Kenyan hockey girls: Namibia batter Kenya in qualifiers

By ELIZABETH MBURUGU

Kenya hockey team players celebrate one of the goals against Tanzania at City Park Stadium yesterday. Kenya beat Tanzania 13-1 in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. [PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE/STANDARD]

 Kenyan hockey girls started on a losing note, soaking in 15 goals from Namibians without a reply in the African Youth Olympic Qualifiers ongoing in Lusaka Zambia.

They are battling with five nations for the ticket to this year’s Nanjing Youth Olympics slated for 16-19 August.

South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and hosts Zambia are fielding both the boys and girls teams in the five aside tournament.

Teams comprise players drawn from secondary schools who never had enough time to train.

Kenya Hockey Union chairman Nashon Randiek refused to disclose any information on team preparations. However a player told FeverPitch the teams only got together and trained for barely a week before leaving for Lusaka.