Butali Sugar Warriors out to reclaim lead in weekend double header
Willies Okeyo of Kenya Police controls the ball during their Premier League match against Parklands Sports Club at City Park Stadium on January 9, 2016. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |
What you need to know:
- Leaders Police are away in Mombasa where they will take on Mvita Saturday afternoon and Mombasa Sports Club (MSC) on Sunday at the Mombasa Sports Club grounds.
- In the women’s national league, on-form Strathmore Scorpions will be away to MSC and a win this afternoon will see them move to within five points of leaders Telkom Orange.
Giants Kenya Police and Butali Sugar Warriors will be looking to collect maximum points this weekend in their respective Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) men’s Premier League matches.
The two rivals have two matches each this weekend with eight other league matches set to be played in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kabarak.
Leaders Police are away in Mombasa where they will take on Mvita Saturday afternoon and Mombasa Sports Club (MSC) on Sunday at the Mombasa Sports Club grounds.
The law-enforcers are confident of collecting maximum points against the two coastal sides that occupy the two bottom places in the league.
However, Police coach Kenneth Kaunda has warned his charges against any complacency in the two fixtures.
“We’ve always posted good results in Mombasa and we want to extend that record but we need to be wary of the opposition,” Kaunda told Saturday Nation Sport.
“They (MSC and Mvita) are fighting relegation and so both matches will be closely contested.”
Police, who lead the log with 41 points, will rely on talismanic striker Moses Cheplaiti who scored twice in their last match against Parklands to get the goals.
Champions Butali Sugar Warriors will be in Nairobi to face Parkroad this evening and 2012 champions Sikh Union Nairobi tomorrow at City Park Stadium.
It will be the champions’ first matches of 2016 as they seek to leapfrog Police at the top and retain their title. The lakeside team won both matches 3-0 during the first leg last year but Warriors coach Cliffe Okello believes his team will face an uphill task in taking maximum points.
“It is the second leg. Nobody wants to lose any points and that’s why we need to be in top shape and take our chances if we want to leave Nairobi with all points,” Okello said.
In the women’s national league, on-form Strathmore Scorpions will be away to MSC and a win this afternoon will see them move to within five points of leaders Telkom Orange.
Scorpions have won in their last three visits to Mombasa and will be favourites to extend their good run.
In another women’s encounter, Kenyatta University’s Titans take on Mount Kenya University (MKU) in a university derby this morning at City Park Stadium. Bottom-placed MKU are still without a win this season and have a single point from 13 matches.
In the men’s second-tier division, Wazalendo Youth take on Daystar Falcons, Chase Sailors face Thika Rovers and Kabarak University welcome Parkroad Tigers.
FIXTURES (All Matches at City Park Stadium unless stated)
Saturday
National women: MKU v Titans- 9am, MSC v Strathmore – 2pm (Mombasa)
National men: Wazalendo Youth v Daystar – 2pm
Premier men: Sikh Union v USIU -4pm, Mvita v Kenya Police- 4pm (Mombasa), Butali v Parkroad (6pm)
Sunday
National women: JKUAT v USIU – 9am
National men: Chase v Thika Rovers – 11am, Kabarak v Thika Rovers – 10am (Kabarak)
Premier men: MSC v Kenya Police- 9am (Mombasa), Butali v Sikh Union – 1pm, Parkroad v USIU, 3pm
