This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
The Nakuru Open hockey tournament, held annually since 2015, saw Butali Warriors and Strathmore (Green) emerge victorious in the men's and women's categories respectively.
Butali Warriors defeated Holden Hockey Club 2-1 in the final, while Strathmore (Green) won the women's title by defeating USIU B 2-0.
The tournament is held in memory of Betty Chebet Tioni, a former Kenya international and Telkom Orange hockey player who passed away in February 2014.
Tioni played for the national team and Telkom since 1993 and was a key player in Telkom's 2-0 win over Strathmore in the Africa Cup Club championships final on January 19, 2014, in Kampala.
The two-day tournament saw a massive turnout of hockey teams from across the Kenya Hockey Premier League, with 24 men's teams and 14 women's teams participating.
George Ambeyi, the events welfare person, hailed the turnout as the biggest in the tournament's history, saying it was a testament to their aim of keeping the competition alive.
"The 2017 turnout was low due to the elections. In 2018 we had 17 teams for men and seven ladies teams, and this year we had the biggest turnout ever," Ambeyi said.
"Our aim is to make sure the tournament runs each and every year because it is the only hockey tournament in Kenya that is running apart from SANA in Mombasa," he added.
Women's Results:
- USIU B 2-1 Strathmore Orange (Semi-Final)
- USIU A 1-2 Strathmore Green (Semi-Finals)
- USIU A 2-0 Strathmore Orange (Playoffs)
- USIU B 0-2 Strathmore Green (Final)
Men's Results:
- USIU Mashujaa 0-1 Holden (Semifinals)
- Strathmore B 0-3 Warriors (Semifinals)
- Strathmore B 2-1 USIU Mashujaa (Playoffs)
- Holden 1-3 Warriors (Final)
