Braves Ladies win inaugural hockey title

Ivy Sibale became a heroine for Braves Ladies at Blantyre Sports Club (BSC) on Sunday when her strike earned the team a 1-0 victory over Falcons during the ladies category finals of the inaugural Eight-A-Side National Hockey Championships.

Sibale silenced the Falcons almost 10 minutes before time, when she collected a loose ball from Falcons’ defence error on the right flank, cut in-field and slipped it low past the goalkeeper.

“This is what we were looking for,” said Braves chairperson Wanthaza Mughogho whose side beat Sports Complex Simba 1-0 in the quarter-finals. They thrashed Polytechnic 5-0 in the semis.

“A national title will give us more honour than we could get after winning a number of regional competitions. I salute my players for doing the good work,” said Mughogho.

But Mughogho will have to wait a little longer to see if his men’s side will replicate deeds of the ladies’ side. The men’s second semi-final between Braves and Parachute Battalion has been pushed to a later date.

Genetrix A qualified for the finals after beating Scorpions 1-0.