Chance for hockey revenge

Press, 21 November 1987, Page 96

Chance for hockey revenge

By

KEVIN TUTTY

The New Zealand hockey team will get a chance to thumb its nose at the decision of the International Hockey Federation to exclude it from next year’s Seoul Olympics when it plays in a tournament in Lucknow in January. After weeks of waiting and forwarding a number of telex messages to the Indian Hockey Federation, the New Zealand Hockey Association finally received confirmation yesterday that it has been accepted for the eight team tournament. Six teams who have accepted invitations have all been selected for the Olympics. They are all teams that New Zealand could beat.

The teams who have confirmed their participation and who have been chosen for the Olympics are the Soviet Union, Kenya, Spain, South Korea, Pakistan and India. Malaysia will be the other team in the tournament to be played from January 8 to 18. The New Zealand association this week decided to write to the International Federation president, Mr Etienne Glichitch, asking to be included in a play-off for the last place at the Olympics which at this stage involves Poland and Spain. It is unlikely the president will interfere with the decision and if he does not the New Zealand

team in India will have the opportunity of extracting some revenge on the field. If it can finish in the first two in Lucknow it would be an embarrassment for the federation. However, if New Zealand does not finish in the first four the federation could feel satisfied that its choice of teams for Seoul was vindicated.' Meanwhile, the New Zealand team for the tournaments, which was chosen last week-end but withheld until participation was confirmed, has been released. There are two new caps, one of them the tall Canterbury forward Richard Schoeman, who has earned his place with a series of strong perform-

ances for the Canterbury team this year, especially at the Post Bank national tournament in Whangarei in September. The other new cap is Richard Calkin from Palmerston North. The team is: Peter Miskimmin (captain, Wellington); Calkin (Manawatu); Chan Chibba, Peter Dajl, Don Davis, Mark Kake, Mark Leaver, Woodley, Jim Smith (Auckland); Alan Lints, Grant McLeod (Northland); David Penfold, Greig Pierce, John Radovonicb, Schoeman, Tynan (Canterbury). Non-travelling reserves: Graham Child (Auckland); Greg Clark, Chris Leslie (Canterbury); Jeff Garnett (Hamilton). Mr Ray Ganda of Christchurch will manage the team and Trevor Blake (Whangarei) is the coach. Kevin Towns (Auckland), who managed the New Zealand World Cup team, was not available.