Hockey: Bright start for national league

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Upset wins to hockey's "poor cousins" Northland and North Harbour have given the men's national league a dream start.

While Auckland, early favourites for the men's title, were frustrated by rain, which washed out any hope of them playing Midland Express in Hamilton, Northland and North Harbour helped themselves to dramatic first-up wins.

In the women's league, Manawatu scored a minor upset in beating Wellington, while a rampant Auckland scored seven second-half goals in downing Otago 11-0.

On Saturday, women's favourite Canterbury were flattered by their winning 6-2 margin over North Harbour.

Northland, seeded fifth, upset top seeds and defending champions Wellington 2-1 in Whangarei in the Lion Foundation-sponsored league. Veteran Angus Lindsay and up-and-coming Jason Roberts scored for the home side, while international Wayne McIndoe gave the visitors some hope.

Canterbury travelled to North Harbour's Rosedale Park with a new-look team and high hopes after beating Wellington in a pre-season clash.

And when Gareth Brooks intercepted a weak North Harbour pass across the face of their goal to score after just seven minutes, it seemed those hopes were justified. But it was not to be.

The restructured North Harbour side, under new coach Bill Webb, quickly sorted themselves out and five minutes later equalised when Richard Redfern showed his undoubted skills in controlling the ball before finding Stuart Sutherland, who scored.

Seconds after the halftime hooter had sounded, David Kasoof scored Harbour's second from a late penalty corner.

Three minutes into the second spell, Kasoof, too, showed his skills in gathering neatly, before feeding 19-year-old Andrew Kay, who hit home his team's third.

A goal from a penalty corner for former Canterbury star Hymie Gill made it 4-1, before Redfern completed the rout when he scored from a long corner.

Harbour's win followed their surprise 3-2 victory over Canterbury in last season's play-off for third.

The abandonment of the game in Hamilton has left North Harbour as the unlikely frontrunners. Their away game against Wellington on Saturday is now crucial to both sides. Auckland will be hoping to get their season under way with a home game against Northland.

Internationals Mandy Smith and Lisa Walton grabbed four each for Auckland in their romp against Otago in Dunedin. Only two of Auckland's 11 goals came from penalty corners.

The North Harbour women, determined to show they were better than pre-season predictions, gave as good as they got against the star-studded Canterbury side. Only their inability to convert four clear-cut scoring chances stopped them going to the break on level terms.

New Zealand captain Anna Lawrence scored three for the winners - two from penalty strokes - while rising star Lizzy Igasan got two, from penalty corners, for North Harbour, who face another tough ask in playing Auckland at Rosedale Park on Sunday.