Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE chairman of the Tanzania Hockey Association, Kaushik Doshi, has outlined plans for the Mapinduzi Hockey Tournament, which begins on Friday and runs until 29 March at the Anadil Bhurani Ground in Tanga.
Fixtures released by the association show the tournament will feature local teams divided into two pools. Pool A includes defending champions Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) and last year’s finalists Moshi Khalsa. Pool B features Black Mamba, Arusha Twigas and hosts Tanga Stars.
The opening match will see TPDF face Moshi Khalsa in a repeat of last year’s final. Black Mamba will play Arusha Twigas, before Tanga Stars meet Black Mamba later on the same day.
Matches continue on Saturday, with semi-finals scheduled for the afternoon. The final will be played on Sunday morning. Doshi said the tournament is part of the domestic calendar and provides teams with match experience while supporting the development of hockey.
He also acknowledged support from sponsors Reliance Insurance Company (T) Limited and Nas Tyre Services Ltd.
Tanga Stars head coach and captain Deep Visram has named a 10-player squad for the tournament. The squad includes Mufadal Juzer, Alagmar Shakir, Mustafa Samoro, Huzefa Dadalawa, John Mathias, Tasso Mjurufu, Steve Thomas, Abdullah Seif, Smitesh and Visram. Visram said the team has prepared for the competition and aims to retain the title in Tanga.
