The Sunday Mail
Brighton Zhawi
ZIMBABWEAN hockey champions Hippo Valley showed their dominance across the Zambezi last week when they defended their Phoenix title in Lusaka, Zambia. The three-time men’s National League Champions were in a ruthless mood, crushing opponents drawn from the host country and Malawi at the annual tournament.
Hippo Valley clobbered Hotspurs of Zambia 5-0, Lusaka Sharks 3-0, DE Stars 6-1, Springfield 4-1 and Genetrix of Malawi 5-2 as they powered to glory.
Coach Tongai Mukwewa beamed: “I think we played well, we prepared well for this tournament. That helped us against stiff competition from the Zambian teams who have improved a lot. Yes, the scorelines suggest dominance but we were not given those wins on a silver platter – we had to fight.”
Mukwewa challenged his team to maintain the winning formulae as they prepare for December’s African Club Champions tournament.
“At least a third position finish will be good for us after coming fourth the last time,” he said. “There is a big gap between us and the Egyptian teams who have dominated this competition for years now but we will work hard to ensure that when the competition comes we will play our best hockey.
“Then Egyptians have great international exposure, so we still behind them honestly, but that does not mean that we will just face them ready to be slaughtered. We have to defend the country’s flag with honour.” While their male counterparts swept all before them the going proved tough for the Hippo Valley ladies team. They failed to register a single win, losing 1-2 and 1-4 to Springfield, before suffering heavier defeats 0-3 and 1-6 to Lusaka Sharks.
Skipper Chiyevo Chingoka said they would focus on the positives, highlighting the experience gained in Zambia as more important than the results.
“We loved the experience, it was great exposure for us,” she said. “We had never traveled out of Zimbabwe to play as a club, so that was good for us. We now know what to expect when playing at these international tournaments.”
