HOCKEY - Charlotte's fine milestone reached at just 18

IT might be a bit rich to suggest Black Sticks hockey star Charlotte Harrison has more test credits to her name than academic ones.
It isn't pulling a long bow, though, to say the effort to get 50 test caps to her name has taken a dedication worth a doctorate.
Harrison notched up test match number 50 when the Black Sticks beat Ireland in Wellington on Saturday, a milestone she cruises past aged just 18.
It puts Harrison in elite company in the current squad, establishing her as an intergral part of the squad preparing for the Beijing Olympics in August.
But it topped off a busy 12-month period for Harrison who has somehow squeezed in enough high school studies to get into university this year as well.
The pressure to perform on the pitch has been matched with the need to keep those high school assignments flowing.
All the while learning to adjust to a new regime under Black Sticks Kevin Towns.
"I am one of the youngest to hit 50 (games), it came around quite fast and kind of jumped up on me to be honest," Harrison said.
"It has been hard work, and you go through stages of highs and lows, but you always grunt your way through."
And just how have the studies gone while the Blacks Sticks preparations have started to ramp up to wards Beijing?
"My school kind of mucked up my credits so it didn't come out quite like I hoped to. I don't know how many credits I got, but it was enough to get into Uni. I eventually want to get to do a bachelor of business studies."
For now though Harrison's academic aspirations will take a back seat to her hockey ambitions.
On Thursday Harrison wings her way to China with the Black Sticks squad for a five match series there.
Then she heads to Canberra to play for the state side there as part of the Australian state hockey league.
The decision to play in Canberra came after she was approached by team officials last month, and will add a stimulating experience before the Black Sticks get serious about Beijing.
There is only one regret for Harrison. She wishes her school mate Jasmin McQuinn, who is out for the rest of the year with a crook knee, was still part of the whole adventure.
By the time Harrison gets to London in four years she will be closing in on the next major test milestone, the 100 game mark.