Two Rotorua hopefuls to trial for U18s

SELECTION: Eight players from the Mid Northern U18 underwater hockey team have been selected to trial for national honours. Back: Simon Shields (left), Lachlan Wood and coach Kenrick Knowlson. Middle: Conrad Dale (c), Sean White, Bayley Warena and Peter Derrick-Jehu. Front: manager Mandy Shields, Keegan Thomson, Ben Richardson, Guy Roberts, Cameron Appeldorn and co-coach Syd Warena. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Two Rotorua underwater hockey players have put themselves in the mix to be selected for a New Zealand representative team.

Simon Shields and Bayley Warena have been selected to train in Auckland this month and trial for the national U18 side.

Shields and Warena play for the Mid Northern U18 team which finished fourth at the U18 nationals in Wellington last year.

Six other players from their Mid Northern side, which includes Tauranga, Whakatane and Rotorua players, were also selected to attend the national trials in Auckland.

The trials will feature 35 of the best young players in the country competing for selection.

Players can use selection as a spring board to make New Zealand age group or men's teams during the world championships next year in New Zealand.

Underwater hockey is played at the bottom of a 2m-deep pool. Players wear a mask, snorkel, fins and a glove to protect them from the lead puck.

Each player uses a short stick to control the puck under the water, similar to a hockey match.

Each team has up to 10 players but only six can be in play at any given time.

The other players in the Mid Northern side who also made selection for the trials include Lachlan Wood, Conrad Dale, Peter Derrick-Jehu, Keegan Thomson, Ben Richardson and Cameron Appeldorn.