As AfHF received no entries for the 2nd President’s Cup scheduled for 19-26 Nov. 2018 in Uganda, this is to announce that the 2nd President’s Cup will not take place & that both Uganda’s Men & Women teams are 2018 President’s Cup winners.
Final Day: Zambia Achieve Historic Double in Inaugural AfHF President’s Cup Competition
The men and women’s hockey teams of Zambia, celebrated a historic double by winning the inaugural edition of the AfHF President’s Cup in Arusha, Tanzania. By this feat, both teams qualify to join the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) top 7 ranked nations in Africa for the Africa Cup for Nations Competition scheduled for South Africa in August. The ladies were the first to book their place with an emphatic 3-0 win over host Tanzania in the second of the best of 3 matches. Having won the first match, the second win put the tie beyond the Tanzanian, making the third match an academic exercise. Considering various factors at play, the Tournament Director in conjunction with the LOC, applied the necessary provisions in the Tournament Regulation to crown Zambia champions. Zambia ladies went into the tie determined to secure the three points at stake with a strong start. The Tanzanians, eager to restore some pride fought back gallantly holding their opponents at bay to end the first quarter scoreless. The second quarter followed the closely contested pattern until four minutes from the end when Janet Chisha put Zambia a goal ahead to end the half. Four minutes into the third quarter, Janet Chisha struck again from a penalty corner to put Zambia in a comfortable lead. The Tanzanians fought back but were unable to redeem the goal. The final quarter saw more attacking by the desperate Tanzanians who were kept at bay by the tactical defensive play of the Zambians. As the match drew to a close, the Zambians sensed the fatigue of the Tanzanians and unleashed a flurry of attacks on their opponents’ goal area which resulted in a goal being scored by Carol Nakombe in 56th minute to guarantee the championship. The Men’s match was a much closely contested battle with Malawi dominating slightly in the initial quarter which ended 0-0. It took a bit of time for Zambia to warm up in the second quarter and when they did, they took the lead in the 20th minute with a well taken field goal by Blessings Lowole. Tried as the Malawians did to redeem the goal, the Zambian defence remained resolute to the end of the contest for the famous victory. The closing ceremony was held in pouring rain, but that didn’t matter to any of the teams and the players who demonstrated how proud they were to be part of history and also, how very satisfied they were having given off their best and won medals to show to all on their return home. Congratulations to Tanzania Hockey who demonstrated their prowess and preparedness to organize future high profile events of the AfHF with a good job done by the LOC. Well done to all who made it a great success.
President’s Cup – Day 3: Zambia Men Muscle Their Way Into The Final
The Zambian Men’s team consigned host Tanzania to third place on the log with a 3-1 win over Malawi on match day 3. With the win, Zambia leap-frog both Malawi and the host to sit comfortably at the summit. Malawi came in second and will face Zambia in the finals on Sunday afternoon. The Zambians who came into the competition with a good number of their high performing players in the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, have been tagged as favorites to win this maiden competition. Following their loss to Tanzania on match day 2, their chances of making an impact looked bleak and they knew they had to dig deep into their reserves to churn out a convincing win if they are to have a chance to play in the final. It was this motivation that propelled them into action right from the start of the match. They carried the game to the Malawians who were comfortable sitting back and soaking the pressure. The trend persisted for the first two quarters resulting in a 0-0 score-line at the start of the third. The Zambians, realizing the match slipping through their grip, stepped up their play and were rewarded a minute into the quarter with Alfred Mpande striking from open play. The joy of Zambians were short-lived as the Malawians flexed their muscles in response and in the process levelled the match in the 34th minute through Knox Malinki. The Zambians now had all to play for and therefore turned on the heat in search of the lead again. It didn’t take long for that to happen as Alfred Mpande danced through the defence of the Malawians to restore the lead in the 37th minute. The last quarter of the match was keenly contested and offered a lot of entertainment with the home crowd rooting for Malawi to draw level and give their men the chance to play in the final. That was however not to be as star performer and arguably the man-of-the-match, Alfred Mpande, completed his hatrick and sealed total victory for Zambia by converting a penalty corner in the 50th minute. In the women’s series of the best of 3 matches, the second match was rained-off due to the pitch being unplayable as a result of a heavy downpour. Zambia lead the series having won the first match on day 1 of competition.
President’s Cup Day 2: Tanzania Men’s Team Avenge Women’s Team Defeat to Zambia
The Tanzania men’s team redeemed their image and restored some national pride in the on-going AfHF President’s Cup competition with a hard fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in the only match of day 2 of competition. Having lost their opening match to Malawi, it was important for them to win this particular match to assure themselves of any possibility of playing for honours in the final. In a keenly contested match, the Zambians, most of whom were part of the team that placed 7th in the 2014 Youth Olympic Games Nanjing, China, took the game to their host with the sole objective of winning. The Tanzanians, reeling from the earlier defeat, were in defiant mood and responded with equal thrust. The first quarter of the match was therefore quite tense and remained deadlocked at 0-0. The second quarter retained the same pattern until a minute from the end when Sunny D’Souza struck from open play to put Tanzania in front. The goal brings Sunny’s tally to two, having scored against Malawi in the opening match. Though the Zambians kept raiding the goals area of the Tanzanians, the score-line stayed the same for the third and fourth quarters. This handed Tanzania a famous and well celebrated victory that keeps them in the hunt for the trophy and a place in the Africa Cup for Nations Competition to be held later in the year in South Africa. Friday will be a rest day and the action will resume on Saturday with Malawi taking on Zambia at 14:30Hours in the men’s competition and Tanzania seeking to win against Zambia in their second of the best of three matches in the women’s competition. A second loss will be disastrous for Tanzania because it will eventually guarantee that Zambia win the competition and qualify for the Africa Cup for Nations to be held in South Africa in August.
