Result coloured century test appearance

There was only one thing Northland's Charlotte Harrison would change about playing her 100th test match for the Black Sticks at the Commonwealth Games, and that is the colour of the medal the team brought home.
Harrison landed at Auckland Airport from New Delhi yesterday afternoon with the Black Sticks contingent, fatigued after an intensive year-long campaign which culminated in a silver medal for the New Zealand side.
They were greeted by a crowd of a few hundred when they emerged from customs, brimming with pride.
"We're all pretty exhausted but the crowd at the airport was outstanding.
"We all perked up when we walked out and saw everyone," the 21-year-old striker said. Harrison made her debut for the Black Sticks in 2005 as a 16-year-old still attending school at Whangarei Girls High.
Last Wednesday, she played her 100th test in the Commonwealth Games gold medal match against Australia.
It all worked out perfectly - except for the fact New Zealand lost to the Aussies after a penalty shootout, she said.
"We were pretty gutted about how we lost but I guess that's sport - someone has to come second."
Despite the disappointment of missing out on that elusive gold medal, the Black Sticks were happy overall with their Games performance on the back of the World Cup in Argentina last month. We were mostly consistent which was our goal and we have been working on that all year. In all of our tournaments we have been trying to maintain that consistency from game one right through to the end ... it's good coming back with a medal but it's just the wrong colour," she said.
Silver is the Black Sticks' best Games finish, eclipsing the bronze of 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, and it is something the young side, who are coached under the knowledgeable direction of Mark Hager, can be proud of.
It has been a massive year in women's hockey, with the Black Sticks contesting the Champions Trophy in Nottingham earlier this year, where they placed fifth, followed by the World Cup in Argentina where they finished seventh.
Their seventh-placed finish in South America matches their world ranking and is high enough to ensure two Oceania teams qualify for the 2012 London Olympics and the Black Sticks are determined to be in the mix.
For now though, the Auckland-based beauty technician said she was looking forward to a break from hockey over the summer and also getting up north to visit her dad, younger sister and pug dog Harley more often.
However, training and planning ahead for the Black Sticks campaign is never far from the players' minds.
"We are not sure if we have to play an Oceania qualifier yet for the Olympics so Mark [Hager] still hasn't finalised our programme ...but when he does we will start preparing for next year," she said.