N.Z. on hockey standby

Press, 5 October 1984, Page 36

N.Z. on hockey standby

By

KEVIN TUTTY

New Zealand has been asked if it is available to play in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Pakistan in December because West Germany is a doubtful starter.

The New Zealand Hockey Association received a telegram from the International Hockey Federation this week to determine its availability if West Germany was unable to attend. Dr Bruce Penfold, the chairman of the N.Z.H.A., said it was decided to accept an invitation if it was made by the F.l.H.l,which chooses the teams for the tournament.

The Champions Trophy is an elite tournament for the top six teams in the world. This year it was decided that the first six teams at the Los Angeles Olympics would be invited. West Germany was the silver medallist, New Zealand finished seventh. Karachi is the venue for the tournament from December 7 to 14 and Dr Penfold said yesterday that the N.Z.H.A. was confident it could assemble a “quality” team for the tournament. Seven members of the New Zealand Olympic team are not available for a tournament in Melbourne in January, including the cap-

tain, Arthur Parkin, and the most capped hockey player in New Zealand, Ramesh Patel.

Dr Penfold would not say if Patel and Parkin had been asked if they were available for the Pakistan tournament if New Zealand was accepted. “It is still a hypothetical situation at the moment and the management committee wanted the question of player availability kept confidential at this stage.” However, it is extremely unlikely the N.Z.H.A. would consider sending a team without Parkin and Patel, and £ perhaps even the MisMßnmin brothers, Peter and’ Brent, who are in the

Netherlands and England, respectively. All major costs for the tournament are met by the host including international air transport, but additional costs have still meant a bill of several thousand dollars for the N.Z.H.A. on the two previous occasions it has attended the tournament. The N.Z.H.A. has had heavy financial commitments in the last year, but the association “could handle the finance involved” in attending the Champions Trophy tournament, said Dr Penfold.

Trials planned for December 1 and 2 injWellington will still be 3eld to select a team to play in the

Melbourne tournament, but the team for Pakistan would be chosen before that and would leave for Karachi immediately after the trials.

The Melbourne tournament is still uncertain. The organisers are having difficulty obtaining definite answers from India, the Soviet Union and Malaysia, but the N.Z.H.A. is proceeding with plans to name a team for the tournament after the December trials. South Korea has asked the N.Z.H.A. if it can bring its national squad, at its own expense, to New Zealand from December 6 to 24 to train and play matches. The N.Z.H.A. has replied favourably.