Hockey: Draw kills hopes for semis spot

By TERRY MADDAFORD

New Zealand coach Kevin Towns was a frustrated spectator when Spain and Belgium played out a 1-1 draw that cost his team a place in the semifinals of the World Cup qualifying tournament in Edinburgh yesterday.

A 5-3 victory over Canada in their final post-section pool match had kept New Zealand's top-four hopes alive. A win for tournament favourites Spain over Belgium would have ensured that.

Spain went ahead in the first half, but the Belgians, with a goal from a controversial second-half penalty corner, got back for a draw to go through to play Argentina in the second semifinal tomorrow.

The Spaniards meet Poland in the other semi.

The four semifinalists qualify automatically for the cup.

New Zealand will now play Japan who, along with India and Canada, are in the fifth-eighth play-offs. Three of these four will qualify for next year's tournament in Malaysia.

New Zealand meet Japan - to whom they lost 1-2 in a warm-up game in Scotland - tomorrow night.

"We knew the story of the tournament before we got here," Towns said. "We have to live with that, but it does not make it any easier when you see a team like Belgium get through with two wins, three draws and a loss.

"In the more conventional eight-team pool system, which they are going back to, they would not have made it."

"We could tell before the game the Spanish were not interested," Towns said.

"Their warm-up routine lacked the urgency they had shown earlier."

Of more concern for Towns and his players were the lapses in concentration that allowed Canada to score three goals within seconds of New Zealand scoring three of their goals.

"There were some irrational things going on in our defence," Towns said.

"But, having said that, there were a couple of rubbish umpiring decisions which cost us.

"We had a chat with the umpire after the game and he admitted he had made a mistake. That is the second time that has happened here."

Towns and his son Simon, who captains the team, are adamant about one thing.

"We want this [World Cup qualification] put away in the game against Japan," Simon Towns said.