Impala Veterans will be out to reclaim the Masters' Hockey title in Nakuru this weekend, team manager Collins Igundi Nagila has said.
Impala beat Nakuru 2-1 to win the inaugural tournament before finishing third behind winners Nakuru and Blue Ocean Chiefs at the Mombasa Masters Tournament last month.
However, Nagila said they have trained extensively for the task ahead.
"We have been training since the completion of the Mombasa tournament. This next tournament is undoubtedly a must-win," said Nagila.
He also hopes for favourable conditions in Nakuru, as opposed to the hot and humid weather they encountered in Mombasa.
“The weather in Nakuru looks good and it is my hope that it remains this way until we are done with the tournament," said Nagila.
“The results we registered in the second series were really unfortunate, most of our players are not used to playing in such weather conditions.”
He revealed that they have added three more players to their lineup after losing two Kisumu. They now have a team of 22 (six women).
Impala will be joined by Nakuru, Blue Ocean Chiefs, Kisumu Lakers, Wazalendo, Greensharks Veterans and Park Road in the round-robin tournament.
Nagila observed that winning the tournament will inspire the rest of their teams in the various KHU leagues.
“We want to set a good example to the three teams behind us. We want to give them something to think about when setting their targets,” said Nagila.
