Champion Black Sticks set for pre-Olympics hockey camp in Hastings

The 2024 New Zealand Black Sticks men’s hockey team in the moment of triumph after winning the Nations Cup in Poland. Photo / WorldSportPics, Frank Uijlenbroek

New champion hockey stars and Olympic Games hopefuls the men’s New Zealand Black Sticks will train in Hawke’s Bay and play a practice game in front of the public later this month.

The June 22-26 camp at the regional sports park’s Unison Hockey Stadium, which includes the June 23 “inter-squad” game, was confirmed just 24 hours after New Zealand had its first international tournament triumph in nine years in winning the second-tier Nations Cup in Poland.

The Vantage Black Sticks, starting the tournament ranked 10th in men’s hockey globally, won four pool games and a semi-final before a 4-3 penalty shootout win over 9th-ranked Olympics’ hosts France in the final early on Monday (NZT).

Three players from Hawke’s Bay were in the final, with Dominic Dixon in-goal, teenage newcomer Jonty Elmes scoring the Kiwis’ only goal in ordinary time, and Sean Findlay claiming one of the goals in the shootout.

Sam Hiha, also from Hawke’s Bay, was a travelling reserve, and head coach Greg Nicol played for Hawke’s Bay and lives in the region.

For all four players it was the final chance before the June 18 naming of the squad for the Olympic Games in Paris.

The 19-year-old Elmes played himself right into contention with seven goals in 12 matches over two tournaments in a senior international career less than two months old.

The June 23 public day in Hastings will include the game from 10.30am to noon, followed by a “skills activation” session for young players and hopefuls to rub shoulders with the team.

The camp will be part of a big three weeks for Hawke’s Bay Hockey, which has about 2500 registered players and hosts the national Under-18 men’s tournament on July 7-13, the first week of the mid-year school holidays.

The last time the men’s Black Sticks played in Hawke's Bay, an international against Malaysia in Napier in 2009, with now-retired Hawke’s Bay legend Shea McAleese (left) in one of his 316 matches for New Zealand. Photo / NZME

It was not clear when a full men’s Black Sticks squad was last in Hawke’s Bay, but there was a match against Malaysia in Napier in 2009 and a camp in 2006.

The women’s Black Sticks played in the four Hawke’s Bay Cup international women’s tournaments which started in 2014, and won the last in 2017, but the current squad has missed out on a place at this year’s Olympics.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.