Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Namibian women’s national hockey team stepped up their preparations for next month’s Indoor Hockey World Cup with three warm-up matches against an invitational men’s team in Windhoek over the weekend.
The men’s team mostly consisted of players from the Hockey School of Excellence Club, including the exciting Handura brothers, Delron and Giovanni, Kaizemi Kandjii and Baggio Karigub, as well as the evergreen Siabonga Martins and Matu Kavikairiua of Windhoek Old Boys Social Hockey Club.
The women got off to a winning start with an impressive 8-4 victory in the first match on Friday evening.
The teams were still level at 4-4 going into the final quarter, but the women’s superior fitness told when they scored four unanswered goals in the final quarter to run out comfortable winners.
The women took a 2-0 lead through goals by Azaylee Philander and Jaime Gillies, before Delron Handura opened the men’s account.
Danja Meyer immediately restored the women’s lead but another Handura goal reduced the deficit to 3-2 at halftime.
Handura completed his hat-trick in the third quarter, while Martins added another, but Philander scored her second goal from a short corner as the teams went into the final quarter level at 4-4.
The women, however, finished stronger, and with their pressing game started winning more short corners which they converted with accurate goals by Gillian Hermanus, Caitlyn Gillies and Kaela Schimming, before Sunel Ludwig added a final field goal to complete an impressive victory.
The men stepped up their game as they won both the next two encounters 5-3.
On Saturday morning the women once again took an early lead through a short corner goal by Philander and a backstick shot by Jaime Gillies, but the men came back strongly and a goal apiece by the Handura brothers, Delron and Giovanni, drew them level by halftime.
The men continued to press after the break with Delron completing his hat-trick and Giovanni adding a second, while Sunelle Ludwig added a late goal for the women to make the final score 5-3.
On Saturday evening, Delron Handura once again shone for the men, scoring a hat-trick as they notched up their second 5-3 victory.
Giovanni Handura opened their scoring and after the women wasted several chances from short corners, Delron made it 2-0 just before half time.
In the third quarter, the women pulled goals back through Armin van Staden and Kaela Schimming, but a short corner goal by Sia Martins and Delron’s second put the men 4-2 ahead.
The women stepped up their attacks in the final quarter with Philander hitting the post, while their first choice keeper, Petro Stoffberg, playing for the men, pulled off some fine point blank saves.
Van Staden finally breached the men’s defence, but Delron Handura had the final say completing his third hat-trick of the series to seal another 5-3 win.
The women’s coach Erwin Handura was satisfied with their progress.
“We started preparing on the 3rd of January so you could see that we were fitter than the guys in the first match, but credit to them, they came back strongly.
“Our penalty corners in the recent series against South Africa were not too good, but I think now we are a bit sharper, and we are still improving on that as well,” he added.
The two teams will continue their series with three more warmup matches scheduled for this week, before the women leave for the Netherlands on 14 January, where they will play against several Dutch Premier League clubs as well as the national Dutch side.
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