Hockey draw arrives

Press, 8 July 1983, Page 26

Hockey draw arrives

Weeks of anxious wailing for the New Zealand Hockey Association ended yesterday with the receipt of the draw, and the official invitation for the five nations tournament in Kuala Lumpur next month. The N.Z.H.A. had tried unsuccessfully for several weeks to contact the Malaysian Hockey Federation to obtain the draw and the official terms of the invitation. The tournament will be played over seven days and in the late afternoon to avoid the stifling heat in the middle of the day. New Zealand plays Malaysia in the main game on the first day of competition, August 21. New Zealand will be back in action within 24 hours. The next day it plays Australia in the early match — 3.30 p.m. It will then have a day to recover before it plays Pakistan on August 24, and another day’s respite before it plays India. August 27 is a rest day and on August 28 there will be a final, and a play-off for third and fourth. New Zealand will be seeking a placing of third or higher to maintain or improve the ranking it earned tn the 10 nations tournament in Melbourne last December when it finished fourth. The M.H.F. also asked that the New Zealand team play matches before or after the tournament, but this will be declined. The team will have a week’s build-up on the artificial surface in Melbourne, and return immediately, in time for the final stages of the national tournament in Palmerston North.