Telkom seek revenge against Ghanaians
Telkom Kenya's Barbara Simiyu (right) stops the ball for Jackline Mwangi (centre) from a short corner in their match against Kada Queens at the ongoing Africa Hockey Club Championship in Abuja, Nigeria on December 19, 2018. Telkom won 1-0.
What you need to know:
- Coach Openda’s team beat Nigeria’s Kada Queens.
- USIU yet to win a match as Kenyan champions remain unbeaten atop the standings with maximum points.
IN ABUJA, NIGERIA
Telkom Kenya will take on defending champions Ghana Revenue Authority Thursday at the Abuja National Stadium in the Africa Hockey Club Championship in a repeat of last year’s final held in Accra, Ghana.
The nine-time champions confirmed their spot in the final on Wednesday after beating Nigeria’s Kada Queens 1-0, in the process registering their fourth win of the tournament in the fifth day of the tournament.
Telkom had to battle hard to overcome Kada’s resistance through the first three quarters with the umpire denying them the lead after Jackline Mwangi had scored in the last minute of the third quarter from a short corner.
Audrey Omaido gave Telkom the lead from a short corner as she netted her fourth goal of the tournament to ensure coach Jos Openda’s charges remain unbeaten and on top of the standings on 12 points.
Coach Openda decried the poor officiating noting that it was killing the spirit of the players.
“I want to congratulate the girls first for making it to the final, but we had goals denied by the umpire and I really fail to understand. Nonetheless, we take the three points. Next up we play GRA, the game matters more to them but we still have to fight for a win,” a furious Openda noted after the match.
Telkom have one more match of the tournament’s round robin format to go before the final and it is against Ghana Revenue Authority.
“We have got our goal, maximum points in every game, but we are going to come at GRA in our next tie with everything we have. We are hungry for the win as players, we need to prove a point to them because they beat us last year,” expressed an optimistic captain Tracy Karanja.
The defending champions’ recovery continued after they thrashed Delta Queens 7-0 in their fourth match of the round robin clash to remain second on 8 points.
The defending champions find themselves in a precarious position going into the match against Telkom, with Ghana Police also chasing a place in Saturday's final.
Kenya’s other representatives USIU Spartans were searching for their first victory of the tournament against Ghana Police by the time of going to press.
USIU lie bottom on one point from their 1-1 draw against Delta Queens in their opening match.
