Black Sticks lose warm-up match

The New Zealand men's hockey team have been beaten 1-3 by Argentina in the first of two warm-up matches for next week's Champions Challenge tournament.

Argentina led 3-0 before the jet-lagged Black Sticks, playing less than 48 hours after arriving in Salta, Argentina, cut the deficit through young striker Hugo Inglis who finished off a well-worked build-up by Simon Child and Phil Burrows.

The Champions Challenge, which begins on Sunday, features eight teams ranked behind the elite top six.

The winners will gain automatic promotion to the elite Champions Trophy next July-August in Germany.

The competing sides are Pakistan (ranked seventh), New Zealand (eighth), Belgium (ninth), Argentina (10th), Canada (11th), India (12th), China (13th) and South Africa (15th).

- NZPA