ACCC 34M-25W – Africa Club Championship: Western Jaguars fly high as Blazers fall in Malawi

    Western Jaguars closed the gap on defending champions Sharkia to within two points after thrashing Parachute Battalion 13-0 in the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup for Club Champions Tournament (ACCC) in Blantyre, Malawi. Kenyan international Ivan Ludiali scored a hat-trick at the National Hockey Stadium to lead Jaguars to victory as they seek a spot in the final set for Sunday. According to Africa Hockey Federation, the top two teams at the end of the round-robin matches will face off in the finals in both men and women’s categories. Ludiali gave Jaguars the lead in the second minute before Derrick Wakwabubi, Ian Olando and Emmanuel Wiswa made sure the Kenyans led 4-0 at the end of the first quarter. Richard Njuki, Boris Lukorito, Oscar Kibet and Wiswa then made it 8-0 at halftime before Sheldon Kimtai made it 9-0 with 15 minutes left. The last quarter saw Ludiali re-emerge to complete his hat trick with two goals in the 46th and 54th minutes. Wakwabubi and Olando sealed the win. The win saw Jaguars maintain their unbeaten run as they collect their third win of the tournament having drawn one. Jaguars’ only draw came at the hands of hosts Genetrix Hockey Club when they played out to a 0-0 draw. Jaguars began the tournament with a 9-0 win over Scorpions and a 5-0 win over Kampala. Victory placed the Kakamega County-based outfit second on the log with 10 points, two behind leaders Sharkia from Egypt with two matches left. Jaguars will face off against Police Machine on Thursday before playing the defending champions on Saturday. In the women’s category, Blazers Hockey Club’s three-match unbeaten run came to an end yesterday after losing 4-1 to defending champions Ghana revenue Authority (GRA). After a barren first quarter, Mercy Ackon and Rachael Eshun struck in the second quarter as GRA led 2-0 at half time. Monica Reid and captain Elisabeth Opuk sealed the win in the third quarter as Blazers could only manage a consolation goal in the fourth quarter scored by skipper Caroline Guchu. Source: standardmedia.co.ke | November 22, 2023

    ACCC 34M-25W – Aurelia Opondo nets four goals as Lakers hammer Genetrix 10-1 in Malawi

      Kenyan international Aurelia Opondo on Wednesday scored four goals as Lakers Hockey Club hammered Genetrix Hockey Club 10-1 at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup for Club Champions Tournament (ACCC) in Blantyre, Malawi. Opondo who is the reigning KHU Women’s Premier League MVP took his tally to seven goals in five matches played as Lakers maintained their unbeaten run. Gilly Okumu tops Lakers goal scoring charts after with 10 goals. The former Kenya national team captain added three goals in the big win against Genetrix, her third hat trick in Blantyre. Okumu gave Lakers the lead in the seventh minute after sounding the bar off a penalty corner before Opondo opened her account a minute later to make it 2-0. Okumu grabbed her brace in the 11th minute before Maureen Owiti made it 4-0 by the end of the first quarter. Opondo followed suit with her brace in the second quarter before Lynn Mumbi made sure Lakers took a healthy 6-0 at the break. In the final half, Opondo grabbed her hat trick and then a fourth goal as captain Alice Owiti also joined in on the fun for a 9-0 third quarter lead. Okumu who started the goal fest ended it in the 48th minute to stretch the lead to 10-0. Carlor Nakombe grabbed the hosts’ consolation goal as Genetrix lost 10-1. Lakers are top of the standings with 11 points, a point above defending champions Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). GRA had earlier hammered Blazers Hockey Club 4-1. Lakers begun the tourney with a 12-0 win over Scorpions before drawing 0-0 with Blazers on Sunday. A whopping 15-0 win over Capital Braves from Malawi followed on Monday before their 2-2 draw with GRA. Source: standardmedia.co.ke | November 22, 2023

      ACCC 34M-25W – Karanja issues Blazers rallying call ahead of Ghana Revenue Authority test

        Blazers Hockey Club are confident of toppling nemesis Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) ahead of their Wednesday clash as the 2023 Africa Cup for Club Champions Tournament (ACCC) enters its penultimate stage in Blantyre, Malawi. After three matches, both Blazers and GRA found themselves tied on seven points with three matches left in the seven-team round-robin tournament. Blazers who have scored 27 goals in three matches are currently unbeaten and captain Tracy Karanja said they are going to put in more effort to ensure they maintain their unbeaten streak. Speaking via a phone interview from Blantyre, Karanja said they are confident they can topple GRA despite struggling against the Ghanaian side when they last met in Nairobi last February. “One of our goals when we landed in Malawi was to win the tournament and so far we are on track. A win today over GRA whom we know are a very good side will give us the upper hand,” said Karanja who thanked the Ministry of Sports for sponsoring them in Malawi. “Historically, we have played many times and we have won and they have won some matches but that is not our focus. We are taking one game at a time and we know we will put our best forward.” Blazers began the tournament with a 13-1 win over Genetrix before sharing the spoils in a barren draw with Lakers Hockey Club. On Monday, they hammered Scorpions 14-0. “We wanted not to concede any goal in the tournament but we were unlucky against Genetrix. That’s hockey however. We want to win it in the end. We want not only to be on the podium alone but also with our fellow Kenyan team come Sunday,” concluded Karanja. Lakers and Western Jaguars are the other Kenyan clubs in Malawi. Source: standardmedia.co.ke | November 21, 2023