SOME UNLUCKY TO MISS SELECTION BUT... Plenty of talent in N.Z Olympic hockey squad

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32730, 6 October 1971, Page 18

SOME UNLUCKY TO MISS SELECTION BUT... Plenty of talent in N.Z Olympic hockey squad

There is a fine balance of experience and youth in the 25-man squad selected to contest the final trials next Easter from which the New Zealand Olympic hockey team for Munich will be chosen.

New Zealand’s second placing to India in the South East Asian regional games at Singapore in August helped dispel many doubts it might not be in the 16 teams invited to Munich. If India wins the inaugural World Cup hockey tournament at Barcelona, Spain, which begins on October 15, a place for the New Zealand team should be assured. The Indian team at Singapore was considered by the more experienced members of the New Zealand party as possibly the best that country has produced. If India does win at Barcelona it means New Zealand has one of its best chances of winning a hockey medal. It held India to a 1-all draw in the Singapore final. However, reports which filtered back from Singapore suggest New Zealand was lucky to escape with a draw so there is no room for complacency between now and the Olympics. Mr A. S. Lewis, the physical education officer at the University of Canterbury, said several of the New Zealand team at Singapore were below peak fitness and he has been assigned to get the whole squad into peak condition for the final trials. The national selectors (Messrs R. H. Mackinlay and J. R. Gillespie) have made it quite clear that any member of the squad not at peak fiitness by the time of the trials will certainly not be considered for final selection.

The final team for Munich ; will be basically the 15; chosen for Singapore but : with the almost certain addition of J. H. Christensen (Canterbury) and S. G. Maister and possibly A. McIntyre (Wellington). Two persons who could be considered very unlucky not to have been chosen for the squad are the Wellington half-back, B. Turner, who is an accomplished fullback, and R. Patel (Auckland), who, although only 17„ possesses considerable skill and was one of the

hardest working forwards at this year’s national tournament at Palmerston North. W. A. Thomson (Canterbury) only played two games at the tournament, at leftwing for Canterbury, but in both he was a vital member of the champion side’s forward line. His tendency to wait for the game to come to him probably counted against him, but the fact remains that he was the most impressive left-wing at the tournament.

Three goal-keeper’s will attend the trials. Two will be chosen in the final team as this is a specialist position and an injury to the first string goalie could cost a team any chance of a medal.

R. J. MacPherson (Whangarei) will be a likely first choice after his excellent displays at Singapore, but R. H. McHarg (Canterbury), who has been on the verge of national selection, could force the other New Zealand representative, T. W. Manning (Wellington), out of the team if he reaches top form at the trials.

Four full-backs, R. Capey (Whangarei), C. R. Inesson (Canterbury), G. J. Dayman (Auckland) and K. Towns (Wellington) have been named for the trials.

Ineson’s play has improved tremendously this season and if he maintains form his place seems assured. Dayman had a mediocre national tournament but he was hampered by a leg injury. Capey has forced his way back into the national squad, probably by virtue of an excellent tournament. Towns’s play has been below his best this season and he needs to improve to win a place in the final side.

The halves named are A. J. Patterson, K. Thomson, W. Wright, A. Ineson (all Canterbury), S. Gyde (Auckland), E. B. Salmon (Whangarei) and R. McCormick (Otago). S. G. Maister, a former Canterbury and New Zealand representative, should be added to these. If avail-

able and fit, he will surely be a first choice. At present, however, he is studying at Oxford University'and will not be back in New Zealand before the Olympics begin. As a centre-half, Maister has no peer in New Zealand. Patterson, the present captain, should take one of the other positions and Wright, if he maintains the form of this season, must also be included. Thomson at his best could not be overlooked and it appears he is making an all-out bid to reach peak fitness for the trials. Salmon, a half at Singapore, played in the forwards at the nationals, when he should possibly have been gaining more experience in the halves. Gyde and McCormick are two players with promise but their task in breaking into the final team will be a difficult one. It is hard to justify their selection ahead of Turner and A. Chesney (Canterbury), two halves who were much more prominent at the national tournament. Eleven forwards have been named for the trials— J. J. Borren, A. Borren, Christensen, B. J. Maistefr, T. Burrows (all Canterbury), J. Archibald, A. B. Corbett, R. J. Sommerville (all Auckland), W. Byers Whangarei), Mclntyre and K. J. Rigby (Hawke’s Bay). Christensen was unavailable for Singapore, but his skill and experience make him, along with the Borren brothers and B. Maister, virtual certainties for Munich. Mclntyre was another unavailable for Singapore but he could be in danger of losing his place to either Archibald or Sommerville, both of whom were impressive at the national tournament.

Corbett and Rigby will also have strong claims, being members of the Singapore team, but Burrows and Byers will find it hard to oust the established players. Burrows, however, has the added advantage of having played with the other Canterbury forwards on several occasions and could find a berth on the left-wing. Whatever the final selection New Zealand is sure to have a very talented team, possibly its best, but a tremendous amount of hard training and coaching will be needed to mould it into a medal winning unit.