Judith Phillips picks hockey

Press, 15 June 1978, Page 36

Judith Phillips picks hockey

Judith Phillips was thrilled at her selection for the ' New Zealand women’s hockey team at Queen’s Birthday week-end. but it brought with it a small problem. Miss Phillips is also an accomplished tennis player and has had to make a , choice between the two sports. She has favoured hockey, for the next two- ■ years at least. “The next two years will . be fairly exciting for the hockey team, and I have decided to put it first, but I will not be giving tennis . away completely,” she said. “I think I am getting a bit [ old to get into the swing of the tennis circuit. It’s get- . ting more difficult to compete with the younger players, who are improving all the time. “To do well on the tennis circuit I should have gone overseas earlier. But I won’t close the door on i tennis. I will take things as they come. I might have another try at the tennis circuit in a few years,” said Miss-Phillips.

Her first taste of the rigours of the world tennis circuits came last year. She stayed on in Europe for six months after playing with the New Zealand hockey team in England and the Netherlands. The exciting two years Miss Phillips mentions will start in August with a tour by the Canadian team. It will play two tests against (New Zealand. On August 20 I the New Zealand team i leaves to play in the Austr»

Han inter-state championships in Sydney and it will also play two tests. Next year there are trials at Easter to choose a New Zealand team to play Australia in New Zealand early in the season, and then in the world championships in Vancouver at the end of the season. In 1980 women’s hockey will be played at the Moscow Olympics for the first time and New Zealand hopes to be one of the five countries invited. Russia, is an automatic selection as host. With its record over the last three years, and if it can continue it through to the world championships next year, New Zealand has a strong chance for selection. It beat the 1975 world champion, England, last year at Wembley, and drew with the top European team, the Netherlands, Wales was the runner-up to England in 1975 but these two sides, with Scotland and Ireland, will have to combine to form the Great Britain team

for the Olympics. This will enhance New Zealand’s prospects of selection. Already a veteran of two tours — the world championships in Edinburgh in 1975 and the tour of Europe and Britain last year — Miss Phillips, at the age of 23, seems destined for seva eral more years as a New Zealand representative. Against England last year Miss Phillips, at centreforward, was one of New Zealand’s best players, and with forwards of the calibre of Jenny McDonald and Shirley Haig — another topranked New Zealand tennis player — around her, New Zealand will have a formidable striking line. The lure of playing at the Olympic Games and a possible medal helped make the choice between hockey and tennis for Miss Phillips but she is not letting thoughts of Moscow overshadow her immediate aims: to retain her place in the New Zealand team and help keep it at or very near the top of the world ladder.