Wananchi sides to test Stallions, DCU character
Man on a mission. Martin Okello will be looking to lead Wananchi to another fruitful season. PHOTO/ ISMAIL KEZAALA
What you need to know:
Wananchi have in the past done their best to maneuver without Baguma and a number of other players that have moved on but it will be intriguing to see who replaces Mpiima especially in KHC's set-piece situations.
Only six points separated Wananchi and Kampala Hockey Club (KHC) Stallions as the former won the Uganda Baati Hockey League last season.
But the gulf in class between the sides was even greater when they met in the finals of the Uganda Cup as Wananchi won 5-1 to seal the third trophy of their seasons.
That win also meant that Wananchi had won three key meetings between the sides in 2022. KHC only beat them once in the group stages of the Easter Open and also forced a draw in their second league meeting to seal second place.
The sides meet again on Sunday in the Uganda Hockey Association (UHA) Memorial Shield, usually a match between the holder of the Cup and reigning league champion, to kickstart the 2023 season.
Interestingly, just like the first edition last year, the winners of both the women and men's cups also won their respective leagues and therefore the runners up in the Cup (incidentally for both years, the runners up in the Cup have also been the runners up in the league) have to be considered.
Both KHC and Wananchi have lost key players ahead of the season. KHC's Jordan Mpiima joined Wananchi's Emmanuel Baguma on his return to Italy last month and today's battle could be about who of the two will be missed most by their home team.
Wananchi have in the past done their best to maneuver without Baguma and a number of other players that have moved on but it will be intriguing to see who replaces Mpiima especially in KHC's set-piece situations.
Moving on fast
The same could be said of Deliverance Church of Uganda(DCU), who won the league and Cup double last year, when they meet Wananchi in the ladies' shield.
Last season, Wananchi were in disarray when Doreen Asiimwe left mid-season for Italy and one hopes time has helped them fill that void.
Also DCU have just lost the influential sister act of Winnie Alaro and Lucky Akello to KHC Swans.
How DCU react to this transfer could be key in how their season pans out. But they can look back to the 2-1 win they secured, in the absence of the sisters, over Wananchi in the first leg of last year's Cup semifinals for inspiration.
UHA MEMORIAL SHIELD
W: DCU vs. Wananchi, 2pm
M: Wananchi vs. KHC Stallions, 4pm
