The Sunday Mail
NEWLY-CROWNED Hockey Inter-provincial Tournament champions Hippo believe they are good enough to win the African Club Championship.
The Masvingo-based club edged Harare 4-2 in the men’s final to win the inter-provincial title in the capital last week.
Hippo, who play in the Harare League, are also the current Indoor A league table toppers.
Their captain Tendayi Maredza reveals that they have grown in confidence and want more silverware.
“We are a strong side,” he said.
“I think we practice more than other teams and we are an organised team.
“Our target is basically to win everything; we need to defend our field hockey and national league titles and qualify for the African Club Championships again.”
And Hippo would not want to make up numbers in the event that they qualify for the continental showpiece.
“I believe we can be champions this time; we can beat all those other teams,” said Maredza.
Hippo capped off a fine 2014 season by finishing fourth at the African Club Championship in Bulawayo.
This year’s edition is set for Egypt in December and Maredza believes his side has what it takes to go all the way this time.
“It is a good thing we have plenty of time to prepare for the competition, but the key thing is going to be how well we do in securing sponsorship for our preparations.
“For example, to use Astroturf for practice in Harare will cost us $60 an hour and to use our national stadium in Bulawayo will require us to secure transport and ground rentals.
“It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a facility with Astroturf in Masvingo,” he said.
