Hockey: Last-second goal gives New Zealand a draw

WELLINGTON - New Zealand scored a dramatic last-second goal to draw their match against Great Britain at the men's Olympic qualifying hockey tournament in Osaka, Japan, yesterday.

Team manager Graham Sligo said the goal by Wellington's Phillip Burrows right on the final hooter was hotly disputed, but the final 2-2 score was a fair reflection of the hard-fought game.

"We're reasonably happy - we certainly did enough to at least come away with a draw if not a win," he said.

A Great Britain penalty corner midway through the first half opened the scoring, with New Zealand replying just two minutes from halftime with a Brett Leaver goal.

Burrows' diving slide right on the hooter pushed a Craig Reynolds pass across the line for the draw.

The result is New Zealand's second tie against the British, with two losses and another draw coming from their three-test series in January.

Sligo said the New Zealanders came through the game relatively unscathed, with Aucklander Craig Russ suffering a slight hamstring injury and Wellington's Umesh Parag needing six stitches from a head wound. New Zealand play Belgium today.

- NZPA