Hockey match abandoned

SATURDAY’s Men’s Premier League hockey match between Windhoek Old Boys and Unam had to be abandoned after Unam refused to play the match and walked off the field.

At the centre of the controversy was their star striker Siabonga Martins, who had asked for a transfer and wanted to play for WOB against his old club. According to a source, Unam demanded N$10 000 for his release but when WOB managed to raise the funds and wanted to pay, Unam refused.In the end the match was abandoned, while Martins turned out for WOB’s second side in a men’s reserve league match against DTS a while later.’It’s a sad day for Namibian hockey,’ said the president of the Namibia Hockey Union, Jesse Schickerling, who added that a meeting would be convened this week to discuss the issue.’The NHU does not want to interfere in club affairs, but we will get the facts and then discuss the issue,’ he said.Unam’s player-coach Erwin Handura could not be reached for comment.DTS meanwhile extended their lead in the Men’s Premier League after beating Wanderers 1-0 on Saturday. In an evenly contested match, William van Aardt scored the only goal of the match shortly before halftime.The victory saw DTS moving up to seven points on the log from three matches, while Wanderers are second on three points from two matches. They are followed by Windhoek Old Boys on one and Unam who still have to open their account.In the Women’s Premier League, WOB have taken a commanding lead after recording two victories over the weekend. On Saturday, they thrashed Unam 7-0 after leading 2-0 at halftime. Carla Britz and Lauren Mouton each scored a brace and Tegan Rix, Jocelle Deysel and Mariaan Laubscher one goal each.On Sunday WOB beat Wanderers 1-0 through a first-half goal by Wilrie van Taak.WOB now lead the women’s Premier League with 10 points from three matches, followed by DTS who have four points from three matches. Wanderers are on three points, while Unam still have to open their account.- namibiasport.com.na