Resurgent Jaguars aim for top-five finish

Kenya Hockey Union Premier League side Western Jaguars are aiming for a top five finish after their recent upsurge in form saw them move out of the relegation zone.

The Kakamega-based side made the headlines after becoming the first team to inflict league leaders Kenya Police with their first defeat when they beat the latter by a solitary goal last week, before registering back- to- back wins over Sikh Nairobi Union, whom they hammered 3-0 on Saturday, before capping an impressive weekend with a 2-0 rout over Strathmore University on Sunday.

The win saw Jaguars climb to ninth position on the log with 24 points, with only seven matches remaining,  a prospect that has left head coach-cum-player Mike Malungu licking his fingers in glee.

In fact, Malungu is upbeat that his boys will maintain the tempo as they aim to finish the season on a high.

“The boys are psyched as we hope to continue with our winning ways. If  everything go well and we manage to win all our remaining five matches, then we will be in a good position to finish in top five,” said Malungu.

After winning in their last four matches, Malungu believes that their turn around came in the defeat to Greensharks.

“Even though we lost against Greensharks, I believe that it was our turn around because the scores did not reveal entirely what transpired in the match .We still have a lot to do since we have to face teams which are ahead of us in the standings,” added Malungu.

Meanwhile, run away leaders Kenya Police returned to winning ways after beating Greensharks to open a 13-point gap, with Sharks dropping third on the log on 49 points, two adrift of second-placed Butali Warriors.

According to Kenya Police head coach Patrick Mugambi, all that is left of them is to win the three out of the five matches, as the title is  theirs to lose.They face struggling Technical University of Kenya (TUK)next on Tuesday.

“After we lost our match against Jaguars, I am happy that we have returned to winning ways .We hope to continue this run as we take on TUK tomorrow,” revealed Mugambi.

TUK registered their third consecutive draw on Saturday after they held defending champions Strathmore University to a 1-1 outcome, as their winless streak stretches on. They currently lie bottom of the log with a paltry eight points in 23 matches.

In the women league, after registering mixed results over the weekend, second placed Chase Amiras will be facing an uphill task when they take on league leaders Telkom on Tuesday, with the defending champions yet to taste defeat this season.

A bottom of the table clash pairing Mombasa Sports Club (MSC) and University of Nairobi also ended in a 1-1 stalemate.