New Zealand men’s and women’s hockey teams do the double over their fierce rivals Australia. For the men’s Black Sticks, it was their first win over Australian for nearly 50 years. The Kookaburras won the first two Trans-Tasman tests 4-2 and 2-1 but the New Zealand side battled to a 2-1 victory in the third and final match played at the Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium in Auckland.
Stephen Jenness opened the account to score his second goal of the series and his 61st for New Zealand. Australia found it hard to get behind the solid Kiwi defence but upped their game in the second quarter with Josh Pollard coming close to clinching the equaliser early in the third quarter. Then, two minutes into the last quarter, 19-year-old Sam Lane slammed home a powerful shot to double the Black Sticks’ lead. The 2-0 scoreline was shortlived, however, as Jeremy Hayward found the mark from a penalty corner to give a final score of 2-1.
Women hold on to lead
Kirsten Pearce opened the scoring after just three minutes, with Sam Harrison getting the second in the 19th minute. Australia got back into the game in the third quarter through Georgina Morgan but New Zealand kept on pushing to go 3-1 up through a shot from Olivia Merry. Brooke Peris scored for Australia and they continued to attack but could not get the equaliser, so the final score remained 3-2 to New Zealand.
Why play hockey?
Hockey is a great cardiovascular workout, builds muscles, improves coordination, helps with weight loss, increases stamina, builds teamwork, is good for your mental health and improves communication – http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-field-hockey/.
You can join a local team to take part in training sessions. Your coach should be able to add variety into training so that you improve your game and learn new skills each week. You can watch a field hockey drill video, such as those found on https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Hockey/drills.jsp, to see best practice, find out about the different hockey positions and discuss tactics.
There are also many social benefits to playing hockey because you will make new friends, have a new interest in life, build your confidence, and learn how to manage your time better. Hockey can also foster a sense of pride and community as you work together as a team.