Eyes on the price as Malkia, Strathmore battle for honours
Unique Sports
By
Ochieng Oyugi
| Jan 12, 2023
Seven teams are in a fierce battle for women's team of the year award at the 2022 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) to be held in Nairobi, on January 20.
The 19th edition of the annual gala will be staged at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
The contestants include Kenya Lionesses 15s rugby team, Strathmore University Scorpions hockey team and national women's volleyball team, Malkia Strikers.
Other nominees are KCB women volleyball team, 3x3 national basketball team, Nairobi Water Queens handball team and the Athletics Kenya women's 4x400m team.
Kenya Lionesses defeated hosts Uganda 23-3 in Kampala to win the Rugby Africa Pool B Cup which has kept their hope of reaching the 2024 Women's Rugby World Cup alive.
The Lionesses beat Zambia 36-17 before seeing off hosts Uganda to make it to the 2023 Africa Championships that will be used as a qualifier for the 2024 Women's Rugby World Cup.
The victory saw the Lionesses move two places up the World Rugby rankings from 27th to 25th.
Strathmore University's Scorpions won the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Women's Premier League title for the first time in history.
Scorpions, were unbeaten in 10 outings as they edged out United International University's (USIU) Spartans 4-2 to clinch the title in November with two matches to spare against Wolverines and Sliders.
By winning the 2022 KHU Women's Premier League, Scorpions have qualified for the 2023 Africa Club Championship.
KCB women's volleyball team stunned record champions Al Ahly of Egypt to be crowned the Africa Women's Volleyball Club champions after a thrilling 3-1 victory in Tunisia in June.
The victory also meant that KCB became the first Kenyan club to win a title after Kenya Prisons in 2013.
It was also sweet revenge for the bankers who had lost to the Egyptians in the 2009 final in Nairobi. They also beat local rivals Kenya Pipeline on their way to the final.
Malkia Strikers finished in 19th out of 24 teams in the World Championships that was co-hosted by Netherlands and Poland on September 23-October 15.
They finished ahead of South Korea, Croatia, Colombia and Africa champions Cameroon.
Malkia Strikers also defeated Cameroon 3-0 in the group stages. They also pushed Puerto Rico before losing 3-1.
The 3x3 national Basketball team of Victoria Reynolds, Madina Okot, Hilda Indasi and Melissa Akinyi reached the quarters at the Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Nairobi Water Queens were superb at the East Africa Handball Championships where they defended their title on an unbeaten record