Hockey: Galletly only newcomer in Black Sticks

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Canterbury midfielder Jo Galletly is the only confirmed newcomer in the New Zealand women's team for next month's Champions Challenge tournament in Catania, Sicily.

The naming of the Black Sticks for the six-team tournament comes at the end of a busy few weeks. The team, under new coach Ian Rutledge, have won a four-test home series against Canada and lost the Oceania Olympic qualifying series to Australia 3-0.

Next week the players will undergo fitness testing while, at the same time, the New Zealand academy side plays in Australia.

Rutledge yesterday named 17 of the 18 players who will travel to Sicily, leaving one spot open. That will be taken by either a player from the academy side, a member of the extended national squad who did not play against Australia or by Piki Hamahona, one of the two players who played that series but was not selected yesterday.

The other player not named, right half Caryn Paewai, is undergoing surgery for a foot spur and being given time to recover before next year's Olympic qualifying tournament in Auckland.

The other countries participating in the July 5-13 Champions Challenge - for teams with a world ranking between seven and 12 - are Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States.

New Zealand players named yesterday: Helen Clarke, Meredith Orr, Jan Rowsell, Karen Syddall (Auckland), Amanda Christie, Nikki Grimwood, Di Weavers, Jo Galletly (Canterbury), Tara Drysdale, Kayla Sharland, Anita Wawatai (Manawatu), Lizzy Igasan (Northland), Paula Enoka, Jaimee Provan (North Harbour), Suzie Pearce, Niniwa Roberts-Lang, Rachel Sutherland (Wellington).