1 Oct 2010

Hockey

8:56 pm on 1 October 2010

The New Zealand hockey men's and women's teams will face a sweaty challenge when they compete in Delhi's hot, humid conditions in October.

The Black Sticks men's team had a foretaste of the climate in March when they participated in the Hockey World Cup in Delhi and reported that players needed more down-time to recover after each game.

As a result, both teams have selected the maximum 15 field players allowed and will take just one goalkeeper each to Delhi in a bid to maximise their on-field attacking strength. Commonwealth Games regulations stipulate that teams may only select 16 players.

The World Cup provided a chance for the men's team to assess its game against its key competitors. Finishing in ninth position, the Black Sticks won against Canada and Korea in pool competition, but lost against the Netherlands, Argentina and Germany.

At the Champions Trophy held in August in Germany, the Black Sticks finished in sixth place, but claimed a spectacular win against the highly-ranked Netherlands in pool play. However, a 9-1 loss to Australia provided a harsh lesson for the team.

The New Zealand men's squad won silver at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.

The men's team will compete in Delhi without captain Ryan Archibald and experienced player Blair Hopping. They have made themselves unavailable for selection, preferring to concentrate on work and family commitments.

The squad features eight players who have each played more than 100 games: Simon Child (129 games), Dean Couzins (215), Brad Shaw (110), Kyle Pontifex (111), Phil Burrows (246), Hayden Shaw (165), Shea McAleese (118) and Steve Edwards (109).

Women's road to Games

The Black Sticks women's team are fresh from their recent World Cup campaign in Rosaria, Argentina, where they finished in seventh placing, achieving their goal of a top eight finish.

The tournament was a tough challenge for the team with three losses - including a 7-3 defeat by the Netherlands - a draw and a win in pool play.

In July, the Black Sticks finished in fifth position at the Champions Trophy, which was held in Nottingham, England. They are currently ranked seventh in the world.

There are seven players in the women's team aged under 22, but this youth is complemented by the wealth of experience provided by Kayla Sharland, Emily Naylor and Stacey Carr, who have each claimed more than 100 caps.

The women won a bronze medal in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and finished in fourth position at the Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006 Games.

When and where

The hockey competitions will be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium from 4-14 October.

NZ team - men

Goalkeeper: Kyle Pontifex (Wellington). Defenders: Dean Couzins (Auckland), Nick Haig (Canterbury), Andrew Hayward (Midlands), Brad Shaw (Canterbury), Hayden Shaw (Canterbury), Blair Tarrant (Wellington). Midfielders: Steve Edwards (North Harbour), Blair Hilton (Wellington), Shea McAleese (Central), Arun Panchia (Auckland). Strikers: Phil Burrows (Wellington) captain, Simon Child (Auckland), Hugo Inglis (Midlands), Stephen Jenness (Wellington), Nick Wilson (North Harbour).

NZ team - women

Goalkeeper: Beth Jurgeleit (Wellington). Defenders: Clarissa Eshuis (Midlands), Natasha Fitzsimmons (North Harbour), Emily Naylor (Central) co-captain, Lucy Talbot (Auckland). Midfielders: Stacey Carr (Canterbury), Gemma Flynn (Midlands), Ella Gunson (Northland), Sam Harrison (Auckland), Stacey Michelsen (North Harbour), Anita Punt (Wellington), Kayla Sharland (Central) co-captain, Anna Thorpe (Northland). Strikers: Krystal Forgesson (Auckland), Katie Glynn (Auckland), Charlotte Harrison (Northland).

Draw

Men: Pool A: Australia, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Scotland. Pool B: England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago.

Women: Pool A: Australia, South Africa, India, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago. Pool B: England, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Wales.

Athletes' profiles sourced from www.olympic.org.nz and event information sourced from http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/