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South Africa awarded opening victories as Botswana fail to honour fixture at Indoor Africa Cup

    Both the SPAR South Africa indoor women’s team and the SA Indoor Hockey men’s team, powered by Tops at SPAR, were awarded 5-0 forfeit victories on the opening day of the Indoor Africa Cup in Swakopmund. This decision came after Botswana was unable to honour the fixture due to travel difficulties. According to tournament regulations, the games were awarded to the South African teams with a 5-0 scoreline. Despite the absence of their opponents, the South African teams made use of their allotted time to train and prepare. They now look forward to their double-header against Namibia on Friday, a critical match that could significantly impact their chances of qualifying for the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. Remaining Fixtures – Indoor Africa Cup 2024 – Men 24 May 2024 – 20:00 – Namibia vs. South Africa 25 May 2024 – 11:00 – South Africa vs. Zimbabwe 26 May 2024 – 14:00 – Bronze Medal Match 26 May 2024 – 17:00 – Gold Medal Match Remaining Fixtures – Indoor Africa Cup 2024 – Women 24 May 2024 – 17:00 – Namibia vs. South Africa 25 May 2024 – 12:30 – South Africa vs. Zimbabwe 26 May 2024 – 12:30 – Bronze Medal Match 26 May 2024 – 15:30 – Gold Medal Match Source: sahockey.co.za | May 23, 2024

    All Eyes on Swakopmund as African Indoor World Cup Spots Are Up for Grabs

      For the first time in African indoor hockey history, four nations will compete for the title of African Indoor Champions as the Indoor World Cup Qualifier kicks off in Swakopmund on Thursday. Hosts Namibia, along with Botswana and Zimbabwe, will vie for a coveted place at the 2025 FIH Indoor World Cup in Porenc, Croatia. Thanks to the South African team’s stellar performance at the 2023 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, there are now two spots available for African nations. SPAR South Africa made history by becoming the first African team to reach the final four of the Indoor World Cup, securing a second spot for Africa in the women’s tournament. That groundbreaking team was led by head coach Lennie Botha and captain Jess O’Connor, both of whom retired post-tournament. Now, the mantle has passed to AJ Spieringshoek and Jamie Southgate, who aim to clinch an African title that has eluded SPAR South Africa’s ladies in the previous two editions. This team is markedly different from the one that narrowly lost the final at this venue in 2017, with no members from that squad remaining. Defending champions Namibia also triumphed in the inaugural Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup in Cape Town in December, though they fell to South Africa in the Tuanku Zara Cup final. Zimbabwe showed promise in the 2017 tournament, while Botswana is eager to demonstrate their improvement since suffering heavy defeats in the 2022 edition. In the men’s division, both South Africa and Namibia advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. However, it was South Africa’s sixth-place finish that secured two spots for the continent in Croatia. South Africa, supported by Tops at SPAR, has been the dominant force in African hockey, winning every African qualifier to date, including the last one held at this venue. Despite their impressive record against Namibia, they remain cautious of the threat posed by Trevor Cormack’s side. Zimbabwe, absent from the last edition, showed incredible fight in their previous Swakopmund appearance and remain a wild card due to their extended absence from international matches. Botswana hopes for a better showing than in Durban as they continue to develop as an indoor hockey nation. The tournament will be live-streamed on One Up Two through the NTV page here, with updates available on the South African Hockey social media pages. Fixtures – Indoor Africa Cup 2024 – Men 23 May 2024 – 17:00 – South Africa vs. Botswana 24 May 2024 – 20:00 – Namibia vs. South Africa 25 May 2024 – 11:00 – South Africa vs. Zimbabwe 26 May 2024 – 14:00 – Bronze Medal Match 26 May 2024 – 17:00 – Gold Medal Match Fixtures – Indoor Africa Cup 2024 – Women 23 May 2024 – 15:30 – South Africa vs. Botswana 24 May 2024 – 17:00 – Namibia vs. South Africa 25 May 2024 – 12:30 – South Africa vs. Zimbabwe 26 May 2024 – 12:30 – Bronze Medal Match 26 May 2024 – 15:30 – Gold Medal Match Source: sahockey.co.za | May 23, 2024

      African Games: Ghana’s Black Sticks, Egypt clash for gold medal

        Egyptian player Ahmed Elganaini’s solitary strike in the third quarter handed Ghana’s national hockey team, Black Sticks, their first loss in the 13th African Games in Accra. Despite the 0 – 1 loss at the Theodosia Okoh Stadium yesterday, the Ghanaian side will meet their Egyptian rivals in the men’s hockey final tomorrow afternoon (push-off is at 4p.m.), after the two teams won their group games against Nigeria and Kenya to accumulate maximum points before yesterday’s clash. Despite a spirited effort from the Ghanaians in the opening stages, they struggled to keep their shots on target, with Emmanuel Ankomah and Abdellah Addison firing wide. Egyptian dominance However, the experienced Egyptian side looked more likely to score, especially from their penalty corner routines. There were warning signs of the Egyptian goal, which came moments after Ghana’s goalie, Eugene Acheampong, had saved earlier from an Egyptian short corner. A minute later, the Egyptians got their reward, with Elganaini converting from the Egyptian skipper, Amr Sayed’s corner. In the day’s other tie, Nigeria defeated Kenya 2-1. The two teams will meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday before the final. Meanwhile, Ghana will face off with rivals Nigeria in the women’s final on Saturday for the gold medal, with Kenya earning bronze after finishing bottom of the group.   Source: www.graphic.com.gh | March 21, 2024

        Standings and results after 3 days of play | 13th African Games Accra 2023

          Standings and results after 3 days of play | 13th African Games Accra 2023 Country/Team Scores Ghana vs Nigeria (M) (1 – 0) Egypt  vs Kenya (M) (3 – 2) Egypt  vs Nigeria (M) (5 – 4) Kenya vs Ghana (M) (1 – 3) Nigeria vs Kenya (M) (2 – 1) Ghana vs Egypt (M) (0 – 1) Ghana vs Kenya  (4 – 1) Nigeria vs Ghana  (0 – 1) Nigeria vs Kenya  (1 – 0)