Home series vs Korea 2012

Home series vs Korea 2012

Thursday 14 March 2013

Game 3 & 4 v Korea & India



We have just had a two game winning streak!! 1st v Korea where we beat them 3-0, and then last night beating India 2-0.

The boys have been growing in confidence and morale throughout the tournament and these games were a display of our grit and determination.

The other results in the tournament have worked out in our favour too. The ball is in our court to make the final- if we have a win against Australia tomorrow it will put us through.

Talking to Dean Cousins after the match yesterday, he has only beaten Aussie once, drawing a couple and losing far too many! So tomorrow is one of redemption for him and maybe one for the record books.

For full match reports check out:

http://www.hockeynz.co.nz/News/ArtMID/3654/ArticleID/1403/Black-Sticks-keep-hopes-alive-at-Azlan-Shah-Cup

http://www.hockeynz.co.nz/News/ArtMID/3654/ArticleID/1389/Convincing-win-for-Black-Sticks-against-Korea

Monday 11 March 2013

2nd game v Malaysia

We lost our second consecutive game in as many days. Although this was a big blow for the boys there were still some positives to take from the match.

The match was a fast paced, high intensity match and adding to the chaos was their few thousand screaming fans. The noise made it hard for the team to communicate in crucial moments of the game.

For a full match report check out: http://www.hockeynz.co.nz/News/ArtMID/3654/ArticleID/1375/Tough-loss-for-Black-Sticks-at-Azlan-Shah

We are to play Korea tomorrow at 4pm, and although the heat will play a factor in the game, the noise should be less.

Keep posted for the score!

Saturday 9 March 2013

Azlan Shah Cup- 1st game v Pakistan

Set to kick off at 4pm, we came across a thunderstorm during our warm up- a fork of lightning actually hitting one of the lightning rods on top of one of the light towers at the turf. This forced the start of the game back by 30 minutes.
Pakistan took the game 4-3, although we showed good fight to come from three goals down to equalise, it wasn't enough.
We play hosts Malaysia tonight at 8pm, in a game that is going to be tough up against a home crowd.
For a full match report check out: http://www.azlanshahcup.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/29-pakistan-edge-new-zealand
Keep posted for the result!

Wednesday 6 March 2013

2nd test v Malaysia


We played our second test against Malaysia last night in the build up to the Azlan Shah Cup. Unfortunately the game didn't play out like the first. We went down 3-2.

After being down 3-0 at half time, we fought our way back into contention with some well worked goals and penalty corners. We created a number of opportunities in the dying minutes but were unlucky to capitalise on these.  

This was a good learning curve for the team heading into the tournament. We pointed to our lackluster performance down to a slow start in which we conceded easy goals. 

We are currently on a bus to Ipoh where we are to spend a few days training in a build up to the tournament- kicking off this Saturday 4pm v Pakistan. Keep posted for the result!

Monday 4 March 2013

1st test v Malaysia

We played Malaysia last night in our first of two test matches in the warm up to the Azlan Shah Cup.

We were facing a challenge from the start- facing a full strength Malaysian team with our young team of only 15 on the card (3 of our team were still flying in to join us from different parts of the world). In addition we had two debutants- Cory Bennett and Nick Ross playing their first games for the senior side.

We won the game 3-2 with goals to Andy Hayward x2 and Jake Smith after big efforts from all the boys who all dug in deep in the heat.

I was lucky enough to win the 'Arthur Parkin' "Above and Beyond" stick, awarded by captain Dean Cousins. The stick is a symbol of support in which can be awarded for a performance for something 'above and beyond' by a player which supports the team in gaining the result. I'm looking forward to awarding the stick to one of the boys next!

For a more detailed match report visit this link: http://www.hockeynz.co.nz/Home/ArtMID/3798/ArticleID/1344/Black-Sticks-off-to-winning-start-in-Malaysia

We play Malaysia at 8pm tonight- stay posted for the result!

Coffee coffee coffee

This is the teams new toy- a Nespresso U machine. Just small enough to fit in hand luggage and making about 40+ coffees a day for the boys!

Monday 25 February 2013

Skinnies Sun Gel


A huge thanks to Skinnies for helping protect the boys at the recent Black Sticks training camp. Their sun gel doesn't run when you sweat and doesn't leave your hands greasy after applying it- perfect for holding a hockey stick!
Stay posted for Skinnies at the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia!