Hockey: Champs Orange begin title campaign against Shams

Hockey coach Meshack Senge in the field at citypark. ON 18/08/14 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

Continental hockey queens Orange Telkom begin their Africa Cup of Club Championships (ACCC) title defence against Shams of Egypt today.

The event attracted nine women and seven men’s clubs around the continent. The six-time champions are in Pool A together with hosts Bulawayo Athletics (BAC), Twende of Tanzania and Heartlands of Nigeria.

Pool B consists of silver medalists Strathmore University Scorpions, Gentrix of Malawi, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Sharkia of Egypt. Orange will be facing Shams for the first time as the two have never met.

Head coach Jos Openda told FeverPitch they are in Bulawayo on a mission and, to achieve their goal, victory in the first match is important.

“Victory in every match is crucial for us. All teams are here to dethrone us and we can’t afford to lose a single point,” he said.
Openda said the competition is tough because hockey standards have gone up. “We expect serious competition from all clubs. The levels of the game have improved in the continent so we expect stronger sides.”

Orange are eyeing their seventh African title and this will be a third consecutive win if they grab the title. A victory will see them keep the trophy permanently, forcing Africa Hockey Federation to budget for a new one as they would have won it three times in a row.

Strathmore, aiming to win their first ever major continental title, will also start their campaign against the Pharaohs. They will take on Sharkia ladies who are hoping to emulate their brothers who have a clean record on the continent.

The top two teams in each pool will qualify for the semi-finals.
Scorpions coach Meshack Senge said they will take each match at a time and their goal now is to make the last four.

“We will plan for one match at a time. We will not underrate any team, but we will also not be intimidated.”
He continued their pool was not going to be easy for them as they had never met most of the clubs.

“The only club we have played are GRA. The rest are new to us. Even so, we are determined to achieve our objectives.” The scorpions beat GRA 2-1 in the semifinals in Kampala.

However, the men will play in a round robin format with defending champions Egypt Police tackling Gentrix of Malawi in their opening match.

Other men’s teams that turned up for the event are hosts Eradicators and Hippo Valley, Trustees of Ghana, former Champions Sharkia of Egypt and Police Machines of Nigeria.