President’s Cup Day 1 – Malawi Announce their return with an Emphatic Win Over Hosts
The Malawi Sticks, the men’s team of Malawi marked their return to International hockey in Africa with a sound 3-1 bashing of hosts Tanzania. Malawi, whose last participation in international competition was in All Africa Games hosted by South Africa in 1999, announced their strong intention to compete for honours on the continent. An almost 2 decades of absence from the international scene may have weighed heavily on Malawi hockey, but the Malawi Sticks sent a positive signal home that hockey in Malawi, if adequately supported, can win laurels for the country. Malawi started strongly but were held at bay in the first quarter by a confident Tanzanian team who were confident they would scale this first hurdle of the competition. Seven minutes into the second quarter, Malawi drew first blood with a well taken goal from open play courtesy James Bandawe. Tanzania shook off the shock and carried the game to the Malawians. The continuous raid on the goal area of Malawi yielded result with Sunny D’Souza levelling the scores for the hosts in the 28th minute to end the half. The third quarter saw a lot of action but did not register any goals. The final quarter saw a battle for dominance with play swinging from one end to the other. It was however the Malawians who went ahead through a penalty stroke converted by Daniel Matavata in the 52nd minute. Tanzania threw everything into the game to redeem a point but in the process, they slackened at the back and the Malawians capitalized on that to punish them with a third goal a minute from the end of the match with a field goal by Denollye Mgeni. Earlier in the women’s encounter, Zambia inflicted misery on the hosts Tanzania with a 3-1 victory. Zambia led 1-0 at end of the first quarter through a lovely goal by Loveness Mudenda from open play. Tanzania came back strongly to draw level from a penalty corner converted by Shakira Mtenji to end the first half. The third quarter was evenly contested with no goals registered. It was however the Zambians who run away with victory in the first of three matches scoring twice through Carol Nakombe (47th minute) from open play, and Eniless Mambwe (56th minute) from a penalty corner. Day two will feature only one men’s match with hosts Tanzania seeking to rebound from the defeat to Malawi with an emphatic win over Zambia.
TD and UM Hold Briefing for Teams and Officiating Officials
The Tournament Director and the Umpires’ Manager took turns to brief the teams and the officiating officials on the arrangements for the AfHF President’s Cup competition. The TD drew the attention to key aspects of the FIH Tournament Regulations that will guide the competition while the UM took his umpires through the salient issues to keep an eye on to ensure a free flowing game at all time to offer spectators gratifying entertainment while keeping a firm control at all times. The well mowed and manicured grass surface of the Twigas Club, looks set to withstand the anticipated pressure it will be subjected to from the upcoming battles between the nations. Meanwhile, all the teams have arrived in Arusha, settled comfortably and ready to do battle for honours. The action gets underway at 14:30Hours tomorrow (22/02/17) with the ladies’ category which will see the hosts Tanzania welcome Zambia. At 16:30Hours, the men’s competition starts with the hosts Tanzania welcoming Malawi back into African Hockey competition.
Teams and Officials Start Arriving for the Showdown in Arusha
With the commencement of the first Edition of the AfHF President’s Cup in a matter of days, the officiating officials and the visiting teams have started arriving in Arusha to make final adjustments for the big event. The Tournament Director, Ahmed E. Youssef of Egypt, the Umpires’ Manager, Ediga Agbo of Nigeria and the two Neutral Umpires, Tony Fernandes and Peter Obalo both of Kenya have arrived and in full preparations for the big event. The officiating officials have been inspecting the facilities in the company of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to ensure that everything is well aligned accordingly. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is providing Tournament Management System (TMS) services for the tournament as part of the regular support extended to Continental Federations for organizing tournaments. Exciting times await hockey fans in Arusha and online via Twitter (@AfrHockey) and Facebook.
Arusha Ready for the First Edition of the African Hockey Federation (AfHF) President’s Cup
All is set for the Tanzania Hockey Association to host the first ever AfHF President’s Cup for both men and women at the Sikh Union Complex, formerly known as the Arusha Twigas Sport Club, in Arusha during the period February 22 to 26. The President’s Cup is a newly introduced competition by the AfHF and it is opened to all National Associations ranked below 7 in African Hockey according to the outdoor ranking published by the FIH. The winners of both categories will join the top 7 ranked African nations for the 2017 Edition of the AfHF Africa Cup for Nations Competition to be held in South Africa during the period August 18-27. The Local organizing Committee (LOC) has worked hard to ensure that preparations are on track to host the event which will bring together three (3) national teams made up of the hosts Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. Tanzania Hockey has the experience in hosting international club competition, but this will be the first time it will host an international tournament at the continental level, and the LOC is confident that the decision to host the event in Arusha will further boost and promote the game in the region in particular and the country in general. Tanzania Hockey is relying on a syndication of sponsorship from various sources including corporate entities to organize this important event. The AfHF is particularly excited to have Malawi back in competition and vying for continental honors once again and is hopeful that the competition will trigger a wave of renewed interest and excitement towards hockey in National Associations in Eastern Africa. The Competition will be supervised by Ahmed Yousef of Egypt (Tournament Director) and Ediga Agbo of Nigeria (Umpires Manager) with officials drawn from the three participating nations and Kenya.
