Hockey: Veteran lines up for 100th cap

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Veteran Canterbury hockey striker John Radovonich will earn his 100th test cap when he leads New Zealand in the first of three tests against Great Britain in Whangarei today.

Radovonich, captain in the absence of injured goalkeeper Scott Anderson, was looking forward to the occasion: "It will be an exciting moment for me - a personal milestone - and one that I will cherish but more importantly it is a crucial series for the team."

"We are all looking forward to the challenge of playing Great Britain. It will be a good gauge for us to see how we measure up against top quality opposition."

Radovonich made his international debut in 1985 against Australia and has played in two World Cups at England in 1986 and Holland in 1998. He also represented New Zealand at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 before he took a break from the sport for five years.

Meanwhile, Great Britain warmed up for the test series with a comfortable 3-0 victory over the New Zealand Academy at Albany on yesterday.

Britain, ranked sixth in the world, will also play New Zealand at Pakuranga and Albany on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

New Zealand: Simon Towns (Auckland), Mitesh Patel (Wellington), Andrew Buckley (Wellington), Wayne McIndoe (Wellington), Andrew Hastie (Canterbury), John Radovonich (Canterbury), Brett Leaver (Auckland), Ryan Archibald (Auckland), Umesh Parag (Wellington), Greg Russ (Auckland), Craig Russ (Auckland), Bevan Hari (Auckland), Michael Bevin (Otago), Paul Woolford (Auckland), Phillip Burrows (Wellington), Hymie Gill (Canterbury).

Great Britain: Simon Mason (Reading), David Luckes (Surbiton), Jon Wyatt (Reading, captain), Robert Todd (Reading), Tom Bertram (Bournville-Birmingham University), Craig Parnham (Cannock), Guy Fordham (Guildford), Ben Sharpe (Cannock), Mark Pearn (Reading), Jimmy Wallis (Teddington), Andrew Humphrey (Cannock), Duncan Woods (Southgate), Danny Hall (Guildford), Stuart Head (Surbiton), Calum Giles (Surbiton), Manpreet Kochar (Reading), David Hacker (Canterbury), Michael Johnson (Cannock).