ACCC 2017: Scores and Action photos
“We are competitors and not participants”, Coach Senge
Head coach of Strathmore hockey club, Meshack Senge said his ladies are here to compete and give a good account of themselves ahead of the upcoming championship. He made this known after the team arrived at the Theodosia Okoh hockey pitch on Thursday afternoon ahead of their opener against Ghana’s GRA. The team had a short training session later after arrival with all participanting. “It’s always a big tournament, always the best platform to showcase whatever you have to the rest of the continent. We are happy to arrive safely and we are ready to go. We have participated in four previous editions with a second place our best position hence we are not new to this terrain”. “The girls are looking good and sharp going into the competition hence we can’t complain other than show what we have done. We don’t have much to say about all we have but you will obviously see during the competition. In general, we are happy with our preparations”, he said’ On which clubs that can pose threats, Coach Senge said, “we are all coming here as champions in our own jurisdiction hence no need to put any club ahead as favorites. We are all ready and good hence the need to put up your best matters”. He touched on the weather here in Ghana, “the weather does count a lot in this competition due to the changes in humidity and altitude. This can affect us but you only stress about things you can change and adapt to the ones you have no control over. We are here to have a good show and entertain and get a good result”, he concluded. Strathmore hockey club from Strathmore University, Kenya have participated in the ACCC, four times with a silver medal their best. Source: isports360.com
ACCC 2017 – Appointments
ACCC17 – Eastern Company complete first training session with much expectation
Defending Club Champions of Africa, Eastern Company Club of Egypt, touched the Kotoka International airport in the early hours of Monday in their bid to defend the trophy. The team arrived in a well motivated mood ahead of the competition. Ahead of the competition, the team trained for the first time at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Pitch. The team made up of 17 players and 8 officials made entry to the stadium 1300hrs GMT to get accustomed to the turf. Players who were not used to the hot temperature trained with their bare chest saying they have to put in more energy in order to play up to standard. Club’s Forward and Egypt international Hakim Ahmed in an interview with isports360 congratulated all clubs for making it to the competition. He further noted that their focus is to come and go home with the trophy after winning two years in succession. “We respect all teams and know we will have a tough opposition in Trustees and Sharkia but our aim is to go for gold… Sharkia beat us in Egypt during our National league and we will pay them back here in Ghana”, he said. With respect to organisation of the competition and reception in Ghana, Hakim praised the Local Organising committee. He said, ” We have been received well in Ghana and the people are very nice to us… aside the weather, we are okay with everything”, he said. Eastern Company Club of Egypt after years of playing in the competition made a mark in 2015 when they beat record title holders El Sharkia in the final. The club have since then won two gold medals in the competiton; 2015 and 2016 with a 3rd time in mind. With Sharkia and Kenya Police all tasting defeat in previous final to Eastern Company, who can stop the defending champions this year ? The 29th edition of the Africa Cup for Club Champions comes off this weekend in Accra, Ghana.
Africa Cup for Club Champions 2017 – Match Schedule
Africa Cup for Club Champions 2017
The Africa Cup for Club Champions is a tournament organised by the Africa Hockey Federation for Clubs in Africa. The annual tourney seeks to bring Champions of various Hockey leagues in respective countries as well as runners up for both men and women. The competition which has been in existence for over two decades, is set to come on this year bringing to hockey lovers and fans all the excitements, surprises, mouth watering clashes as well as long rivalry. The competition has over the years been dominated by Egyptian Clubs ( El Sharkia and Eastern Company) in the men’s category with Kenya’s Orange Hockey club dominating the women’s category. The 29th edition of the ACCC comes off this year in Ghana, the city of Accra to be precise. The Theodosia Okoe Hockey stadium will be the venue of attraction as Clubs from the continent lock horns for supremacy from 20th – 28th January, 2018. 12 Clubs from 4 countries will be in action for this continental clash. The men’s category will see 6 Clubs from three countries notably Defending Champions Eastern Company club and record title holders El Sharkia from Egypt. Nigeria’s duo of Police Machine and Niger flickers will also be in contention with Ghana Revenue Hockey club (GRA) and SSNIT hockey club (Trustees) from host country completing the group. Defending Champions Telkom Orange Hockey club and Strathmore University Hockey club represent Kenya with KADA Queens and Yobe Desert Queens also from Nigeria. Ghana’s duo of last year’s finalist Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Ghana Police wrap up teams in the women’s category. As no Ghanaian club has ever won this event, the representatives of Ghana will use this glorious opportunity of hosting to try and end the dominance of certain clubs and break the jinx. Source: isports360.com
Curtain Comes Down On Glittering Umpiring Career – A Tribute To John Wright By Steve Jaspan
