Norman graduates to national honours

Things to come: Pippa Norman playing for Wanganui Under 18 back in 2013. Norman has graduated to the Black Sticks for their games with Malaysia this week.

It is a new look Blacks Sticks women team who have been right on top of Malaysia in their five test series in Stratford this week, which suits their debuting former Wanganui age group representative and Collegiate pupil just fine.

Central defender Pippa Norman, 21, is among eight new caps in the 'Baby' Black Sticks playing at the TET MultiSports Centre.

She is the product of a proud Marton hockey family, as mother Kathy Norman is the Central Hockey community manager while also managing the Central Mystics NHL team, which includes Pippa and younger sister Beth, a striker.

Pippa Norman represented Central Under 21's while still at Collegiate, while also being a member of the Wanganui Under 18 squad and playing representative cricket for the then-new Wanganui senior women's team.

Now studying at Massey and playing her hockey out of Manawatu, Norman's goal for the end of the year was to make the NZ Under 21 side playing the Junior World Cup Team in Chile this month, but she went even better with inclusion in Black Sticks coach Mark Hagar's new-look squad for the Malaysia test series.

New Zealand defeated Malaysia 3-0 on Monday with Norman playing in test singlet No30, and followed up with a 2-0 win on Tuesday.

"We had a lot of new players [Monday] so there was plenty of nervous energy but also excitement, which was great to see," said assistant coach Sean Dancer

"It was a good first half from us which we dominated and created a lot of pressure.

"We fell away a bit in the second half so we know what needs to be worked on ahead of game two."

The Black Sticks, ranked fifth in the world, are using the series against the 21st-ranked Malaysians as a good opportunity to blood new players.

The third test started at 6.30pm last night, with the remaining games tomorrow and Sunday afternoon.