VUW side improved over the tournament. The other teams all more-or-less kept to their original standard and could not match VUW's increased ability.

Final Results: VUW, MUM, 7-1; OU 6-3; CU, AU 5-4; CAC 0-6.

Selected for the NZU team to play the Wellington Under-23 side were R. Bustard, H. Heywood, W. van der Broek, of VUW.

Badminton — another Victoria win

Badminton was run on a double knockout system this year because of the presence of a team from Waikoto University. As soon as one team had lost two games it was eliminated from the competition.

Victoria v. Waikato

The VUW team was not extended against their WU opponents. They won all their matches with the loss of only one set. However, as this was the first tournament competed in by WU, the experience gained should prove valuable.

VUW 16, WU 0.

After the first day's play, CU, CAC, WU and MUM had all lost a life. VUW had not been fully extended, but a final between VUW and OU looked probable, with a close result.

Auckland v. Victoria

Perhaps stimulated by the Tournament atmosphere, VUW asserted its strength in the match against AU. Although a win was expected, the margin of 16-nil was not. The individual results of VUW were particularly convincing, especially the first and second positions in the men's and women's singles, which were expected to be closely contested.

VUW 16, AU 0.

After the second day's play VUW and OU were left with both lives intact, CAC and CU with one life apiece. VUW and OU were thus to fight out the final, and CU and CAC likewise for third place.

Otago v. Victoria

The outstanding games in this match were those between the top men, VUW's Lim Ee Chiat and OU's T. M. Wong; and the No. 3s, Seow Bin Gay and K. K. Ong.

In the first set of the top men's singles Wong was superior at the net and his wonderful racquet deception had his opponent fooled. He won the set 15-12. In the second set Lim used the strength of his long drives and his powerful smashes to take the set 15-6. The rallies were long and brilliant. Both players showed the effects of strain and tiredness when they began the third set but Lim seemed better able to maintain accuracy and strength to take the set and match 15-9.

Seow (VUW) and Ong (OU) had a closely-fought match, won by Seow 15-11, 15-8. The match was marred by several errors on both sides but it also had some delicately controlled shots by Seow and good smashing by Ong.

VUW's John Rowe and Patrick Tan both had convincing wins over their respective opponents, C. H Leong and D. Tan. The women's singles had a balanced result, with each team winning two games. The men's doubles went to VUW and the women's to OU. The four mixed doubles matches were all won by VUW.

This was the game that seemed to be the most interesting with regard to team strengths and the final result of VUW 12, OU 4, is perhaps not truly indicative of the strength of the runners-up.

Final Badminton Result : Victoria 1, Otago 2, Canterbury 3, Lincoln 4.

The NZU team picked to play Wellington was: Men—Lim Ee Chiat (VUW), Wong Tat Meng (OU), Taggddin Junaidi (CAC). Tony Garnier (AU), reserve T. Chaiyute (MUM); Women—Judy Purser (OU), Shirlev Ching (CU). Jane Mowatt (VUW). Jocelyn Trewby (VUW), reserve Barbara Peddie (CU).

Cross Country

This year's cross country was another triumph for Otago's Peter Welsh. Welsh cleared out from the strong field right at the start and finished just over a minute ahead of Canterbury provincial champion Barry Jones. Another Otago runner, Peter Graham, came in half a minute behind Jones, closely followed by Jim Farmer (Auckland) and Keith Crone (Massey).

These three runners kept together throughout the race and it was only over the last half-mile that the final placings became apparent. Sixth place went to B. Taylor (Otago), and with Kerry Ragg and T. Hassell coming in 12th and 13th for Otago, Otago won the Dixon Trophy very comfortably.

John Beckett and Alan Galbraith finished 7th and 8th for Auckland, with Trevor Sharpe 14th, but this was only good enough for second placing. Canterbury came third (Jones 2nd. R. Farmer 10th. G. Hewlett 20th. D. Rowell 22nd), but were very nearly beaten by Massey (Crone 5th, Ron Underwood 9th, Glen Puckett 15th, John Wells 28th) and if Massey had had a stronger fourth man they would have gained two Tournament Shield points.

The Victoria runners teamed well but because of illness and injuries failed to get in the higher places. Placings were Geoff Rashbrooke 18th, John Souter 19th, George Seconi 23rd, Dave Mackay 24th, Bob Wilson 26th. Souter is a nationally-ranked tennis player—an NZU Blue, in fact—and his was the best performance in the Victoria team.

The course was in good condition, and all runners agreed that it was true cross country, although most said they found it very tough going. Winding around the sand-dunes of Paekakariki's Queen Elizabeth Park, and including a loop around farm land, the course is a possibility for future Wellington provincial championships, and even a national championship could be held at this venue. The only disadvantage is the distance from Wellington—30 miles.

Table Tennis Triumph

VUW won the teams event quite convincingly, having a steady pair of women players and strength right throughout the men's team, with Harrison Waterhouse outstanding. AU also had a fairly strong team, their most prominent player being Miss M. Bridson, and the AU-VUW game was the most interesting of the tournament. P. Salmon (AU) and B. Cross (VUW) had an even struggle, with Salmon coming out the victor 10-21, 21-17, 23-21. VUW finally won the game 12 matches to nine.

