Dar hockey team face Heartland


Tanzania hockey club Twende kick off their campaign at the 26th Africa Hockey Club Championship against Heartland Flickers of Nigeria in the women’s opening match at Lugogo grounds in Kampala, Uganda on Saturday.

The Tanzania ladies team that is making its maiden appearance in the tournament is scheduled to play the opening game in the morning, while tough El Sharkayya of Egypt pulled out of the event at the eleventh hour.

The ladies’ clubs will play in one pool of seven teams, where the top two will make it to the final while the men have been pooled into two groups of five teams each.

The top two per group will make it to the semi-finals. Other ladies teams competing for glory are Orange (Kenya) and Weatherhead (Uganda) who will face each other in the second match in the evening. Others are Kampala Club (Uganda), Strathmore (Kenya) and Ghana Revenue Authority.

Twende arrived in Kampala and are reportedly in great shape ready for the tough competition. Twende are under the tutelage of national team coach, Italian Valentina Quaranta and will have to work hard to beat other tournament giants.

Assistant coach Mnonda Magani is brimming with confidence that his team will live up to the challenge. He said that Twende, which is formed by the national team members who played their maiden Africa Hockey Cup of Nations, last year in Nairobi, Kenya gained the much needed experience and was looking forward to a good competition.


Uganda is playing host to the Africa Hockey Federation organised event for the first time. The tournament will run for one week.

Men’s teams for the top honour include defending champions El Sharkayya of Egypt, Kenya Police (Kenya) and Union Bank (Nigeria) who will face each other in the men’s opening match on Saturday.

Others are Trustees and Golden Sticks (Ghana), Union Bank Sports Club (Nigeria), Sikh Union (Kenya), Kampala and Wananchi (Uganda). Uganda won the right as hosts earlier this month after Ghana’s bid was dismissed because of their outstanding debt with the Federation of International Hockey.

By MBONILE BURTON, Tanzania Daily News

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