Hockey: OBHS trio retain spots in NZ team

Otago Boys High School year 13 pupils (from left) Blair Tarrant, Hugo Inglis and Nick Ross at the...
Otago Boys High School year 13 pupils (from left) Blair Tarrant, Hugo Inglis and Nick Ross at the school yesterday. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Otago Boys High School pupils Blair Tarrant, Hugo Inglis and Nick Ross had good reason to celebrate yesterday after retaining their spots in the Junior Black Sticks.

Tarrant and Ross made the team last year and Inglis was brought into the squad at the beginning of this year.

The promising trio helped the Otago under-18 team reach the final of the age-group nationals in Hamilton earlier this month.

However, Otago was then thrashed 5-1 by North Harbour.

"We had two hard lead-up games before it and they had a pretty easy run to the final," Tarrant lamented.

The boys are keen to atone for letting the national title slip and will be back in action together later this year when they attempt to win the Rankin Shield for the school.

OBHS outclassed Wanganui Collegiate 9-4 in the final of the India Shield in Wellington last year and earned promotion to the elite New Zealand secondary schools boys tournament.

The Junior Black Sticks' schedule has not been finalised yet but there will be training camps to attend before the Junior World Cup next year.

The squad is expected to form the core of the side which will compete in the London Olympics in 2012.

The next appointment for the three is Sunday's Otago trial for the National Hockey League side.

 

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