Hockey team ill-prepared?

Press, 11 July 1989, Page 40

Hockey team ill-prepared?

By

KEVIN TUTTY

The Canterbury women’s hockey team will enter its match against Japan tomorrow with the skimpiest of preparations. The coach, Shirley Haig, is concerned at the team’s lack of preparation. It has been able to fit in only one practice — last Thursday — to prepare for the match. The heavy use of the artificial playing surface at Porritt Park is largely the reason that the team’s preparation has been limited. “It is virtually impossible to get times to train on the surface,” said Mrs Haig.' “We had an hour and a half last week and we had another session booked for nine on Sun-

day night, but we didn’t feel there was much value in training at that time.” Mrs Haig said an alternative was to train during the day when the surface was available, but many of the players have just had a month off work and were reluctant to ask for any further time off. “The New Zealand players will have to ask for Friday off for the next two weeks to assemble for the tests against Japan.” Until last Thursday the Canterbury team had not been together for a month, when it won the Champions tournament with five,successive wins in Wellington. Admittedly nine of that squad were in Australia last month with the New Zealand team for a five

match series against the Olympic gold medallist, and Mrs Haig is not worried about her squad’s fitness. Two members of the squad at the Champions tournament, Jenny Turner and Catherine Stubbs are not available for tomorrow’s match. Both are with the New Zealand junior women’s team in Canada. : . Jane Earnshaw has been brought into the Canterbury squad and Mrs Haig will have 14 players on the bench for the game tomorrow evening. The full squad is: Sharon Amos, Elaine Jensen; Mary Clinton (capKieran O’Grady, Cindy Reriti, Helen Littleworth, Lorraine Rouse,

Isobel Thomson; Jane Earnshaw, Kate Trolove, Sue Duggan, Chris Arthur, Maree Flannery, Lisa Sutherland. V • The arrival of the Japanese team in Christchurch has been delayed 20 hours by an aircraft fault in Tokyo. The team was due at Christchurch International Airport yesterday afternoon on a direct flight from Tokyo but an engine fault delayed the aircraft’s departure and it will now arrive at 9.35 this morning. There will be no alteration to the team’s itinerary. It will practise as scheduled this afternoon at Porritt Park and. play its first game against Canterbury tomorrow evening.