Hockey: Kiwis solid in final warm-up

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

It was sunny, the plastic grass was a luscious green and it was the Olympics, for goodness' sake. But the New Zealand women's hockey team did not really want to be there.

They were struggling to get motivated for a practice game against 1992 gold medallists Spain yesterday - their final big run-around before Saturday's opening match.

They came out of it just fine - a 2-2 draw, and only a couple of bumps and grazes that needed icing and patching.

Coach Jan Borren was not burned up about it.

He had realised that the Kiwis have reached the point where, after four years of scratching their way up from the bottom of the world hockey barrel, they are itching to play for the real thing.

The big disappointment in their camp is that they are missing out on the first big event of the world's greatest show.

The New Zealand hockey women will not be marching in the opening ceremony tomorrow night - they decided on an early bedtime, with a 10.30 am match against Germany the next day.

Captain Kylie Foy suggested that the team dress up in their official uniform and march through the athletes' village instead, but those plans have been abandoned.

It is more likely that they will crowd around a television set with other Kiwi athletes who cannot go.

Then there is the other thing the New Zealanders are not all that thrilled about - the Olympic turf at the grand State Hockey Centre. It may look a picture, but the artificial surface plays like the rough on a public golf course.

The Kiwis are not alone in their concern - the Pakistani, Dutch and German men's teams have all protested at the bumpy state of the new pitch.

There is, of course, little that can be done except to get used to the lumps and grooves.

"We've played on it a number of times and we thought it might get better by the Olympics," Borren said.

"It's not to the standard of a test turf. All of the teams will struggle to trap the bouncing ball. It will affect the way games are played on it."

The New Zealanders grappled with the bounce yesterday, but no more so than the Spanish, whose feet seemed continually in the way.

After a good 20 minutes on attack, New Zealand forward Suzie Pearce opened the scoring from a penalty corner variation, and less than a minute later Pearce set up Mandy Smith for a second goal.

Red-headed thunderbolt Carmen Barea - in her 222nd match for Spain - struck back soon after with a lethal reverse stick shot, and the Spanish tied up the scores from a corner early in the second half.

Injured New Zealand striker Moira Senior managed a 10-minute run near the end of the game, her strained left calf heavily strapped.

Borren will take his team away from the turf tomorrow - giving them a day off in the city on the eve of their match against Germany. The Germans were outclassed in their practice match against world champions Australia 3-0.