Strong local contingent in NZ masters

BLACK ATTACK: Whanganui veterans (from left) Mark Wilson, Michelle Lowe, John Wilson and Russell Burgess, aim to be top guns in their age groups for New Zealand at the World Masters Hockey Championships in Australia.PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

FOUR Whanganui hockey exponents will be masters of their own destiny on two fronts when they chase more international spoils in Austrailia.

Michelle Lowe and Russell Burgess head to Canberra to tackle rivals in their age groups at the World Masters Championships starting on Easter Monday, while John Wilson and Mark Wilson (no relation) travel to Newcastle in New South Wales for their matches in May.

Lowe, who competes in the 45-plus age group, has been a talented hockey players for most of her teenage and adult life and has a World Masters title to her credit after success in Birmingham, England in 2007.

She has the luxury this year of plenty of game time alongside most of her New Zealand age group teammates who will take to the field in Canberra next week. "There's a group of us that have played in the same age group probably over the last 10 years, so we know each other pretty well and that helps," Lowe said.

"In fact, many of us were in the New Zealand team that won the transtasman test series in Auckland 3-nil last year. That's the first time any New Zealand team has beaten Aussie 3-nil in a test series."

Burgess, who competes in the 55-plus age group, who has yet to win a World Masters title, has history beating the Australians though.

"We've got to get past the Aussies next week. It was the Australians that put us out in the semis of the World Masters in Kent (England) in 2012, but we beat them in the 2011 transtasman test in Newcastle. The transtasmans are held every two years," Burgess said.

John Wilson is the only other to win a medal at World Masters, although that was about a decade ago when he played in the 45-plus division in Melboure. He also has the most experience at that level of the foursome after competing at Worlds in The Hague, Singapore and Melbourne.

Whanganui senior firefighter Mark Wilson also competed at The Hague and has yet to win a medal at the Worlds. The Hague was also his only time at the Worlds. This year he moves up a grade into the 65-plus grade for the first time.