Polocrosse: Tawa turns tables on Oz

Tawa Holyoake and his horse Cloud in action for the NZ Junior polocrosse side.

It's always good to beat the Aussies, and beating them at a sport they invented is even sweeter.

Talented young sportsman Tawa Holyoake has dismounted his polocrosse horse for the season after a test series against the Australians.

The Huanui College 13-year-old was the youngest member of the NZ Junior Polocrosse side which beat Australia 4-0 in a series of matches played over two weekends in Otorohanga and Tokoroa respectively.

The matches are normally held in April, but this year were played in February, meaning Tawa is now focusing on his rugby season with the City club - he is a Northland representative in rugby and polocrosse.

Polocrosse is a sport invented by the Australians in 1939 - they call it "King of the One Horse Sports". There are 4500 players in Australia, which made the NZ Juniors victory even more sweeter, given that there are far less players in this country.

The NZ Juniors Polocrosse side is made up of four girls and four boys all aged 16 and under, which means Tawa, at 13 is eligible for a few more years yet after what was his second polocrosse season.

Tawa is Northland's only representative in the national side and plays in the number1 position, which means he is responsible for shooting the goals. And shoot them he did, averaging 7 per game.

He couldn't do it, of course, without his trusted horse Cloud.

"The Polocrosse season is a great time to bond with your horse, Cloud and I know each other really well and I trust her to look after me in this very physical contact sport," Tawa said. "The best thing about polocrosse is that it is a family sport and I get to play with my dad."'

Like many sports, there is expense involved and Tawa was sponsored by the Pouto 2F Trust.

Tawa's dad Henry, a former North Auckland rugby representative, said Tawa had also received great support from Rick Murray, the Northland Junior coach and former NZ World Cup player.

"Rick did an awesome job with coaching/training Tawa and preparing him for the New Zealand side."

Tawa's older sister Tia and cousin Brodie Ruatara have also represented the NZ junior side.

In Northland, there are four clubs - Whangarei, Kaikohe, Pouto and Aranga who play an annual quadrangular tournament in November.

Polocrosse facts:

* It is a mix of polo and lacrosse.

* Field consists of six players on at a time, three per team.

* Two-horse minimum for each player.

* Points are scored by sending the ball through the opposition goal.

* Field measures 146.5m by 55m.