Black Sticks to the fore

Tauranga is set for a sizzling two days of international hockey after the Black Sticks men's side last night downed Korea 4-1 in the third test in Hamilton to level their five-match series at 1-1.
Striker Simon Child scored once in each half with James Coughlan getting on the scoresheet in the first 35 minutes and Blair Hilton getting his after the break.
Korea's goal was scored in the second half through Jong Hyun Jang whose powerful drag flick gave Tauranga goalkeeper Stephen Graham no chance.
The teams had fought out a scoreless draw at the same venue on Wednesday after Korea won the opening test 3-2 at Auckland on Sunday.
Black Sticks coach Shane McLeod said today it was set up for a fierce weekend to decide the five-match series.
"There was a lot of progress made from Wednesday's game - not many teams beat Korea so convincingly - and it's all on now for our two tests in Tauranga.
"Korea will come back hard, we're sure of that, because they're not a team that take losses too well."
Mt Maunganui's Blake Park hosts the final two tests tomorrow and Sunday at 3pm.
A familiar pattern emerged last night with the fast moving Koreans attacking in swarms only to come up against a stout New Zealand defence.
New Zealand took the upper hand with a goal in the fifth minute through Child, who deflected a brilliant cross from skipper Shea McAleese high into the net. McAleese was a livewire in attack and had two good looks at goal in the first half only to be denied by good saves from the Korean custodian.
Coughlan gave the Black Sticks a halftime lift when he sent the ball into goal from the top of the circle three minutes before the breather.
Jang narrowed the deficit in the 47th minute but another Child goal in the 56th minute followed by Blair five minutes later put the game out of reach of the Koreans.
McLeod said a lot of effort had gone into combating the counterattacking pace of the Koreans.
"They're really quick, which is typical of Asian teams, and they run hard and use their physical prowess all over the field. They're stretching us at times but not as much as in the past because we've made some good gains over the summer on our speed."
McLeod said he had left a number of senior players out of the games against Belgium and South Korea.
"We left No1 keeper [Kyle Pontifex] out to produce another 'keeper going through to London. Phil Burrows, Ryan Archibald and Nick Wilson are all going through some rehab."
"We're working with a new group of players and trying to fast-track players that are sitting and working in our development programme."
South Korea are ranked one spot ahead of the Black Sticks at No6.
The Black Sticks have a busy 2011 planned starting with the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia in May. They tour Europe in July, contest the Four Nations tournament in England, the Oceania Cup in October before competing in the Champions Challenge tournament in December.