Youngster Usagi headlines nominees list for Hockey Kenya awards

Wazalendo United forward Sutcliff ‘Suc’ Usagi is among the nominees for the Best Male Player award category in the maiden Hockey Kenya awards set for February 1 in Nairobi.

The 22-year-old will be looking to make his mark in the Kenyan hockey scene following an impressive debut season as he aims to claim his first major personal award at the first time of asking at the gala night primed for Hillcrest International School in Karen.

Usagi is one of the three players nominated for the Men’s award and will battle it out with Chris Wakila of Green Sharks and Festus Onyango who turns out for The Strathmore Gladiators.

Usagi, a former Dedan Kimathi University student joined Wazalendo United following the withdrawal of the former from the Men’s super league.

The other awards include the Men’s Super League otherwise known as the Division Two headlined by Arnold Abedie of Kisumu Youngsters, Arnold Marango of KCA University and Mariano Amadou of Mombasa Sports Club, while the Men’s National League nominees are Christian Nabie of Mount Kenya University, Edwin Eshipayi of Thika Rovers and Paul Bokasa of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

The Women’s category has USIU’s Beatrice Mbugua, Leah Omwando and Pauline Naisie both of Amira Sailors in the Premier League division while the Super League has Agnes Maina and Pauline Ochieng both from the University of Nairobi and Selina Ouma from the Wolverines.

Daystar University tactician Ian Murunga is joined by former Butali coach Ian Owaka and Thomas Muchiri of Amira Sailors in the Best Coach category.

The winners will be announced on First February at the Hillcrest International School in Karen.

Meanwhile Usagi recognizes that the two competitors he is up against are also deserving however, but is confident of claiming his first major gong.

“It’s a competitive award because the other two nominees are top quality players but I’m confident. My performance throughout the season was also commendable. I played and helped my club to a second place finish in the league. We  also qualified for the African Club Championships where the top two clubs go through. It has taken us time to get back to the continental stage so it’s a good thing and we have started our preparations for it.”

Usagi who won the Most Valuable player at the 2013 National School Games helped his team finish position two in the log  scoring five goals and assisting six more. He however missed five games owing to school commitments. He heaped praises on his coaches Fidhelis Kimanzi and Joseph Mwangi and fellow teammates whom he felt did more than enough to help him adopt to the Premier League seamlessly.

Being the first time such an event is happening in Kenyan hockey, he reckons the award will improve the visibility of the game and help in motivating players further.

“Many Kenyans don’t know about the Kenyan hockey league so this award is a great initiative in that it appreciates the players’ efforts and puts us in the limelight. The hockey fraternity is a very small family in Kenya in that at time the players are themselves the fans unlike other sports.

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