Dwyer has no regrets in choosing curved stick over straight bat

Jamie Dwyer is glad he didn't take up a cricket scholarship offered to him when he was 15. A talented batsman - perhaps with the potential to represent Queensland at state level - Dwyer turned down a bright future with the bat and ball to continue playing with the curved stick.

It was a life-changing decision he would never regret. Dwyer loved cricket but he loved field hockey even more. He always wanted to win an Olympic gold medal and cricket wasn't the sport to achieve his dream.

'I played two sports as a kid. Cricket in the summer and hockey in the winter,' said Dwyer, who, at 32, is one of Australia's greatest players. 'I had the option of furthering my cricket career by being offered a scholarship but my passion was hockey. I loved hockey more.'

The Australian national team co-captain is in town until Tuesday for a series of coaching clinics at the Hong Kong Football Club.

'The Olympic Games is the biggest stage in world sport and I wanted to be a part of it,' Dwyer said, whose trip here was sponsored by STI (Sports Technology International), Rabobank and Sports Depot. 'I have been lucky. I had to commit a lot. I had to move from Rockhampton, my home town, to Brisbane to eventually [the national team's home] Perth.

'My mum and dad were supportive because they were hockey players,' he continued. 'My other relatives were sort of wanting me to go to cricket because there is a lot more money. But I wouldn't have changed it for anything in the world.