The CU team showed disappointing form and did not win a match. Otago played consistently for third place, with MUM taking fourth place by narrowly defeating CAC 12-9.

As expected, Waterhouse won the men's individual title by defeating team-mate Cross, and M. Bridson won the women's title with consummate ease. Cross and Waterhouse teamed to take the men's doubles, and Bridson and G. Lonigan (AU) the women's doubles. An upset was caused in the combined doubles—an all-VUW affair—when B. Cross and M. O'Flynn narrowly defeated Waterhouse and Miss C. Roberts 21-16, 16-21, 21-18, 11-21, 22-20.

NZU Team: Men—H. Water-house (VUW), B. Cross (VUW). P. Salmon (AU). B. Coley (VUW). Women—M. Bridson (AU), P. Otway (OU). C. Roberts (VUW). M. O'Flynn (VUW).

Wellington men defeated NZU men 10 games to 4, and defeated NZU women 12 games to 2.

Squash Title Shared

This year's squash title was shared by OU and VUW. with CU a distant third, and closely followed by MUM and AU. There were many closely-contested games, and a good standard of squash was seen.

OU were perhaps lucky to draw with VUW. The home team had a marked superiority in the teams event, only losing one game, against CU. In this match B. Christie (VUW) went down to M. Garrett (CU) 6-9, 9-5, 9-2, 4-9, 8-10, in a hard-fought game that was in doubt right up to the last point. J. Haines and J. Anderson, playing Nos. 2 and 3 for VUW, were undefeated in all the teams matches, although Haines had a close call against Molloy of OU and Anderson had to fight to beat a tenacious C. Moore of CU.

The individual section resulted in a win for J. Henderson (OU), who defeated Christie in the final 9-5, 11-9, 10-8, and thus reversed the result of the OU-VUW game. In the semi-finals Henderson had a five-set battle with Garrett, while Christie disposed of the AU No. 1. C. Ronayne, 9-5, 9-0, 9-0.

Final Points were: VUW, OU. 13, 1 equal; CU 5, 3; MUM 3, 4; AU 2, 5; CAC 0, 6.

A women's event was held as an invitation sport, and proved to be quite successful. The teams event was won convincingly by OU with VUW second and AU third. Individual winner was C. Johnston (OU), who defeated her teammate R. Johnston in the final. J. Braham (AU) and K. Christie (VUW) were the unsuccessful semi-finalists.

Haines and Christie played for NZU against Wellington and both won their games. Garrett and Henderson both thoroughly extended their opponents before succumbing and NZU lost 2-4.

SALIENT sports editor Geoff Rashbrooke made a rash promise last issue. Be undertook to eat his sports page if Victoria did not come within 10 points of the winning team.

Now that Victoria won, he thinks he is safe. But is he? His boast needs careful interpretation.

No one would say that Victoria was one point from the winner. Victoria WAS the winner. Neither (for the same reason) could one say that Victoria was two points from the winner . . . or three, or four.

Continuing the argument, no one could say that Victoria came within 10 points of the winning team.

So Geoff, to keep his promise, has to eat his sports page -time and place only to be arranged. Oh, and one other thing.

Geoff, it seems, has still to be convinced.

Tournament Sports Controller Dave Hurley seen here doing battle with an Aucklander.—Tony Adams photo.

A fantastic improvement: Women's Hockey

This year's women's hockey team was unrecognisable from last year's. The VUW side was the only one to defeat the eventual champions. OU, and only a defeat by AU and a draw with CU prevented VUW from showing the greatest improvement of any Tournament team—VUW lost every game last year!

Auckland v. Victoria

Under appalling conditions, AU defeated VUW in a hard-fought battle. Outstanding in the murk and instrumental in AU's win were forwards Judy Rapson and C. Ringer.

AU 3, VUW 1.

Victoria v. Canterbury

This was an even and unspectacular game, with neither team managing to dominate play. A draw was a fair result.

VUW 2, CU 2.

Otago v. Victoria

In the best game yet seen in the tournament, VUW outplayed OU. After a fairly even first half, an inspired VUW team combined well to break up OU's defence. This was the first game in which the OU defence had been penetrated—possibly the morning game took too heavy a toll.

OU 1, VUW 4.

Victoria v. Massey

This was a rather unexciting game. VUW went into the lead early on in the piece and after scoring five goals grew a little complacent. The MUM forward line took advantage of this to sneak a couple of goals, but could not penetrate further.

VUW 5, MUM 2.

Auckland V. Otago

In this, the final game of the tournament, the two leading teams vied for supremacy in a fast, exciting encounter. Both sides played hard, constructive hockey, but OU's defence was the deciding factor and AU were unable to score.

AU 0, OV 2.

Final Results: OU 6, 1; VUW, AU 5, 2 equal; CU 4, 4; MUM 0, 5.

Selected for the NZU team that almost upset Wellington was E. Neal, from VUW. That only one VUW player was selected shows the strength of the VUW teamwork.