A Steve Nink equaliser earned Northland's boys hockey team their first points at the under-18 national tournament in Palmerston North.
The goal 15 minutes from time saw Northland rescue a 2-2 draw against Mid-South Canterbury yesterday after disappointing defeats in their opening two matches.
Northland had an extremely shaky startto the tournament against an excellent Waikato side on Monday, going down 8-1. They recovered well from that performance to largely outclass the Bay of Plenty on Tuesday but struggled to score after conceding two goals in the opening 10 minutes and lost 1-2.
A goal by Harry Lamb gave them the lead in yesterday's encounter but the Canterbury side came back and took the lead until the Nink strike earned them a point. The best position they can salvage from the tournament now is ninth and they play Tauranga today.
Abbie Palmer scored the winner for Northland girls against pool winners Wairarapa at their under-18 tournament in Dunedin yesterday to record a 1-0 win - their first at the tournament.
The girls were beaten by a good Manawatu side 1-0 in their opener on Monday. They then met up with a determined Nelson side and drew a six goal thriller 3-3 in their second match on Tuesday.
The girls play North Harbour in a crossover match tomorrow.
