Poland first hockey opponent

Press, 13 April 1989, Page 34

Poland first hockey opponent

By KEVIN TUTTY A win in its first match against Poland at the InterContinental Cup in July should set the New Zealand hockey team “alight" for the rest of the tournament, the national coach, Kevin Towns, said yesterday. Mr Towns was commenting on the draw for the tournament to be played in Madison, New Jersey from July 5 to 16. The draw was received by 'the New Zealand Hockey Federation yesterday. Poland will be one of New Zealand’s more difficult pool matches and Mr Towns would have preferred to strike it later in the tournament. He is reasonably happy

with the draw, however. After Poland on July 6, New Zealand plays Egypt on July 7. Chile on July 9, France on July 10 and India on July 12. France and India will be the other difficult games in New Zealand’s pool, according to Mr Towns. "Poland won’t be easy but if we could get two points from that match it would set us aligght for the remaining games." New Zealand can approach the game knowing It has never lost an international to Poland. It will play in a warm-up tournament in Toronto before the Inter-Con-tinental Cup and Mr Towns said the opponents in that tournament —- Canada, the

United States and Ireland — should play the type of hockey New Zealand can expect from Poland. Mr Towns said he was a little concerned that New Zealand would have two relatively easy games before France. “It won’t be easy coming off the games against Chile and Egypt and striking France which has had some good results in the last year. They have beaten England (the runner-up at the last World Cup in 1986) and got within a goal of West Germany (the silver medallist at the Seoul Olympics)." India could be a hard game or an easy game, said Mr Towns. "It depends on the

team they turn up with. They will be an unknown quantity', and I'm pleased we have struck them in the last pool game.” New Zealand must finish in th first five at the InterContinental Cup to qualify for the World Cup in Lahore in 1990. Mr Towns leaves tomorrow on a business trip to the United States and while there he will take the opportunity to look at the tournament venue. "I will talk with the organisers and if I can get an advantage for the team, whether it’s for accommodation or transport. 1 will."