Varsity side out to finish second

By Oscar Pilipili

Kenya College of Accountancy-University (KCA-U) is leaving nothing to chance in their quest to finish second in Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) premiership.

In preparations for their deciding match against champions Strathmore University on October 30, the team has entered Sana Memorial tournament to be played in Mombasa this weekend.

KCA-U Sports Director Mike Kisaghi said the tournament is a good build-up and will help bond the team in readiness for the deciding match.

He said: "We are going to take the tournament seriously because our performance will mean a lot to the match against Strathmore."

Kisaghi said the team is highly motivated after winning their last five matches, three of them in a row.

The KCA-U students are out of contention for the premier league title, but have high chances to finish runners-up depending on results of their final match and how Simba Union will perform in their two fixtures.

Kenya Police and Strathmore are the title contenders. Kisaghi said: "It is a foregone conclusion that the gold medal is out of our reach, but our players have vowed not to let the silver medal slip through their fingers."

"Our guns are aiming at the runners-up position," he said.

Whereas the KCA-U are going to use the Sana tournament to gauge their strength, their rivals at Strathmore have opted to train quietly in Nairobi.

Strathmore Sports Administrator Isaac Mwangi said: "We’re here in Nairobi working on a few areas we feel are not perfect," he said. The Sana tournament has attracted 14 teams with nine of them being men’s and the rest women.

Police, who have finished their premiership assignment, will also be in Mombasa together with Simba Union, Wazalendo, Parklands, Mvita XI, Mombasa Institute and Mombasa Sports Club (MSC).

Women’s national league champions Orange Telkom, who have already captured the title in a field that also had United States International University-Africa, MSC, Sliders and Mombasa Polytechnic.

This is the second time that USIU-A will be playing in Mombasa after they lost 2-0 against MSC a fortnight ago.

KHU fixtures secretary Jane Nyamogo said national league takes a break this weekend to pave way for the tournament.

Sana memorial national tournament is in memory of the late Agnelo de Souza a founder and manager of the coastal team Baobab.

It would be a busy weekend for the hockey family with the national federation holding its council meeting at the port city tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has learned that umpiring great Jacky Manneback has died.

Jacky was one of the best umpires of his generation, officiating at the highest level between 1960 and 1980. He umpired at no less than three Olympic Games, making appearances at Mexico 1968, Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976.

He also umpired at the European Cup that took place in Brussels in 1970 as well as the 1971 Barcelona and 1973 Amsterdam World Cups.

Jacky was a member of the Umpiring Committee between 1964 and 1978.