Jeff Gibson’s dramatic advance

Press, 2 December 1978, Page 10

Jeff Gibson’s dramatic advance

By

KEVIN TUTTY

For three years, Jeff Gibson languished in the Canterbury hockey squad before he finally made lhe breakthrough to the provincial A side last season. If the eight months since that milestone, Gibson's hockey career has blossomed. In July, he was included in a squad of 31 to play in the New Zealand trials in September. At those trials, and the national tournament in Masterton in August, Gibson played himself into the New Zealand team for the recent International Champions’ Trophy tournament in Lahore, Pakistan Coupled with Gibson’s rapid rise to international status has been a rise in his playing responsibilities. With the Canterbury team last season he was a full-back, but in Pakistan he has been thrust into the most important

position in the New Zealand team — centre half — and by all accounts has acquitted himself admirably-

Gibson has played at centre-half for his club, High School Old Boys, for several years, but it is a vastly different proposition playing on the muddy fields in mid-winter Christchurch to the dry, fas’ grounds of Lahore.

The wait for a permanent place in the Canterbury A team was lon_, and for a young player, sometimes frustrating. But Gibso.i was willing to wait, knowing that wnen selection finally came it was hard earned. “At first it was frustrating waiting to make the

Canterbury side, but then I realised that ther were better players ahead of me. If you want to win na'ional tournament and other important rep games you have to choose your most experienced players."

He was a ater starter la the game. It was at intermediate school that he began playing, but he developed quickly and was selected in the Canterbury Hatch Cup team i his s cond year in th’ game. At high school, he was chosen to be in the first XI in his third form year and had three years in the Canterbury colts, from 1974 to 1976. In 1975 and 1976 he was selected in the New Zealand colts team.

In March last year Gibson was a member of the New Zealand Invitation team that drew 2-all with the Montreal gold medal winning team in a match to celebrate the seventyfifth anniversary of the New’ Zealand Hockey Association.

But when the Australians made a brief tour of New Zealand in September, he was absent from the Invitation team that played the Australians and the New Zealand test team, probably because he was not a member of the Canterbury team that played at the national tournament last year, thus not coming under the eye of the selectors.

After being overlooked for that team it came as a surprise to Gibson when he was named in the squad of 31 for the New Zealand

trials last September. "I was pleased just to make the trials for the first time. 1 didn’t think I had much chance of making the final team, but in the last few weeks before the trials there were sev-

eral withdrawals which helped my chances.” By his standards Gibson thought he played steadily

at the trials. But that was a modest admission. It was no secret that the selectors were very impressed by his performances.

i ne Auckland inside-for-ward pair of Jeff Archibald and Ramesh Patel were the two Gibson had the most association with. “I found I had to work lot harder at centre-half in the trials than in club hockey, but in other ways it was easier. Ramesh and Jeff were always available for a pass and they never passed the ball back to me if I was marked.”

To prepare for the Lahore tournament Gibson did more training then he had ever done before. Included were many 300 m and 200 m sprints, designed by the coach. Brian Maunsell, to improve speed as well as fitness. Being thrust into centrehalf against the best teams in the world with only two practice matches is a considerable responsibility. To prepare for it, Gibson

taiked at length with Ross Gillespie, the coach of the Montreal Olympic team, and Ernie Barnes, a former New Zealand representative, and coach of the Old Boys’ club side. Both gave the same message: “Do not give the opposition any room to move.” The only apprehension Gibson had before leaving for Pakistan was that the players lacked hard matches. The majority of the New Zealand team came from the top three provinces — Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury — whose standard was considerably higher than the other teams at the national tournament. As a result the only hard games these sides had was when they met each other. It would seem, judging on the Lahore results, that Gibson’s fears were founded. But he believes the team has potential and that with confidence in its own ability it could be a winning side.