Staff Reporter
Windhoek-The Bank Windhoek National Hockey League was on fire with the country’s leading teams in action last weekend.
The action got underway with a top of the log encounter between Windhoek Old Boys A (WOBS A) and Saints and while WOBS A enjoyed a comfortable 5 – 1 lead with 15 minutes left on the clock, the young Saints outfit sprung a surprise when they bravely clawed their way back to force a 5-all draw.
Saints’ Dakota Hansel and veteran playmaker Siyabonga Martins (WOBS A) netted a brace apiece in the ten-goal thriller.
In other action, DTS confronted a determined NUST team, but unceremoniously lost by 13 goals without a reply, with Billy Beukes – the hero of the one sided clash – scoring a double brace.
On Saturday, WOBS A returned to action to face UNAM, who have improved dramatically since the start of the season. UNAM inflicted the first ever defeat on WOBS A as the game ended 6–3 that saw Unam’s Isascar Tjikuriva registering his name on the scoresheet with a pair of a brace.
A confident Saints team faced BDO Wanderers on Saturday and the rejuvenated Saints – buoyed by their draw on Friday – defeated BDO Wanderers via convincing a 8–2 triumph, with Cody van der Merwe scoring an amazing five goals for the Saints.
Also on Saturday, WOBS BB picked up only their 3rd win of the season, hammering the out-of-sorts NUST outfit by 10 goals without a reply, that saw Hanno Walters topping the goalscoring charts with a double hat trick.
Later in the day, WOBS BB took on Saints, and this time the tables turned as Saints emerged the victors 5-0, with van der Merwe claiming a well-taken brace.
The day ended with a clash of the titans between UNAM and BDO Wanderers, which saw the students narrowly beat their opponents 4-3 in a closely contested encounter. Stefan Du Preez was the top goal scorer for BDO Wanderers.
WOBS currently leads the log standings in the men’s league with 45 points, tailed by Saints and DTS in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively, on 34 points apiece, but DTS still enjoys a superior goal difference.
Women’s Premier League
The Women’s League on Friday kicked off with a match between NUST and Saints. It was a one-sided affair as Saints walloped NUST 13-1. Kiara Cormack scored five goals for Saints.
In the next encounter, DTS took on BDO Wanderers. The experienced BDO Wanderers side was too strong for a very young DTS outfit. As a result, DTS lost 4-0. Bianca Muller scored a hat trick for BDO Wanderers.
On Saturday, the much-anticipated game between WOBSC and UNAM lived up to expectation. UNAM took the lead in the second half and never looked back, as they held on for a 3-1 victory. Maggie Mango scored twice for UNAM.
Meanwhile, BDO Wanderers played against NUST. The game resulted in BDO Wanderers winning 3-2 in a closely contested game, in which Bianca Muller scored twice for BDO Wanderers.
The last game for the weekend saw Saints beating WOBSC with 4 – 2. Kaela Schimming got a brace for Saints. Saints and UNAM top the log table in the Women’s League with the same tally of points (25), but Saints have an advantage on goal difference.
With only two weekends left before the finals on April 22, competition is becoming very tight at the top, as only seven points separates the top four teams on the log standings.
Below are upcoming fixtures:
Friday, 7 April 2017; Wanderers
18:30 NUST vs WANDERERS
19:20 UNAM vs NUST
Saturday, 8 April 2017; DTS
09:40 UNAM vs WOBS MASTERS
10:30 SPARTA vs NUST
11:20 MASTERS 1 vs WOBS
12:10 SPARTA vs UNITED
13:00 SPARTA vs MASTERS
13:50 SPARTA vs WOBS BB
14:40 GURUS vs DTS MASTERS
15:30 SPARTA vs NUST
16:20 UNAM vs NUST
17:10 WANDERERS vs NUST
18:00 SPARTA vs WOBS MM
18:50 UNAM vs WOBS MASTERS