Several things struck me when John Wright announced his retirement as an international hockey umpire a few months back. The announcement signalled the retirement of one of the finest hockey umpires of all time – certainly the best male hockey umpire South Africa has produced and, in fact the most celebrated umpire or referee in any sport in South Africa. There is no South African official and few international ones who have umpired 3 World Cup finals (the last 3), 2 Olympic Finals (Athens and Rio), whilst also umpiring in 3 other Olympic Games. He also umpired numerous finals in Continental Championships in Europe, Oceania, Asia and Pan America, as well as Champions Trophy finals – a staggering career achievement and a CV beyond compare. But it is more than that because other than the final in Rio (which I watched on TV) I was present for all the major finals he umpired. You have to be in the stadium to really absorb the reality of it. The tension and pressure on an umpire in the red-hot cauldron of a final with a packed stadium and worldwide audience of millions is unbelievable. One mistake can change the direction of the game, the fate of the Gold Medal, the ultimate prize for any hockey player or athlete. The umpires are subjected to verbal abuse from the spectators, the players and the coaches including on-going “sledging” or verbal barbs. I have witnessed one of the world’s top hockey coaches running down the side-line verbally abusing John. This against the back drop of the fact that hockey is one of the fastest ball games in the world with high levels of player congestion at times. A deflection, a subtle stick tap, or any other infringement can happen so fast, and an umpire focussing on the ball is also expected to pick up things happening off the ball! Yet the calmness and quiet authority exhibited by John in the “heat of battle” was remarkable especially with the stakes so high. He managed this with dignity and aplomb. After crucial games and handshakes all round, most players and coaches would acknowledge the excellent job he had done in that “cauldron”. A further hallmark of a great hockey umpire is the ability to work together with his fellow umpire on field and this teamwork is vital to ensure the best possible handling of the game. John was always able to ensure that he worked superbly well with his co-umpires. South Africa’s great women’s umpire Marelize de Klerk conducted herself similarly and with great distinction also umpiring numerous gold medal matches. I am sure John and Marelize fed off each other’s success and helped pave the way for many other South African umpires to follow suit eg Gary Simmonds, Deon Nel and now Michelle Joubert, with John’s brother Peter also emerging as a top umpire. The mentoring role they played and involvement in South African hockey’s umpire development is notable. I remember asking John after the World Cup final in The Hague if he had enjoyed the experience. He told me the tension and fear of making a crucial error was so big that it is difficult to enjoy these occasions in the fullest sense but the sense of satisfaction of a job well done is the dominant feeling. The enjoyment probably seeps in when one knows that you have done a job par excellence. John Wright, I pay tribute to you for an unparalleled career in hockey umpiring – all done as a volunteer with no remuneration – which makes the achievement even more remarkable given the preparation and training required. You can rightly feel tremendously proud and you have been a role model for young umpires at home and abroad, as well as South African and World Hockey.
South Africa reign in Egypt
The male and female team of South Africa beat host Egypt and Ghana in their respective finals to win the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ismalia, Egypt earlier today. With the South Africa women already booking a place in next year’s Hockey Women’s World Cup in London after an impressive performance from the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, the men guaranteed their qualification for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 in India after their victory over Egypt. South Africa stayed undefeated in the competition in both categories. The men won three games and played a draw with Egypt in the pool games with the women winning all games. After beating Ghana 3–0 a day before in a match tagged ‘a final before the final’, South Africa were eager to do the double. Ranked 13th in the FIH Hero World Rankings, South Africa played their usual attacking game but Ghana’s defence stood out until the 19th minute when Davids Illse broke the deadlock to put South Africa in front. Lillian du Plessis increased the tally from a penalty corner just before half-time to put her team 2 goals up. Tarryn Glasby put the Champions in a comfortable 3-0 lead with a well-taken goal in the 29th minute before scoring again in the 47th minute to register her brace and South Africa’s fourth. Dirkie Chamberlain, who didn’t score in the final, emerged tournament top scorer with eight goals. South Africa’s win at the Suez Canal Authority Hockey Stadium earlier today meant they have won the last seven Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Ghana’s female Black Sticks (World Ranking 32) picked up silver to also make it five in a row since 2005. Nigeria’s female team (WR:62) after beating highly ranked opponents, Kenya (WR:42) on shoot-out, went home with the bronze medal. The match produced six goals within regulation time. Okumu (24th min), Vodoti (39th min) and Karanja (52nd min) scored for Kenya with Uwuoezi (20th min), Ovo (44th min) and Johnson (46th min) getting the Goals for Nigeria to make it 3-3. Goals from Beauty Irame and Eleho Ovo during the shoot-out meant Nigeria beat Kenya. The men’s final was a close-fought contest between Egypt and South Africa. In an earlier encounter in this competition, Egypt (WR:19) held South Africa (WR:15) to a 3-3 draw and were very optimistic of beating their southern rivals this time around. For South Africa men, this was an opportunity to win their eighth consecutive title at this event. Egypt