Hockey: International duties for young pair

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Two of the rising stars of New Zealand hockey will miss tomorrow's key national league clash.

Andrew Kay (North Harbour) and James Igasan (Northland) will be on international duty as members of the New Zealand under-18 team in a two-test series against Australian schoolboys starting in Wellington today. The second test will be played tomorrow.

The northern pair are joined in the national side by Hayden Shaw, who made his mark as a pace bowler for Canterbury last summer.

Kay has been in sparkling form for North Harbour, scoring five goals in four games, while Igasan has played a key role as goalkeeper in a Northland side who go into tomorrow's game at Rosedale Park as equal leaders with North Harbour, trailing only on goal difference.

Igasan has kept former international Grant Croft out of the side as they have compiled a two-win, one-draw, one-loss record in improving from the fifth place they took last season.

The winners of tomorrow's game will be assured of a place in the final on May 21.

Auckland trail the co-leaders by a point but have a game in hand.

They are away to bottom-placed Canterbury tomorrow and play their outstanding game against Midland Express next weekend.

Midland Express play Wellington at Pukekohe tomorrow, with the home team needing a win if they are to avoid the threat of relegation.

The Auckland women, already assured of a home final, play Wellington at Lloyd Elsmore Park tomorrow, with Wellington needing an upset win if they are to push Canterbury out of the final.

In other women's last-round games tomorrow, Canterbury are away to Otago and North Harbour play Manawatu in Palmerston North.

Otago and North Harbour, already destined to play off for fifth and sixth, will be looking for a win to grab the home advantage.

The Lion Foundation national league will be just part of the Rosedale Park action today.

The third and final round in the inaugural trantasman women's masters will be played, featuring a number of former internationals.

Margaret Edge and Sue Furmage are playing for the New Zealand over-35s, Jeni Kydd and Sue McHaffie-Green for the over-45s and Australian Debbie Bowman-Sullivan, who captained her country's 1988 Olympic gold medallists, for the over-35s.

NZ under-18: James Igasan (Northland), Clinton Thomas (Wairarapa), Michael Gin (Auckland), Dean Couzins (Canterbury), Rajesh Patel (Auckland), Julian Clarke (Wellington), Daniel Harrington (Manawatu), Jonathon Busch (Canterbury), Nick Stephenson (Waikato), Liam Workman (Auckland), Sanjay Patel (Auckland), Andrew Kay (North Harbour), Hayden Shaw (Canterbury), Lloyd Stephenson (Waikato), Mark Lawrence (Auckland), Robert McConnel (Auckland).