Hockey’s Montreal giants to reunite

Press, 16 July 1986, Page 41

Hockey’s Montreal giants to reunite

By KEVIN TUTTY If members of the New Zealand hockey team need any additional motivation in their final two matches in the threenation series with Argentina and Australia in Wellington next month, they will need only to look to the sidelines.

Watching from the wings will be members of the team who shared in the proudest moment in the history of hockey in New Zealand.

July 30 is the tenth anniversary of New Zealand’s gold medal win against Australia at the Montreal Olympics, and most of the members of the team will be present in Wellington from August 8-‘to August 10 for a reuniori; a game, and perhaps' to provide inspiration to the present New Zealand team.

Ross Gillespie, coach of the successful team, has been in touch with all the players, and all but three will be in Wellington for the week-end. Two who played in the 1976 final — Jeff Archibald and Ramesh Patel — are respectively the captain and vice-captain of the present New Zealand team. They will not be able to play in the match organised for the 1976 team, but will be able to join in the other functions. Three players will be absent. Paul Ackerley will be In Australia, and the captain of the, 1976 team, Tony Ineson, will be in Fiji. Alan Chesney, who now lives in Perth, has been sent an invitation, but a reply has not been received.

The other players — Thur Borren, John Christensen, Greg Dayman,

Barry Maister, Selwyn Maister, Trevor Manning, Neil McLeod, Alan Mclntyre, Mohan Patel, Arthur Parkin and Les Wilson — have all accepted the invitations.

“That gives us a a bare 11,” said Mr Gillespie. “The Wellington association is arranging a team of similar vintage to play us.”

Three under-17 regional teams will play in Wellington the same week-end and Mr Gillespie said members of the 1976 team had agreed to talk to, and offer tips to the youngsters before and after their games. There will be one note of sadness about the week-end. Tony Palmer, the manager of the 1976 team, died in March, 1980.