N.Z. stays unbeaten

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 13

N.Z. stays unbeaten

NZPA Canberra The centre forward, Arthur Parkin, scored a late penalty goal to maintain the New Zealand hockey team’s unbeaten record on its Australian tour against the Australian Capital Territory at ; Majura on Saturday. Parkin steered the ball under the diving figure of the A.C.T. goal-keeper, Graham Reid, 3min from ful- ' time to clinch the match. New Zealand had the bet- 1 ter of the game territorially 1 but tenacious defence by the ! captain-coach, Reid, and the j full-back, Ross Mclntosh, 1 kept A.C.T. in the match. The A.C.T. defence ab-; sorbed the pressure of 21 ■ short concerns and Reid, a mer Olympian, puiled off tome superb saves to hold ;

New Zealand scoreless until Parkin’s penalty. Earlier in the match it had appeared as if the Olympic champions would run away with it. The left winger, Balvant Bhana, terrorised the A.C.T. defence and set up many promising moves. But on more than one occasion Mclntosh was able to cut off attacks in the goal circle. A.C.T. threw everything into the attack late in the match but the New Zealand defence, well marshalled by its captain, Tony Ineson, held firm. The New Zealanders are preparing for the Esanda world hockey tournament in Perth, starting on Friday. They have only five of their gold-medal side from Mon-

treat in a relatively young squad of 16. John Christensen and the inside left, Ramesh Patel, both Montreal gold medallists, always seemed dangerous but found Mclntosh former Olympian, pulled off to overcome. The few A.C.T. attacks which seemed like producing scoring movements usually fell down because the local players tended to carry the ball too far. Ineson was always in the heart of the New Zealand defence to tidy up when the ball went loose. The New Zealand goalkeeper, Maurice Marquet, did not have to touch the ball in the first half and made only one direct save after half-time.