Whanganui contingent heading to rink hockey world champs

Dean Fitness (bottom row, far left) and Jimi Blinkhorne (bottom row, far right) with the New Zealand rink hockey team in 2019. Photo / Supplied

The New Zealand rink hockey team will be heading to Argentina in November for the world championships and Whanganui players make up a third of the squad.

Dean Fitness, Mitchell Lockett, Jerome Allen and Jimi Blinkhorne will don the black jersey, the biggest River City contingent to ever take part.

Fitness, Whanganui's senior men's captain, will be heading to the champs for the fifth time.

"In years gone by we had fallen behind some of the other countries we were at a similar level to," Fitness said.

"The team that went to the world champs in China in 2017 really struggled but since then we've been catching back up."

At the 2019 event in Spain, New Zealand beat Chinese Taipei and China.

An "achievable goal" for this year was to knock over Japan, Fitness said.

"Because of the Covid climate, some teams have been coy on their entries so we are still waiting on the final draw to come out with who is in our pool.

"Generally, in our tier (tier three) there are teams like Uruguay, the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands, India and Japan."

Unlike the senior competition, the junior world champs don't use a tiered system.

Fitness's first taste of international rink hockey came as a junior at the age of 16, lining up against Chile in front of a packed stadium.

"It's like the Ethiopian rugby team playing the All Blacks.

"Funnily enough, we are playing warm-up games there (Chile) before heading to Argentina. I'll be heading back after 20-odd years."

It will be Lockett's first senior world champs and Blinkhorne and Allen's second.

Rink hockey teams are made up of five players on each side.

"I'm guessing Whanganui players will take up two or three positions in the starting lineup," Fitness said.

He said the Whanganui Rink Hockey Club was on the hunt for new players.

"That's male and female of any age and experience.

"We have training and teams to suit all abilities."

For more information, email play@wrhc.co.nz

The 2022 rink hockey world championships will be held in San Juan, Argentina, from November 5 to 13.