Hockey: Doctor saves the day

By Terry Maddaford

Shane McLeod was yesterday nursing a king-sized headache and feeling the nagging pain from 10 stitches in an ugly cut above his eye. It could have been much worse.

The New Zealand Hockey Federation's directive that a doctor should be at all national league matches was quickly vindicated when McLeod was hit a sickening blow just above the right eye during Sunday's first round clash with Canterbury at Rosedale Park.

With Dr Frank Gilchrist on hand, a bloodied McLeod received immediate on-pitch treatment and was quickly whisked to the dressing room for stitching up.

"I felt more comfortable having a doctor there so quickly," said 29-year-old McLeod, who captains the Harbour side.

"It was quite a messy cut with plenty of blood. He was excellent. Within an hour I was stitched up and bandaged. It could have dragged on much longer."

As North Harbour's operations manager, McLeod is responsible for ensuring medical personnel are on hand for home matches in the Lion Foundation-sponsored league.

He never thought he would be the first to need their services.

"I think this is a good lesson," said NZHF chief executive Ramesh Patel. "We have insisted there is a medical person on site. If that person is not a doctor we also insist there is a medical centre close by."

Patel, who was at the North Harbour versus Canterbury game, said he was impressed with the way the incident was dealt with. "It was a good example of what can - and did - happen."

McLeod, who played 20 times for New Zealand between 1995-97, has been in the wars before. He has been smacked just below the same eye and needed plastic surgery for a badly injured eye socket.

"I've been really unlucky with injuries," said McLeod. "The only good thing was I was not unconscious. If I had been I would have been out for three weeks. Now I should be able to play this week."

Richard Tattershaw, McLeod's former international team-mate, later apologised for the blow which came in attempting a clearance which caught McLeod at close range.