Bhikha one of three new hockey caps

Press, 28 June 1983, Page 40

Bhikha one of three new hockey caps

By KEVIN TUTTY Hus’ Bhikha, the reliable Wellington left half, has won a place in the New Zealand hockey team after several seasons on the fringe of selection. Bhikha is one of three new caps in the New Zealand team announced last night to play in a fivenations tournament in Kuala Lumpur in August. The others, John Melluish and Laurie Gallen, are also Wellington players. Melluish, a goal-keeper, is a former New Zealand under-21 representative. He won his place in the team through the unavailability of Maurice Marquet (Otago) who has a knee injury. Gallen, a left wing, was in the New Zealand under-21 team which played in the Junior World Cup finals in Kuala Lumpur last August. The team is.— Goal-keepers: Graeme Sligo (Manawatu); Melluish (Wellington). Defenders: Grant McLeod (Northland); Greg Pierce, Robin Wilson, Andy Innes (Canterbury); Brent Miskimmin, Bhikha, Stuart Grimshaw (Wellington). Forwards: Arthur Parkin (captain), Ramesh Patel, Peter Daji (Auckland); Jon Tanner, George Carnoutsos (Canterbury); Peter Miskimmin, Gallen (Wellington). The national selectors, Messrs Brian Maunsell, convener, Trevor Blake, and Bob Campbell, were not expected to make wholesale changes after New Zealand finished fourth in the ten-nation tournament in Melbourne last December. Bhikha, who would not have disgraced himself in any New Zealand team in the last three years, won his place at the expense of the Auckland half-back, Mohan Patel, who was a member of the gold medal winning team at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

Only two members of that most successful of New Zealand teams have survived. They are Parkin and Ramesh Patel. Gallen was selected at the expense of Mark Burtt (Canterbury) who has had mixed treatment from the national selectors since 1978. Burt has played well enough this season to retain his place. Another player unfortunate to miss selection is lan Riach, the Canterbury left wing. He has been one of the most consistent forwards in New Zealand in the last two seasons. He has more maturity and control than Gallen and would relish the artificial surface of Kuala Lumpur. Pierce, Innes, and Tanner had limited opportunities to show their ability in Melbourne and had to be given another chance. The tournament will be against the host nation, Malaysia, and Australia, Pakistan, and India. It will be an important part of New Zealand’s preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics next year. Of more immediate importance, however, the tournament will allow Mr Maunsell to build a solid combination before the Champions Trophy tournament in Karachi in October. A New Zealand junior team to play India in the first match of its New Zealand tour at Palmerston North on September 4 was also named last evening. It is: lan Woodley, Chan Chiva, Alan Teixeria, Chris Brown, David Ross, Noel 1 Parkin, Jim Smith (Auckland); Don Davis, John Radovonich, David Penfold, Chris Leslie, lan Riach (Canterbury); Bruce Kensington (Manawatu); Peter Williams (Taranaki); Laurie Gallen (captain), Kevin Gallen (Wellington).