Sport
1News

NZ Hockey stumble upon historic trophy ahead of North vs South fixture

April 16, 2021

The find is a timely discovery with a North South match set to take place this weekend after a long absence.

In what is called the dungeon, New Zealand Hockey store a long history of prized possessions and with it, lots of trophies.

Through a stroke of luck the long-forgotten trophy awarded to the winner of the North vs South fixture was unearthed.

Richard Palmer of Hockey NZ says that the discovery was accidental.

“We came across these basically, we weren't specifically looking for them but hey here we are we've got North South trophies already,” he said.

It was a timely find, considering the North South matches return this weekend due to a lack of international hockey competition.

Little did they know, the inter-island fixture used to be famous in the 1950's through to the 1970’s.

The event was used by selectors to pick their team for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and almost 60 years on that'll be the same again.

For the first time, it'll be the modern day stars, looking to etch their island on the Havilah Down Cup, joining a legacy they didn't know about.

Black Sticks’ defender Harry Miskimmin discovered that he has a unique family connection to the cup.

"I found out last week that my great-grandad had actually donated the trophy for this North South series, which does make it a bit special,” he said.

There'll be everything to play for with the return of the North vs South rivalry.

SHARE ME

More Stories