Unstoppable Butali thrash hapless Strathmore lads

Champions Butali Warriors thrashed Strathmore University Gladiators 5-0 in a Kenya Hockey Union men’s Premier League match at City Park.

The victory on Saturday night saw Butali maintain an unbeaten run and consolidate their top spot on the standings.

Former Strathmore captain Francis Kariuki who led the students to the 2016 league title netted twice to condemn his former club to their eighth loss of the season.

Evergreen George Mutira, Calvins Omondi and Nixon Amadi were also on target as Butali completed a double against Strathmore who they had whipped 7-0 in the first leg.

Warriors lead top the standings with 30 points from 12 outings while Strathmore are eighth with 10 points having won three matches, drawn one and lost eight.

Warriors captain Kenneth Nyongesa said it was not an easy game despite the score line.

“It was a good game and Strathmore played very well especially in the first half and it is notable that they have improved.

“We played our hearts out because victory in each game is very crucial to us as we look to defend our title and I’m glad we bagged maximum points and moved closer to achieving our main objective,” Nyongesa said.

Butali made their intentions known from the whistle surging into the Gladiators territory from the onset. Their efforts paid off three minutes into play as Kariuki converted a penalty corner to give his side a 1-0 lead.

The goal ignited the fighting spirits of the students as they tightened their defence thwarting the opponents every attempts to score more goals as they intensified their hunt for an equaliser.

The Gladiators duo of Job Jerry Ogaso and Basil Wekesa put up a spirited fight to restore parity but Butali defence led by Nyongesa would not let them have their way.

Strathmore defended well with Kariuki’s goal making the difference between the two sides at the breather.

Strathmore contained goal hungry Butali strikers for the better part of the match as they held on to their slim lead.

After several failed attempts Mutira got it right to give Butali a 2-0 lead from a successful penalty corner in the 41st minute. A lapse in defence would see Butali score three goals in the fourth quarter.

In the women’s Premier League title chase, Strathmore Scorpions whipped winless Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture of Technology (JKUAT) 4-0. Denise Bila, Jeriah Onsare, Lynn Wendy and Ashley Audrey were the scorers.