Black Sticks call on late injury cover

Black-Sticks-call-on-late-injury-cover

Injuries have forced two late changes to the Black Sticks Women’s team for the FIH Champions Trophy in London

Injuries have forced two late changes to the Black Sticks Women’s team for the FIH Champions Trophy in London.

Veteran Emily Gaddum will miss the tournament due to a back injury while Samantha Charlton is recovering from a hairline fracture in her hand picked up during the International Hockey Open in Darwin.

Capital midfielder Kelsey Smith (13 test caps) has been called into the team following an impressive performance in Darwin, while Auckland’s Julia King (105 caps) also slots in as cover.

The Black Sticks go up against the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, Great Britain and USA at the Champions Trophy from 19-27 June, in what serves as the final major tournament before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Despite injuries, the team is still hugely experienced and led by the likes of Kayla Whitelock (243 tests), Anita McLaren (232), Gemma Flynn (231), Stacey Michelsen (201) and Charlotte Harrison (207).

The Black Sticks open their campaign against world number one Netherlands on Sunday 19 June  at 3am (NZ time), with a rematch of the Darwin final against Australia the following day.

All Black Sticks games will be broadcast live and replayed on SKY Sport.

The team has flown out of the country today for one-off games against Netherlands and Belgium before heading to London for the Champions Trophy.

The New Zealand Women’s Olympic team will be selected following the conclusion of the tournament.

CLICK HERE for the full Champions Trophy match schedule

BLACK STICKS WOMEN
Champions Trophy, London

• June 10th, 2016 in
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