TZ girls go down fighting in Africa tourney

Dar es Salaam. The national women’s hockey team put up a spirited fight despite losing three games in the just ended Africa championship in Nairobi, Kenya.

The youthful team consists of students who competed in last year’s Inter-Secondary School tournament in Dar es Salaam.

Christened Dar Ladies, the team lost 2-0 to Heartland of Nigeria before succumbing to a painful 10-0 defeat at the hands of Ghanaian champions GRA. They also went down 3-1 to hosts Wananchi in their third game.

In their last match, the Tanzanian girls put up a brave fight as they squeezed a 1-0 win over Weathedo of Uganda.

Tanzania Hockey Association (THA) secretary general Kaushik Doshi said yesterday that the girls have all it takes to do the country proud in international competitions in the near future.

He refused to blame the team for returning home empty handed, saying they have acquired the exposure and skills they need to excel internationally.

“We are strategically preparing them for future competitions. Although they lost three games and won only one, they have shown that they can compete against the continent’s hockey giants,” said Doshi.

He said plans were underway for the association to arrange more international friendly matches for the team so as to make the young girls familiar with encounters of such magnitude.

“Previously Tanzania didn’t have a women’s hockey team, but had to form one after the arrival of the Italian coach,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dar Khalsa’s striker Jatin Vaja, one of the best hockey players in the country at the moment, has lauded the women’s team players, saying their performance was very impressive despite losign three matches.

“The did a commendable job in Nairobi taking into consideration they were making their first appearance in the continental tournament, said Vaja.

Solomon Zulu, former South African hockey player, has commended THA for organising many youth hockey tournaments.