Hockey: Lawrence joins select band of centurions

By Suzanne McFadden

New Zealand hockey captain Anna Lawrence will play her 100th test tomorrow on the eve of playing in her biggest world tournament.

Lawrence will notch up her historic cap against England in a warm-up test before the Champions Trophy in Brisbane.

She was to have played her centennial match against world No 1 Australia in the opening game of the tournament for the world's top six teams, but the English invitation changed the plan.

Not that she is upset. She is more excited that this is the first time in 12 years that New Zealand have played in the Champions Trophy.

"This is the biggest tournament for world hockey, better than the world championships," 27-year-old Lawrence said.

"The bulk of our team have been together for seven years, and this is their reward for all the good stuff New Zealand have done in the last couple of years."

It is a fitting reward for Lawrence, who has been in the New Zealand side for nine years and will join four other women who have passed the 100 mark - Mary Clinton, Robbie Matthews, Kate Trolove and Tina Bell.

Matthews, 35 years old and now on 128 caps, is the only member of the New Zealand team who has played in the Champions Trophy.

Lawrence was realistic about her team's chances in the tournament after arriving in an overcast Brisbane yesterday.

"We haven't come here thinking we're going to win it. What we're trying to do is improve our world ranking of sixth," she said.

"We're targeting a couple of games we realistically believe we can win - against Korea and Germany - and if we can make the playoff for third it will be brilliant."

If New Zealand finish fifth or better, they will qualify for next year's Champions Trophy, the perfect lead-in to the Sydney Olympics.

Auckland lawyer Kylie Foy, a veteran of international hockey, is making her return to the side after withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games team because of work commitments.

New Zealand play their first match on Thursday night against Australia. They then play Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and Argentina in the 10-day competition.

England, ranked eighth, are not in the tournament but they beat Australia in a tour match on Wednesday, 2-1. Last night, however, they lost 2-3.