'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Australian women’s hockey goalkeeper Toni Cronk has called time on her international career. The 33-year-old, who hails from Sydney, and played 135 internationals for the Hockeyroos, last appeared in the second women’s FIH Hockey World League Round 3 event in London, which they won beating hosts England 3-0 in the summit clash.
Cronk, who made her senior international debut against traditional rivals New Zealand in October 2001, essayed a big part in Australia’s campaign at the 2012 London Olympics, where she conceded just two goals although her team finished a tad disappointing fifth.
The Aussie shot stopper also played in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where they finished fifth, but was kept as a reserve in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the Hockeyroos ended up finishing fifth again.
The ace goal-tender, who was named in the 2009 World All Stars Team, was also part of the Australian eves team, which picked up the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne as well as at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Toni Cronk
The seasoned campaigner was also a member of the Hockeyroos, which bagged a silver medal in the 2005 and 2009 Champions Trophy tournaments – the 2009 edition was held in her hometown Sydney where Australia were denied a gold on penalties by Argentina.
Cronk has played in the 2002, 2004 and 2011 Champions Trophy tournaments for a total of five appearances in the premier hockey event.
Cronk also turned out for Hockeyroos at the 2010 World Cup held in New Delhi.
The experienced goalkeeper was never always a first-choice goalkeeper during her initial years in the national side, but kept improving all the time to emerge as a regular in the subsequent years.
She will be sorely missed in the FIH Women’s Hockey World League finals scheduled to be held in New Delhi in December this year.
It is learnt that Cronk is pregnant and is expecting a baby around December and so arrived at a prudent decision to quit so that she can concentrate on her motherhood duties.
