Old Boys are indoor hockey champions
Windhoek Old Boys retained the Indoor Hockey Men’s Premier League title on Saturday night after a commanding 7-3 victory against School of Excellence (SoE). It completed a competitive season in which both teams, as well as Saints, could have won the league but in the end Old Boys’ experience and big match temperament shone through. […] The post Old Boys are indoor hockey champions appeared first on The Namibian.
Black News 
Windhoek Old Boys retained the Indoor Hockey Men’s Premier League title on Saturday night after a commanding 7-3 victory against School of Excellence (SoE).
It completed a competitive season in which both teams, as well as Saints, could have won the league but in the end Old Boys’ experience and big match temperament shone through.
SoE came out attacking and took the lead with a field goal by Shindume Matuzuka, but Old Boys soon drew level when Ernest Jacobs scored from a short corner, and then took a stranglehold on the match with a four-goal blitz in the second quarter.
Matt Reese gave them the lead with an early field goal, while Brynn Cleak made it 3-1 with a great solo goal.
Another Cleak attack led to their fourth goal by Dian La Cock and when Jacobs scored his second from a short corner Old Boys had effectively decided the outcome with a 5-1 lead at half-time.
SoE made a strong comeback after the break and after some early pressure won a penalty which Delron Handura put away, but any hopes of a comeback soon dissipated when Kieron Christ deflected a cross into the net.
SoE once again pulled a goal back when Giovani Handura scored from a short corner but Old Boys had the final say when Matu Kavikairiua scored from a short corner to seal a comprehensive win.
Old Boys captain Jacobs had a great match, solid in defence and quick on the counter-attack, as did Cleak, who created numerous chances with his weaving runs.
For SoE, the Handura brothers, Delron and Giovani, once again stood out, as well as Matuzuka and Sachin Jaanda, but despite the defeat they can look back on a successful season. In their final league match last week, they stunned Old Boys with a 7-6 victory, while they also beat Saints 5-4 to reach the final.
Old Boys coach Coenie Fourie was relieved and satisfied after the match.
“My heart rate went up all the way till the end, but I’m very proud of my boys and very happy with our performance. The guys really listened to our game plan, and executed all the way to the end. It was a tough game, and School of Excellence have really stepped up over the past few years,” he said.
“Our plan was to keep on scoring, because SoE’s biggest strength is coming back. They just never give up. Like us, they play with big hearts, so we always knew that if we can stay ahead of them, and make sure we control the game at our pace, with our ball speed, we should be fine. But you never know. Their goalie, ‘Giant’ Kambinda, has been in great form this year and when he’s on, he’s on, and nothing goes through, so we had to play our hearts out,” he added.
With the indoor league now concluded, attention turns to the field league which starts next month. Fourie said an exciting season lies in store.
“SoE just beat us to the field league last year by one or two goals, so it’s going to be really exciting and the rest of the hockey this year will be very interesting,” he said.
Saints, meanwhile won the Women’s Premier League after finishing on top of the log, while WOB came second and DTS third.
WOB won the Men’s Premier Reserve League followed by Masters and Pro Ed Old Boys II, while Saints won the Premier Reserve Women’s league, followed by Coastal Raiders and Sparta.
Saints won the Men’s First League, followed by DTS and Coastal Raiders, while Coastal Raiders won the Women’s First League, followed by Pro Ed and Saints.
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