Hockey: Top of table chance vanishes with draw

By TERRY MADDAFORD

New Zealand blew their chance of going to the top of the table at the men's hockey Champions Challenge in Randburg, South Africa, yesterday when bottom-placed Malaysia held them to a 1-1 draw.

National coach Kevin Towns, forced to stay home after minor heart surgery, was reluctant to criticise from a distance, but said he was frustrated by the result.

"Following the game on the internet and with what [assistant coach] Charlie Oscroft has told me, we should have won," said Towns. "We had the lion's share of possession, forced three penalty corners to none, yet could not penetrate the packed Malaysian defence."

But Towns took some solace from the other second-day results.

Top-ranked Korea, with whom New Zealand drew 0-0 on the opening day, beat favourites Spain 3-2 and England bounced back from their 6-2 hiding by the Spanish to beat South Africa 2-0.

Only three points separate top and bottom, and New Zealand and Korea are the only unbeaten teams.

New Zealand's game with Spain (2.30am tomorrow, NZ time) is crucial.

New Zealand opened the scoring against Malaysia with a Gareth Brooks field goal in the 32nd minute.

Malaysia equalised on the hour when 19-year-old Ismail Abu got deep and hit a reverse stick shot on to the under side of the cross bar giving goalkeeper Paul Woolford no chance.

New Zealand went into the game with the same starting lineup as they used against Korea.

Defender Hayden Shaw was rested and Oscroft rotated Brooks, Bevan Hari, Phil Burrows and Umesh Parag up front.

Surprisingly, he did not use David Kosoof at all. Kosoof has been Shaw's back-up in drag flicking at penalty corners.

"The draw with Malaysia says to me we still have a lot of work to do," said Towns.

"But this was always going to be a tough tournament with many close games."

In other games tomorrow morning, England play Malaysia and Korea meet South Africa.