6:56 am today

One-man show as Black Sticks claim bronze medal

6:56 am today
Sam Lane of New Zealand Black Sticks.

Sam Lane of New Zealand Black Sticks. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

The Black Sticks men have finished third at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.

New Zealand beat the hosts 6-1 in the play-off for third.

Sam Lane opened the scoring with two field goals in the opening quarter.

James Hickton added a third with a superb solo effort that included a 60 metre run and a reverse-stick shot to score his first international goal.

The rest of the game then belonged to Lane who added another three goals in the space of 15 minutes.

It included a penalty corner finish, a field goal and a penalty stroke.

The win capped an outstanding tournament for Lane, who finished the match with five goals and moved to the top of the tournament goal-scoring chart with nine.

It was also a special night for two players reaching major milestones. Malachi Buschl brought up his 50th cap for the Black Sticks, and Sam Lane's five-goal haul lifted him to 51 international goals.

Belgium beat India 1-0 in the final.

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