Hockey players draw in SA

THE Namibian senior women’s hockey side settled for a 0-0 draw against Ghana in their second match of the Africa Cup of Nations, which is currently underway in Durban, South Africa.

The senior men’s team recovered well from a 2-0 deficit, only to lose 4-2 to Nigeria, also in their second match of the tournament. Archie Botha scored both goals for Namibia after Nigeria led 2-0 at halftime.In their first match, the women were demolished 9-0 by a strong South African line-up on Sunday, while the Namibian men were hammered 7-2 in their opening match.The Namibian women stand a chance to play for the gold medal, provided they beat Nigeria in their next match on Thursday.The Namibian men will square up against Ghana in their third match today at 16h30.A win over Ghana will give them an opportunity to play for the bronze medal at the competition, which ends this weekend.Namibian women’s coach Erwin Handura yesterday told The Namibian Sport from South Africa that his side had at least three penalties, but failed to convert them, while the opposition had missed nine similar chances.He said both teams had a 50/50 chance of winning the match.”Overall I was happy with the play, but I am also disappointed because we missed as lot of chances, especially in the first half,” he said.He said some of the players became tired in the second half because of the fast Astro-turf, which they are not used to.Namibia has no Astro-turf and teams competing outside the country find the going tough, as the surface is fast and the relentless pace is exhausting.Handura said today would be a rest day for the women’s team to recover after back-to-back matches.”They need to play for a win.We must get that win because we will go into that match with a 50/50 chance.We will work on our finishing, not forgetting to keep it solid at the back,” he said.The Namibian women’s team now has one point, along Ghana and Nigeria, while South Africa is leading the log with three points ahead of a match late yesterday.Namibia’s men team and Ghana have no points, while Egypt and South Africa are both on six points.The two Namibian teams left for the competition last Wednesday after scraping together sponsorships at the last minute to finance the trip.The women’s side managed to collect the N$70 000 they needed for the trip, but the men’s team was short by about N$20 000.The Chief Administration Officer at the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Rusten Mogane, said the hockey officials did not apply for funding in time and the two teams could thus only be given N$30 000 for the trip.Mogane said teams should submit their international programmes at least three months ahead of time for funds to be arranged by the NSC.Archie Botha scored both goals for Namibia after Nigeria led 2-0 at halftime.In their first match, the women were demolished 9-0 by a strong South African line-up on Sunday, while the Namibian men were hammered 7-2 in their opening match.The Namibian women stand a chance to play for the gold medal, provided they beat Nigeria in their next match on Thursday.The Namibian men will square up against Ghana in their third match today at 16h30.A win over Ghana will give them an opportunity to play for the bronze medal at the competition, which ends this weekend.Namibian women’s coach Erwin Handura yesterday told The Namibian Sport from South Africa that his side had at least three penalties, but failed to convert them, while the opposition had missed nine similar chances.He said both teams had a 50/50 chance of winning the match.”Overall I was happy with the play, but I am also disappointed because we missed as lot of chances, especially in the first half,” he said.He said some of the players became tired in the second half because of the fast Astro-turf, which they are not used to.Namibia has no Astro-turf and teams competing outside the country find the going tough, as the surface is fast and the relentless pace is exhausting.Handura said today would be a rest day for the women’s team to recover after back-to-back matches.”They need to play for a win.We must get that win because we will go into that match with a 50/50 chance.We will work on our finishing, not forgetting to keep it solid at the back,” he said.The Namibian women’s team now has one point, along Ghana and Nigeria, while South Africa is leading the log with three points ahead of a match late yesterday.Namibia’s men team and Ghana have no points, while Egypt and South Africa are both on six points.The two Namibian teams left for the competition last Wednesday after scraping together sponsorships at the last minute to finance the trip.The women’s side managed to collect the N$70 000 they needed for the trip, but the men’s team was short by about N$20 000.The Chief Administration Officer at the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Rusten Mogane, said the hockey officials did not apply for funding in time and the two teams could thus only be given N$30 000 for the trip.Mogane said teams should submit their international programmes at least three months ahead of time for funds to be arranged by the NSC.