Kiwi teams just short in Northland

Ian Smith, Michelle Low, John Wilson, and Brett Smith.

The New Zealand hockey teams and their four Whanganui representatives came up six points short in the Trans-Tasman Masters Challenge in Whangarei last week.

The series, held biennially, see's New Zealand vs Australia games in three match series across a dozen different gender and age group teams.

John Wilson and the Smith brothers - Brett and Ian - were in the NZ Men's 60 year team, while Michelle Low was in the Women's 45 year squad.

Fellow Whanganui player Naomi Wilson was named as a non-travelling reserve.

Low was the only local involved in a game and a three-match series win.

"The women did better than the men," she said.

They would claim five series wins out of six, whereas the men only got one or two, with Australia finishing ahead on overall points.

Low said it was still the closest result in quite a while for the challenge.

Her team lost their first game and drew the second, meaning they had to win the last match by at least a two goal margin, which is exactly what they did with a 2-0 victory.

Wilson and the Smith brothers were in the Men's side that lost their first game and then drew the next two.

The New Zealand teams will next go to the World Masters Challenge in Barcelona next year.

Low said the international competition is better attended when held in the Northern Hemisphere, rather than in Australia or New Zealand.

Teams like hosts Spain, Holland, France and the Untied States will compete.