Hockey: British recover to square series

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A strong second half performance from Great Britain sealed a 4-2 win in the final test yesterday and enabled them to share the five-match series with New Zealand.

Going into the decider at Hamilton's Gallagher Hockey Centre yesterday, New Zealand held a 2-1 advantage after Saturday's fourth test in Tauranga had been drawn 2-2.

Needing only a draw to take the series against a team rated higher in the world rankings, New Zealand finished with 10 players after Simon Towns was sent off shortly before the end with the score 3-2.

That angered coach Kevin Towns, who was unimpressed with the performance of umpire Craig Gribble.

"We have had to put up with less than satisfactory performances like that for too long," said Towns. "But, having said that, we backed off them a bit and allowed them to dictate.

"We don't cope well with their five-man defence. A drawn series is a reasonable indication of how the matches have gone."

New Zealand were caught a couple of times early when the visitors broke and quickly turned defence into attack.

These assaults were weathered but New Zealand were in trouble after 14 minutes when they failed to cut out an attacking British freehit and Martin Jones scored.

Three minutes later, from their second penalty corner, New Zealand equalised when Hayden Shaw's drag flick beat goalkeeper Simon Mason.

Two minutes later, from a well-worked variation also from a penalty corner, Shaw was again on target.

Run-on substitute Jerome Goudie tested New Zealand goalkeeper Michael Bevin with an opportunist shot and he had a half chance for a 30th-minute equaliser when Shaw lost possession to Niall Stott who found Goudie who produced another good save from Bevin.

The home side had two chances late in the first spell to increase their lead but Darren Smith, after gathering a long ball, could not get the contact he wanted..

Right on the break David Kosoof broke from halfway, played a one-two with veteran striker Umesh Parag, but failed to control the return pass and the opportunity was lost.

Phil Burrows had a good chance to stretch New Zealand's lead eight minutes into the second spell but was denied by Mason.

They had a penalty corner chance which too went begging and with it went much of their fight.

The visitors showed they too could score from set play when Barry Middleton deflected a penalty corner for 2-2, and two minutes later he gave Great Britain the lead for the second time when he turned and fired home a low, well-angled shot.

The clincher came from Ben Hawes, who drag flicked home from the sixth of the seven penalty corners awarded to the visitors.

After a strong first half in which Towns played only a bit part, handing the captaincy to Smith, New Zealand gave up much of the initiative in the second spell as Great Britain stepped up on the back of strong games from Middleton, Tom Bertram, Danny Hall and Jones.

Ryan Archibald, Burrows, Wayne McIndoe, Smith, Shaw and Dharmesh Puna showed out for New Zealand but without ever finding the intensity needed for a complete 70-minute performance.

New Zealand were also behind after 14 minutes of Saturday's fourth test in Mt Maunganui when Middleton scored with a reverse stick shot. Shaw set up the equaliser for a Gareth Brooks deflection right on halftime.

The visitors went back in front early in the second spell through Jones, and it was left to Archibald to grab the equaliser midway through the half.

Towns will name his team this week for three home tests against Poland in January.