started on a bright note when Ahmed Elganaini put them ahead in the 8th minute but Taine Paton restored parity for South Africa in the 39th minute. The game was approaching a shoot-out until Jethro Eustice drove home a penalty corner in the 48th minute to silence the entire stadium. The last 2 minutes saw Egypt throw everything at South Africa but in the end, the champions prevailed and will be on their way to India next year while Egypt will be disappointed for not making it to Bhubaneswar. Ghana (WR: 36) engaged Kenya (WR: 37) in the bronze medal match of the men’s category. A high scoring match saw Ghana beat their close rivals by 5-3 to win the bronze medal for the fourth time after missing out in 2013 and 2015. Constant Wakhura put the Kenyans ahead in the 17th minute. Ghana who had beaten Kenya 3-0 in a pool game earlier, came alive and scored five goals, with Francis Tettey, a brace from Elikem Akaba, Luke Damalie and Emmanual Ankomah all getting on the score sheet. Festus Onyango and Kennedy Munialo scored a goal each to reduce the deficit for the Kenyans but it was too late at the blast of the final whistle. Final Standings Women: South Africa (Gold) Ghana (Silver) Nigeria (Bronze) Kenya Egypt Men: South Africa ( Gold) Egypt (Silver) Ghana (Bronze) Kenya Nigeria
ACN 2017: The match before the final
All over Africa, expectations and predictions have gone wild as we await the final matches of the Africa Cup of Nations 2017 today, 29th October, 2017. The men’s team of Egypt shall lock horns with the defending champions and Africa’s highest ranked team, South Africa. In the women’s category, South Africa will face Ghana who are second to them in the Africa ranking. Egypt are 19th in the FIH team ranking and 2nd in Africa while South Africa are placed 15th position in the world and 1st on the African continent. Clearly, it could be argued openly that South Africa with a higher rank, stand a greater chance and more likely to win but it should be noted worthily of their recent encounters and how each team fared. In the last Africa Cup of nations held in South Africa in 2015, Egypt lost closely to South Africa even after taking the lead. The Champions punished Egypt and claimed the title on home soil after a very tensed game. Moving forward, these two Africa giants met in the Semi-Finals of the World League Series in Johannesburg where the Egyptians held the South Africans to the ground in a 2-1 scoreline. However both teams have had the greatest exposure among teams in Africa and could make up a surprising scoreline wherever they meet. Coming into the ongoing tournament being staged here in Ismailia, these teams drew 3-3 in their encounter and this sends a message across that anything at all should be expected in the final. Aside the trophy, Africa’s sole ticket to the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018 is also as stake. In a wild guess, some fans add home support to the odds of winning a game of hockey, but could this really bring forth results? Ghana’s female team lost to South Africa 3-0 earlier in the tournament and are yet to meet again in the final. Ghana has never won against South Africa in the women’s category as far as the last decade. A review of the 2015 final saw South Africa beat the Black Sticks by 3-0 to clinch their 6th title. Ghana are second to South Africa on the continent while Ghana is 32nd in the FIH World ranking, with South Africa placing 13th. With South Africa booking a ticket after qualifying through the Hockey World League in Johannesburg, the pressure is on Ghana as they seek to qualify for their first ever world cup. Maybe it could be clearly predicted of the winner but can Ghana pull a surprise, or South Africa will go on to make it 7 out of 7. Ghana will take on Kenya for the bronze medal in the men’s category while Nigeria will face Kenya in the women category. By : DENNIS ABABIO JNR | Source: isports360.com
Pharaohs bow to Kenya
The final round of matches at the on going Africa Cup of Nations took place today 28th October, 2017 as defending champions South Africa defeated Ghana in the final before the final while Kenya beat Host Egypt to set up a bronze medal match with Nigeria. Ghana’s female Black Sticks faced South Africa in the first match of the day. With both teams securing a place in the final, it was a match to decide who emerges group winners. Cells Evans put the Champions in front from a penalty corner in the 3rd minute to put pressure on the West African lads. The Black Sticks of Ghana conceded another goal in the 7th minute through Davids Illse who coincidentally was wearing the jersey number 7. The first quarter ended 2-0 in South Africa’s favour. O’Connor Jessica increased the tally 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter to take the game beyond the reach of Ghana. The 3rd and final quarter produced no goal as both teams played with caution to reserve the best for the final tomorrow. South Africa won the game by 3-0 to top the group. Kenya played Egypt in the women’s second game of the day and final game of the group. Host Egypt lost their 3rd game of the tournament to miss out on the bronze medal match. After two consecutive heavy losses to Ghana and South Africa, the Host came in strong to earn a point and secure a spot in the 3rd place match. The defence of both teams looked solid as the match travelled the first 3 quarters barren. Kenya’s Nekesa Juma stepped up to convert a penalty corner in the 47th minute to put the Suez Canal Authority Hockey Stadium in a moment of silence. The host fought back to equalise but their efforts proved futile as team Kenya went on to win the match by a lone goal. South Africa finished as group winners with Ghana coming in 2nd to set up a final match with the champions. Can they redeem themselves or it will be 7 titles in a row for South Africa? Kenya face Nigeria in the 3rd place match after beating host Egypt.
