Hockey: Medal hopes as family business sticks together

By DAVID LEGGAT

When the Archibalds sit down for a family dinner, it's a fair bet hockey will be on the menu.

Just as cricket has its Hadlee, Crowe and Howarth families occupying special places in its history, so hockey has had its Maisters - brothers Selwyn and Barry, the latter now secretary-general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee - the Borrens (Jan and Thur) ... and the Archibalds.

Jeff Archibald was with the Maisters and Thur Borren in New Zealand's gold medal-winning team at the Montreal Olympics of 1976, and played more than 100 internationals as a centre half or inside right.

Now his son Ryan is fast closing in on his ton.

When he steps out for New Zealand's opening pool game against defending Commonwealth Games champions Australia today, the 21-year-old Auckland midfielder will be playing his 93rd international.

That might seem to pale alongside captain Simon Towns, at 160 appearances, and forward Umesh Parag, who will become New Zealand's most capped player with his 165th international tomorrow, going one ahead of the recently-retired Anna Lawrence.

But not when you throw his age into the equation.

His first cap came against Malaysia in Whangarei in 1997, and the memories are crystal clear.

"I'd just turned 17. I was playing on the right wing. I got the first goal. I remember my first touch, getting my first pass. I broke through a couple of defenders and got in a free hit."

But any idea that Archibald naturally took to hockey by some form of sporting osmosis is wide of the mark.

"In my early years I played a bit of rugby and soccer at primary school.

"I've always been keen on all sports, but hockey just seemed to be the one.

"It was never a conscious decision to say, 'Right, I'm going to hockey.' It's just the way it fell, and it's been my passion."

No nudging from Dad then?

"He supported whatever I wanted to do. I've always played cricket in the summer, but I was never pushed in a certain direction."

Archibald admits that staleness can set in. He is looking forward to leaving his stick in the wardrobe over the coming summer.

"A lot of it comes down to having a break at certain times of the year.

"During the season I set myself targets, decide what I'm focused on."

After tackling Australia, New Zealand play lightweights Barbados before facing South Africa in what seems sure to be the crunch game in sorting out semifinal reckoning.

Results suggest that the team's preparations have been patchy since they left home. But Archibald sees encouraging signs.

They lost 1-0 and 4-1 to the German under-21 team, lost 1-0 and won 2-1 in internationals against Belgium, had 3-3 and 2-2 draws with the Dutch under-21s, and a 2-1 loss in the final lead-up game, against England on Wednesday night.

"We were a bit slow to get under way in terms of our buildup," Archibald said.

"But against England you could tell that things on the field we'd been working on in practice, and hadn't quite been coming off, were starting to come together."

New Zealand's target is a medal, colour not specified, but under the one-game-at-a-time policy, the sights are set no further than tonight's game.

The games format has the pool winners - the other group is Pakistan, England, Wales and Canada - progressing to the semifinals.

The second and third place-getters have crossover games to find the other two teams into the last four.

The New Zealand women's team, good prospects for a medal, started their programme early today against England.

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