Upper Moutere brother and sister Quentin and Clare MacMurray are both pulling on New Zealand hockey singlets for masters' world cup events next month.
The pair, who both previously represented Manawatu and Wellington respectively, are among the six players from the Endeavours club side heading to Europe.
“I moved down here in 2019 and found another community of elderly hockey players. It is great,” quips Quentin.
“The momentum of having such a large group together here reinforces the whole ethos, if one of us keeps going we all keep going.”
At 72, he still loves playing the game and will turn out for the New Zealand Masters 70+ team in the Netherlands.
“A plastic ball, plastic stick and plastic surface all seem very artificial, but is still a wonderful sport to participate in. Just the movement, fitness and strategy. But it will be tough competition at the Masters World Hockey Cup because there are some very athletic older players around the world,” declares Quentin.
He puts his younger sister Clare in that bracket ahead of the women’s 65+ competition in neighbouring Belgium.
“There is a bit of rivalry. She is very fit and by far a better player than me.”
The siblings play together for the Endeavours side in Nelson’s P2 hockey competition.
Clare describes herself as a relative newcomer after just two years in Tasman, but she has been to two previous masters world cups.
“The game is still really competitive but, with the camaraderie, is a lot of fun. We finished second at the 2018 world cup but we haven’t really talked about our expectations in Belgium. We just want to play well,” says the 68-year-old.
Rounding out the Upper Moutere contingent is ‘Ziggy’ McLachlan who is closing in on 50 games for the New Zealand masters teams.
“I have gone from centre-back to fullback, but I still like to push up front sometimes. I am slower but I can still run,” insists the 74-year-old.
And he is still rocking an earring.
“I have had it since I was 16. I used to tape it up and now have to take it out when I play, even though I have a hockey stick which is like a lethal weapon in your hand,” declares Ziggy.
The veteran and Quentin join three Endeavours’ players, Tim Brenton, Mike Kearney and Gary Wilson, in the 70+ outfit.
That Nelson trio competed for New Zealand in Australia just four months ago.
“It probably gets a wee bit harder as we get older, but our bodies are in pretty good shape. We haven’t had a lot of injuries requiring knee or hip replacements. The biggest problem older players have now is hearing loss,” says Tim, who made his masters debut 20 years ago in Seoul.
The tournament is held every second year, and the Kiwi highlights of the 2024 worlds were beating Belgium and the USA in South Africa.
