Hilma Nalupe 

Namibian U/21 men’s hockey team claimed a 4-2 victory over Oman, in their last classification match at Junior Hockey World Cup, placing them in the 23rd position out of 24 teams. 

Led by their captain, John-Paul Britz who scooped player of the match award against Oman, the team was determined to not take the last place in this year’s World Cup. 

Britz who also has scored a total of five goals at the World Cup, expressed both joy and disappointment at their position. 

“We are happy to have won the World Cup with a win, although it’s not where we wanted to be. We ended off the tournament on a high and despite our losses, we walked away with two wins, a first in Namibian history and something to be proud of,” said Britz. 

Britz encouraged Namibians to send the team to more tournaments of high calibre to prepare them for future World Cups and ensure that the boys are well prepared and know what to expect. 

During the Junior Hockey World Cup, Namibia lost 1-12 against Belgium, 0-13 against Spain and won 4-2 against Egypt in the pool matches, which closed off their hopes to proceed to the round of 16.Thereafter, the team lost 2 (0) – 2 (2) to Austria in penalties and won 4-2 against Oman in the classification matches, placing Namibia at 23rd. 

Head coach, Johan Weyhe expressed his joy of the U/21 men’s team having won two matches. 

“It’s the first time we played on that level and winning two games is a big achievement. The fact that we played against Spain, a team that is now in the finals is a big honour and great achievement,” he said. 

Weyhe said it is now up to the coaches to impart the knowledge they received at the World Cup and start with preparations for the next qualifiers and World Cup. -hnalupe@nepc.com.na