Not exactly jolly hockey sticks

Press, 6 May 1981, Page 46

Not exactly jolly hockey sticks

By

KEVIN TUTTY

5 IV, ill Lawrence, Centra! Otago, is not the ideal settlement to live if you are a New Zealand hockey representative. There is no men’s hockey played in the area. ~. Maurice Marquet, the New ' Zealand goal-keeper, recently moved to the town. He ; and. his wife are teachers and it was the only place in ' New Zealand they could both get a job in the same area. The strong Auckland club competition, where Marquet rose to. national status, will

be missed, but he does not see himself having to relinquish his place in the national side because he is in an area void of hockey. To retain his place is going to be an expensive business though. After the May school holidays he intends to join a club in the Dunedin competition. That will involve a week-end round trip of 180 km. Marquet was the No. 1 goalie in the New Zealand side at the Inter-Continental Cup in Kuala'Lumpur and a

four nations tournament in Singapore, last month. “I have had a break from hockey since I returned from the tour, but after the holidays will travel into Dunedin to play. As yet I haven’t sorted out a team to play for.” At Kuala. Lumpur New Zealand qualified for the fifth World Cup in Bombay early next year, and Marquet is. keen to retain his place in the national side. “My skills may suffer a little but I’ll get as much out

of my trips to Dunedin as possible. I’ll probably stay Saturday nights and have a training session on Sundays before returning . to Lawrence.” Providing Marquet is selected for the New Zealand team, he will return to Auckland immediately the school year is completed to train with other members of the New Zealand team in preparation for the World Clip. ■ Fitness is no problem. “Therie are several people on the staff who run between an

hour and 90 minutes a day and I have joined them.” Marquet is coaching a women’s team which contains a couple of former K Cup players. “We play seven-a-side games and they give me a pretty hard time.” f If selected, he will be available for Otago at the national tournament in Whangarei in August, and the quadrangular tournament against Canterbury, Wellington and Manawatu in Wellington at Queen’s Birthday week-end.

i “Because I haven’t been playing I might be struggling i to make the team for the . Queen’s Birthday tourna- ; ment.” If Marquet is selected for j the World Cup he will decide after the tournament » whether to continue his interj national career. He expects i to be back teaching in Law- ! rence next year and his t decision will depend on - whether bis play suffers this season through being so rei mote from the mainstream of the sport.