Hockey: Butali face rivals Kenya Police in top-of-the-table clash
Butali Sugar Warriors players applaud their fans after their Kenya Hockey Union Premier League match against Sailors on June 12, 2022 at City Park Stadium.
What you need to know:
- Police, who have played two more matches than the champions, cannot afford to lose the contest, although the outcome will have no bearing on the outright winner of this season's title.
- Just two points separate Butali and Police going into the match, meaning the top spot is still up for grabs, with third-placed Western Jaguars also in the title race.
Champions Butali Sugar Warriors take on perennial rivals Kenya Police at the City Park Hockey Stadium in a top-of-the-table Kenya Hockey Union Men's Premier League clash on Saturday at 4pm.
Police, who have played two more matches than the champions, cannot afford to lose the contest, although the outcome will have no bearing on the outright winner of this season's title.
Just two points separate Butali and Police going into the match, meaning the top spot is still up for grabs, with third-placed Western Jaguars also in the title race.
The race, therefore, is likely to go to the wire as the 2023 season ends on February 25 at the City Park, should Butali and Jaguars win all their remaining matches.
The two teams, Butali and Jaguars, will face-off in the final day of the season.
Leaders Butali have 33 points from 13 matches, Kenya Police are second with 31 points from 15 outings, while Jaguars - who have a date with the United States International University Africa (USIUA) on Saturday at the Eregi Teachers College in Kakamega before they welcome Kenya College of Accountancy University(KCAU) on Sunday - have 25 points from 11 matches.
The match pitting Butali against Police can go either way, but Butali start as favourites after they beat their opponents 2-1 in the first leg and remain unbeaten this season.
And Butali team manager Kamal Sembi knows too well that any slip-up could invite the Jaguars to the party late in the campaign.
"It's a tight rope we are walking on and any mistake will be costly. Weekend fixtures are tough, tricky but we want to have a calm approach and hopefully we will bag the six points and remain on course of defending the title," said Kamal.
Police coach Patrick Mugambi said they began the season on the wrong foot but insisted they are keen to finish it on high.
"We just want to win the remaining three matches to finish the season in the medal bracket. The previous encounters against Butali have always been a cracker and I don't see this one changing. We are in this to win," said Mugambi.
Butali will then play Sailors on Sunday.
In the women's only Premier League fixture, reigning champions Strathmore Scorpions University play Kenyatta University as they seek to topple USIU-A, who are not in action this weekend, from third place on the table.
Scorpions are fourth with 19 points from 12 matches, while USIU A are third with 21 points from the same number of matches.
Leaders and champions in waiting Blazers have 31 points from 12 matches, while Lakers are second with 25 points after 12 rounds.
Fixtures (All matches at City Park unless stated)
Saturday
Park road There's v TUK (M) (Impala) 10am
Thika Rovers v Mombasa West (M) (Impala) 12pm
Daystar v Egerton University (Impala) 2pm
Karate Axiom v GHF Rift Pirates (Impala) 4pm
USIU A v Western Jaguars (M) (Eregi Teachers College) 1pm
Strathmore University v KU (W) 2pm
Butali v Kenya Police (M) 4pm
Sunday
Western Jaguars v KCA (M) 10am
Daystar v Gorilla (M) (Impala)11am
UoN v Rift Pirates (M) (Impala)1pm
Wazalendo Youth v TUK (M) (Impala)3pm
Butali v Sailor (M) 3pm
