Day of mixed fortunes as Uganda revives national teams

Uganda had a day of mixed fortunes as they finally revived their national teams in the FIH (Federation of International Hockey) Series in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday.
The men, Hockey Cranes, lived up to promise as they held Kenya 1-1 in a pulsating draw at the Sikh Union Club.
Uganda has had no real national team engagement since 2007 but they played like they had never left.

Robinson Omutekete put the hosts ahead with a well-worked team goal in the 34th minute but Uganda’s everlasting and only capped player before this game Thomas Opio, cancelled it in the 39th with a well-deserved effort.
Throughout the delicately poised game, Uganda - which settled earlier than their opponents - matched Kenya in speed, brevity, pressing and understanding what is at stake.
“Our main is to end Kenya’s dominance over us,” coach Vincent Kasasa, said.

“We have a balanced team with no star players. We expected to win but we did not take some of our chances.”
Kenya’s coach Fidelis Kimanzi downplayed the result but wants his side to improve and show more purpose over the weekend. “We accepted the test series knowing what to expect from our worthy opponents. Uganda has clearly trained better than us and it showed. We have to defend their long balls and injections into the D better.

But you cannot judge us on one game. We have a longterm project and we urge everyone to trust the process and let us test what we are training,” Kimanzi said.
The Ugandan ladies, however, had their baptism of fire as Kenya beat them 11-0. There is no record of a laddies national team before this one.
“I believe that we were beaten psychologically rather than technically,” She Cranes coach Sandra Namusoke, said as hang onto the few positives that were buried deep in that whitewash.
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