Stage Set For Africa Hockey Tourney In Kampala
Mandoh Hassan of Egyptian Police Hockey Club in action against Kampala Combined Hockey Club during their friendly game against Uganda's Simba at Lugogo on Friday. PHOTO Courtesy
11th January 2013
1 11.00 Heartlands v. Twende (W Pool A)
2 13.00 Kenya Police v. Union Bank (M Pool B)
3 15.00 Orange v. Weatherhead (W Pool A)
4 17.00 Trustees v. Kampala Club (M Pool B)
All participating teams are expected to check-in today, Friday January 10 for the 26th Africa Cup of Club Championship that starts tomorrow and is set run till the 19th of this month. Uganda despite not having held a league this season is fielding four teams. The competition, held every two years and is coming to Kampala for the first time.
Uganda, — hosts — will be providing four teams, two men’s team Kampala Hockey Club and Wanainchi and two women’s clubs Weatherhead and Kampala Hockey Club with the other clubs coming from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania.
Defending champions Elsharkyya from Egypt have confirmed arrived in Kampala two weeks back to defend the title and face stiff challenge from Kenya’s Police, a men’s team.
The North Africans are also providing a women’s team, Elsharkyya Women, with the Ghanaians Ghana Revenue Authority and Trustees, Golden Sticks representing them in the men’s category.
Kenya has two men’s teams, Kenya Police and Sikh Union, while two women’s teams, Telkom Orange and Strathmore University have also reached Kampala.
From Nigeria there is one men’s team, Union Bank Sports Club Hockey team and they also feature one women’s club, Heartland Flickers.
Tanzania is bringing one women’s club Hockey Club Twende.
A statement from Kampala Hockey Board reads: “The Uganda Hockey Federation is pleased to announce that commencement of the Africa Cup of Club Champions tournament to be hosted at Lugogo National Hockey Stadium with everything well prepared, and another week of superb hockey is on the cards. The tournament will run from January 11-19. Nine men’s and eight women’s teams have entered, making this the largest international hockey competition on the continent this year. The teams could not ask for a better facility than the wonderful National Hockey Stadium, which is regarded as the premier hockey centre in East Africa.”
Uganda won the right as hosts earlier this year after Ghana’s bid was dismissed because of their outstanding debt with the Federation of International Hockey.
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.
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