Black Sticks miss out on bronze
A young Black Sticks team were outclassed in the bronze medal match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, losing 4-0 to India yesterday.
India had missed out on a spot in the final after losing their final round-robin match to hosts Malaysia, so had a point to prove, and troubled the New Zealand men on both sides of the ball throughout.
They controlled the game from the outset, and made their dominance count in the 17th minute, when Rupinder Pal Singh sent a drag flick into goal from a penalty corner.
Ten minutes later, he did the same thing again to give his side a 2-0 lead, but it wasn’t until early in the fourth quarter that they added a third, when Sunil Sowmarpet scored from open play.
Talwinder Singh then put the icing on the cake, making it 4-0 in the dying seconds.
Black Sticks coach Darren Smith said while the final result had been disappointing, it had been a great few weeks for his squad, which included plenty of fresh faces.
‘‘We couldn’t hold possession of the ball and this made India even more of a threat. For us to be effective against any team denying time, space and applying pressure is critical,’’ he said.
‘‘We also need to ensure our basic skills are sharp and we take sound options. Overall it’s been a good two weeks, we’ve played nine games in 14 days with a team that has relished the opportunity to compete.
‘‘Along the way there have been moments of quality and opportunities displayed of where we can improve. Now it’s time to narrow our focus onto the World League semifinal.’’
Great Britain took out the title, beating Australia 4-3 in the final, while Malaysia claimed fifth with a 3-1 win over Japan.