Hockey: Chinese chequers as Black Sticks juggle players

New Zealand's striking options having been trimmed by illness and injury going into the opening game of their hockey World Cup qualifying tournament against hosts China today.

Of the five strikers in the 18-man squad, Gareth Brooks is heading home shortly, after being concussed in a warmup match against England on Sunday.

His replacement, 19-year-old Aucklander Hamish Baron, won't arrive in Changzhou until tomorrow at the earliest and is unlikely to be considered for the second game the following day against Japan.

Experienced Bevan Hari rolled an ankle on Monday and although x-rays revealed no significant damage, he might get tonight's game off.

The other leading front man, Phil Burrows, is one of a handful of players who have picked up a bug, leaving teenager Simon Child and Lloyd Stephenson as the only fit strikers.

If the Black Sticks were playing world No 7 Korea, their toughest rival in pool B today, coach Kevin Towns might be twitchy. But the Chinese are ranked No 21, 12 behind New Zealand, and although information is sketchy on what threat they might pose, the Black Sticks should win comfortably.

The object of the exercise is to finish in the top five of the 12-team competition, thereby ensuring qualification for the World Cup in Munich in September. New Zealand have been at the last two World Cups.

But Towns will not be happy if New Zealand are scuffing around in the fifth-sixth playoff on the final day in China. "Not at all. That would be very difficult and in some respects disappointing," the coach said yesterday.

"We're really looking for a medal finish. Our ranking and form coming out of the Commonwealth Games was pretty good but we need to hit our straps 100 per cent in this first game and go from there."

Of the other teams in New Zealand's pool, Malaysia are 13th, Japan 14th and France 18th.

New Zealand drew one warmup match against Belgium 0-0 and lost another to England 2-1. Towns said while they were worthwhile hit-outs, but there was a limit to their value.

Pool A comprises world No 5 Pakistan, England (11), Belgium (12), Egypt (15), Canada (16) and Ireland (22).


QUALIFYING DRAW

* Today: v China, 8pm
* Friday: v Japan, 6pm
* Sunday: v France, 8pm
* Tuesday: v Korea, 10pm

Classification matches from April 21