Teens prepare for national stage - May 2015

WANGANUI hockey is in excellent health with six teenagers selected for Central North Island under-18 duties at the nationals in July.

Five of the six - four boys and two girls - have direct links with Wanganui High School and are regulars in the local competition.

Joseph Redpath, Ryan Gray, Ben Pilet and Lee Moir have been selected to join the Central North Island under-18 boys squad, while Beth Norman and Emma Rainey have been named in the girls' team.

All, apart from Norman, are WHS players, although Moir now plays for Tech Old Boys since leaving school.

Norman came through the Collegiate programme and in the Saturday division one women's competition plays for College in Palmerston North.

The four boys play for Tech on Saturdays, while Rainey lines up for Collegians.

Kylie Penn from Hockey Wanganui said having six players named in the Central teams was significant and a major achievement.

"Each year we may have one or two, but to have six is unusual and an excellent achievement," Penn said yesterday.

"Central has done okay at the nationals and look particularly strong this season.

"They played a warm-up match against Capital at the weekend.

"The girls drew one-all, but coach Jan Dixon said Central had several chances to take the game. The boys won something like 9-2 - a real thrashing."

Dixon and her husband are sheep and beef farmers in Turakina and she has a strong hockey background in Waikato during her playing days.

"We are pretty much in a rebuilding mode with the girls, but the boys are really strong this year with a number nationally recognised. Beth was also named in the Central under-21 team and we have some very good players. Neither team will be lightweights at the nationals," Dixon said.

Eight Central players have been named in the wider men and women's squads for the 2016 Junior World Cup.

Next year, Junior World Cup squads will be confirmed from which teams will be selected to compete at the Men's Junior World Cup in New Delhi on December 1-11 and Women's Junior World Cup in Chile on November 23-December 2.

Travelling to the nationals in North Harbour to compete between July 5-11 is an expensive exercise with each player having to front up with $1000 and another $300 each toward the team's required $5000.

All six players are seeking sponsorship and for that donation business houses or individuals can have their names appear on the warm-up gear of both teams gaining nationwide exposure.