Dalefield talent abounds

Dalefield duo Jesse Workman and Dane Lett were "serious contenders" for the Capital national league men's hockey side due to be named today.
Coach Sean Dancer was impressed by the form shown by both players in the friendly with Central Mavericks at Clareville on Sunday, a match which doubled as a final selection trial for the two teams.
At the same time, however, Dancer admitted that cutting his squad back from the 22 who played at Clareville to 18 for the national league was a headache, and two or three players would consequently be unlucky to miss out.
"Yes, you can say Jesse and Dane are both serious contenders but, quite honestly, you could say that about the whole 22," Dancer said yesterday.
"We've got some hard decisions to make, no doubt about that."
Dancer said Capital's massive 10-0 beating of the Central Mavericks was a classic illustration of the depth of talent in their line-up.
He said the game plan was to maintain a structured style of hockey while always looking to place the emphasis on attack and he was delighted with the manner in which the players responded to that challenge.
"We wanted to start well and keep the pressure on all the way through and I think we did that," he said.
"When we got ourselves into scoring positions we generally made the most of them and that's what you have to do."
Dancer was also rapt with the good-sized crowd who braved the wintry conditions and were quick to appreciate the many spectacular goals scored by his side,
"The atmosphere was outstanding, we couldn't have hoped for anything better."
He said warm-up games for Capital at Clareville, of which this was the first, could become a regular feature.
"It's great to showcase our game in areas like Wairarapa and the players love it."
Pleased as he is with his side, Dancer is not prepared to go out on a limb and predict they will repeat their national league title success of 2010.
Having their Black Sticks available on this occasion will strengthen several of the teams and he is anticipating Auckland and Midlands, in particular, making their presence felt in a big way.
"We definitely have a team capable of being right up there but winning ... it looks too close to call to go that far."
The first series of national league games will be played in Palmerston North on the weekend of July 30 and 31, with the remainder being played in Wellington from August 6 to 14.