Hockey: Great Britain too good for NZ in second test

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A lacklustre New Zealand men's hockey team were victims of a fired-up Great Britain side when losing the second test 1-3 in Auckland today.

New Zealand, deserved 2-1 winners in the series-opener yesterday, failed to produce the same intensity and quickly fell behind, conceding three goals inside 27 minutes.

They got one back through a well-worked penalty corner in the second spell when Blair Hopping swept home from close range.

New Zealand should have had another a few minutes later when Gareth Brooks beat British goalkeeper John Ebsworth after a penalty corner had not been cleared.

Unluckily for New Zealand, local umpire Simon Taylor, after awarding what appeared a legitimate goal, allowed himself to be over-ruled from a distance by British umpire Martin Madden and the goal, much to the annoyance of New Zealand coach Kevin Towns, was disallowed.

That reversal appeared to drain any remaining fight from the home side, who had fallen behind to Ben Hawes' drag flicks from penalty corners in the 13th and 24th minutes and an opportunist Danny Hall goal three minutes later.

Brooks had a late chance but Ebsworth did enough to guide the ball wide of the post.

Towns was far from happy with the turnaround from yesterday.

"There was a decided lack of intensity," he said.

"We were hitting too many shallow angles and the delivery of the ball was poor. They were always ahead of us in getting to the ball.

"And when we did have the ball we missed chances that were there to be taken."

The British defence, built around Brett Garrard, was well organised.

Continuing his rotation of goalkeepers, Towns gave Michael Bevin his first action since last year's Commonwealth Games after Kyle Pontifex played yesterday.

First-choice goalkeeper Paul Woolford seems set to play the third test in Mt Maunganui on Thursday in a game which should also see the return of Phil Burrows, who has missed the opening two tests because of a leg infection.