Strong start for NHL defending champions

National Hockey League women’s champions Kampala (KHC) Swans and men’s winners Weatherhead showed they are starting from where they left off as the 2024 season got underway over the weekend in Lugogo.

Swans opened the championship on Saturday and even with just 10 players in the early afternoon heat, managed to whitewash Thunders.

Sandra Namusoke scored the first of her five goals in the seventh minute but Thunders capitalized on the absence of a keeper for Swans in the opening exchange to equalize. After that Norah Alum (two), Carol Aguti (two), Pauline Achom (two), Sarah Ahaabwe Arinaitwe, Margaret Nassiwa and captain Vanessa Abeja joined Namusoke on the scorecard.

“Such a win makes us believe that we can win any other game coming up,” Abeja said while assistant coach Jordan Mpiima emphasized they were “targeting to defend” their trophy.

Swans will be run close by Wananchi and Weatherhead, who had their game postponed as players from the Wananchi travelled on Friday for the burial of their men’s side former player Thomas ‘Kamau’ Etoma – who has for long been based in Tanzania. Their men also had their opener with KHC Stallions postponed.

Wananchi HDF (Hockey Dreams Foundation) also showed signs of intent on Sunday by coming from behind to beat former champions Deliverance Church of Uganda (DCU) 3-1. DCU scored through Winnie Atim in the 5th minute but twins Juliet Babirye and Janet Nakato plus Lillian Nelima scored for HDF.

The other women’s match of the weekend saw Makerere University come from 1-0 down through Sheeba Musimenta’s 29th minute goal to draw 1-1 with Weatherhead Historicals who had scored through Fatuma Namubiru in the second minute.

Hattricks, clean sheets

For the men, hattricks from Thomas Opio, Collines Batusa and Timothy Ntumba set the pace for Weatherhead’s season as they obliterated KHC Originals 10-1 on Sunday. Brian Okodi scored the champions’ 10th while Gerald Kairu’s 13th minute goal only served as an early consolation for Originals.

In another interesting Sunday result, Badgers kept their first ever clean sheet since inception last year as they beat City Lions 1-0 while Thunders also beat Weatherhead Titans 4-1.

In the lone game on Saturday, Rockets beat Makerere University 6-0 courtesy of braces from Simon Oyugi and Elvis Opoya plus a goal apiece from Joseph Mubiru and Ashiraf Musekura.

WOMEN

Thunders 1-14 KHC Swans

DCU 1-3 Wananchi HDF

Makerere University 1-1 WHD Historicals

MEN

Rockets 6-0 Makerere University

Thunders 4-1 WHD Titans

City Lions 0-1 Badgers

KHC Originals 1-10 Weatherhead