Capital bid strong - Workman

Dalefield striker Jesse Workman gives his Capital squad "every chance" of winning the national league men's hockey title for a second successive year - but he is quick to add they can take nothing for granted.
"Our team is strong across the board but then so are quite a few of the others, it's a hard one to pick," Workman said yesterday.
Capital have four Black Sticks (Joel Baker, Matt L'Hullier, Kyle Pontifex and Blair Hilton) and two ex-Black Sticks (Tim Gyles and Scott Falconer) in their line-up, along with four Junior Black Sticks, including Dalefield's Dane Lett, one Black Sticks development squad player and, of course, Workman who has played for New Zealand Maoris.
Workman sees Auckland as a definite threat.They have not won the national title for some seasons now but, with many of the higher-profile Black Sticks (Ryan Archibald, Simoin Child, Phil Burrows and Dean Cousins) in their side, they have to be a serious contender this time around.
Midlands, too, is rated by Workman as a formidable opponent. They have a good number of past and present New Zealand reps in their team, along with Rob Reckers from the Netherlands, who is regarded as being one of the best strikers in the world.
The national league programme gets under way at the end of this month and Workman says Capital should be ripe to defend their title.
They play in a mini-tourney in Taupo this coming weekend against opposition from Auckland, Midlands and Central, and then will come another warm-up fixture against Central on July 24.
Normal training runs are being held on Monday and Wednesday nights and Friday mornings. with extra video and sprint sessions also being part of their build-up.
Capital will play Central and Canterbury on the weekend of July 30 and 31 in the first of their NHL matches and then they will be on home soil for the remainder of the games to be played in Wellington under a tournament format from August 6-14.
The Wairarapa under-11 boys and girls squads for the 2011 season have been confirmed:
Boys: Gracyn Evans, Campbell De Cent, Sam Smith, Xavier Bush, Oliver Bunny, Jacob Moloney, Cullen Goldsmith, Jo Greenlees, Jackson Spellacey, Ryan Jacobsen, Robert Winchester, Oliver Ward, Aidan Everitt, Michael Caldwell, Theo Collett, Craig Pankhurst.
Girls: Georgia Percy, Amber Spicer, Poppy Lambert, Alana Sweeney, Amy Rossiter-Stead, Libby Dalziell, Emma Butterick, Michaela Warbrick, Milly France, Tiana Whitehead, Brooklyn Mathews, Lucy Griffith, Anna Caldwell, Belle Wimmenstein, Money Turvey, Sophie Saba.