Hockey trophies come in doubles for Wananchi, DCU

Double. DCU players show off their medals after being crowned Uganda Baati League and Uganda Cup champions. PHOTO/MAKHTUM MUZIRANSA 

What you need to know:

Weatherhead’s Anitah Atim was named Cup MVP while DCU’s Shakirah Nambooze was named the best goalkeeper right after her Wananchi counterpart Susan Ayomirwoth had been named the best custodian in the league. Wananchi’s Doreen Mbabazi was top scorer with 21 goals.

Despite not winning anything in 2021, Deliverance Church trinket Lucky Akello was convinced she had done everything to get her name engraved somewhere as one of the many hockey tournaments’ most valuable players (MVP).

She did not take an individual accolade home and the consolatory message from this reporter was that her time would come.

That obvious prediction came to pass at the crowning moment of the 2022 hockey season as she was named the women’s MVP for the Uganda Baati Hockey League on Saturday after she led her side to a cup and league double.

Before the awards, DCU and Wananchi (men) shed any doubts about their prowess this season by accompanying their league trophies with emphatic wins in the Uganda Cup finals.

DCU led by coach James Akweri did the hard work dethroning Wananchi (women), who had won the league six times on the bounce and emulated them by doing the double as the latter had done last season by beating Weatherhead 2-0 in the Cup final on Saturday.

Weatherhead’s Anitah Atim was named Cup MVP while DCU’s Shakirah Nambooze was named the best goalkeeper right after her Wananchi counterpart Susan Ayomirwoth had been named the best custodian in the league. Wananchi’s Doreen Mbabazi was top scorer with 21 goals.

Wananchi men bounce back

For the men, Wananchi (44 points) secured the league by six points a week ago and had also come to re-affirm status against league runners-up Kampala Hockey Club (KHC) Stallions in the Cup final.

Inspired by their young starlet and Cup MVP Jackson Musinguzi, they came from 1-0 down to hit KHC for five in a 5-1 thriller. KHC badly needed this to dust off their trophy cabinet but the weight of the occasion got to them as they conceded at least once in every quarter to coach Chris Otim’s Wananchi.

KHC took consolation individual awards; Stewart Kavuma was crowned league MVP, Richard Ssemwogerere tied on 21 goals with Weatherhead’s Thomas Opio to share the top scorers’ gong while Richard Kaijuka was named best goalkeeper in the league and cup.

KHC defender Dulf Musoke also carried home an award for his role in coaching Makerere University sides Stingers (men) and Eagles (women).
 

ACCOLADES

Best Coaches

W: James Akweri (DCU)

M: Chris Otim (Wananchi)

*Mak Stingers & Eagles’ Dulf Musoke also recognised

Uganda Baati League                                    Uganda Cup

Champions

W: Deliverance Church (DCU)                                    DCU

M: Wananchi                                                  Wananchi

MVP

W: Lucky Akello (Deliverance Church)           Anitah Atim (Weatherhead)

M: Stewart Kavuma (KHC Stallions)               Jackson Musinguzi (Wananchi)

Best goalkeeper

W: Susan Ayomirwoth (Wananchi)                 Shakirah Nambooze (DCU)                                        
M: Richard Kaijuka (KHC Stallions)                 Richard Kaijuka (KHC Stallions)         

Top scorer

W: Doreen Mbabazi (Wananchi) – 21 goals

M: Thomas Opio (Weatherhead), Richard Ssemwogerere (KHC Stallions) – 21 goals