Hockey: Strikers get chance to break into team

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The search for goal-scoring strike forwards has given a number of new players a chance to chase selection in the New Zealand men's team for the Commonwealth Games in July and August.

Young North Harbour centre-forward Andrew Kay has been rewarded for his good form in the past two national leagues with a call-up for next month's trials.

Kay was the top-scorer in last year's national league and second on the goalscoring list the previous season.

The former Manawatu age-group representative has by-passed this week's national under-21 tournament in Christchurch because of work commitments, but will be available for the trials at Rosedale Park in Albany from June 13 to 16.

National coach Kevin Towns has named 32 players for the trials.

Only 16 will go to the Manchester Games.

Striker Ken Robinson and defender Bevan Hari will return from overseas for the trials, but Towns' son Simon, who will captain the team, will not.

The New Zealanders struggled to score goals at the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in February, but Towns said that was not a major concern.

"The heat made attacking hockey very difficult," said Towns.

"A lot of teams struggled to score because of the defensive nature of the tournament."

Incumbent strike forwards Robinson, Umesh Parag, David Kosoof, Phillip Burrows and former international Lloyd Stephenson will be challenged by Kay, Canterbury's Gareth Brooks, Umesh Hari, of Auckland and Wellington's Roshan Parag for places in the Games team.

Goalkeepers Paul Woolford and Michael Bevin will be out to hold their places ahead of Wellington's Kyle Pontifex and Northland's James Igasan, who is playing for Northern in this week's tournament in Christchurch. The cancellation of the proposed four-test tour by Argentina and the inability to find a suitable replacement at short notice has robbed the team - to be named on June 17 - of some valuable match practice.

They will now have a solely European build-up with two matches against the German under-21 side, two tests against Belgium, two matches against the Dutch under-21 team and matches in England against their under-21 side and then a test on July 23.

Trialists: Ryan Archibald, Dion Gosling, Bevan Hari, Umesh Hari, Brett Leaver, Alpesh Puna, Dharmesh Puna, Ken Robinson, Ryan Wilson, Paul Woolford (Auckland), Michael Bevin, Gareth Brooks, Hayden Shaw, Peter Stafford (Canterbury), Shaun Barnett, Hymie Gill, Andrew Kay, David Kosoof, Darren Smith, Lloyd Stephenson (North Harbour), James Igasan (Northland), Dean Couzins (Otago), Casey Henwood, Blair Hopping (Waikato), Phillip Burrows, Scott Falconer, Wayne McIndoe, James Nation, Roshan Parag, Umesh Parag, Mitesh Patel, Kyle Pontifex (Wellington).