Experience beyond her years

AUSSIE BOUND: Youthful Whanganui hockey talent Emma Rainey will be an old head on young shoulders with the New Zealand Under-19 squad to play an international test series on the Gold Coast next month.PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

The dedicatioin and skill of young Whanganui hockey talent Emma Rainey has been recognised after being named in the New Zealand Under-19 team to play an international test series in Australia next month.

New Zealand will send two Under-19 sides, while Australia and Japan will field a side apiece during the January 8-15 tournament on the Gold Coast where they will play each other five times. At the tender age of 16, Rainey will be the youngest in the New Zealand touring party, but it will be at their peril if rivals think she lacks experience.

For all her age Rainey is an old head on young shoulders and has been a representative player since 8 years old. This season she was in the Central Districts team that finished fifth of eight in the nationals earlier this year.

While the national selectors have rewarded her talent, Rainey has not gone unnoticed at home this season.

She was named Player of the Year by the Wanganui Hockey Association, Most Valuable Player for her school side Wanganui High School, best attacker by her club Collegians and the Most Improved Female for Central Districts.

"I knew in September I was in the New Zealand squad and there were six of us from the Central Districts team to go to camp in North Harbour. From the trials at camp three of us from Central were chosen for one of the two New Zealand teams going to Australia," Rainey said yesterday.

She is the only player from Whanganui in the Kiwi touring squad with her Central team-mates coming from New Plymouth and Levin. With the hockey season well and truly over Rainey has been working hard on a personal training programme and maintaining her on-field hockey skills with practice sessions with the Wanganui High School 1st XI boys team, family members that also play the game and other rep players in the region.

She has been given a set of keys to the Gonville Domain to train on the turf and keeps in touch with her Collegians coach Jan Dixon.

"I've been keeping my fitness up and maintaining my skills to be ready. This will be my first time in the New Zealand jersey and I'm really looking forward to it."

Like her Kiwi team-mates Rainey must fund the bulk of the trip herself and she says she is fortunate enough to have understanding and supportive parents and siblings.