The first leg of the semifinals of the Uganda Cup will take center stage on Saturday at the Lugogo Hockey Grounds as eight teams in both the Men and Women’s divisions battle for a place in the finals.
The current cup holders in the men’s division, Wananchi will take on Rockets, but the biggest game in this division will see Inaugural winners Weatherhead face Kampala Stallions.
KHC’s form in the league is currently wanting, but the two always display a gritty affair.
Nothing less will be expected on Saturday, and Weatherhead who currently top the league standings on goal difference will want to dethrone their biggest rivals Wananchi. They can only do that by first dealing with KHC.
This might be the game of the day, but Wananchi will also come knowing Rockets won’t be an easy opponent. Wananchi had to dig deep on match day eight to beat Rockets 2-1.
They needed a fourth-quarter goal from Jordan Achaye to do that.
On Saturday, they will come expecting another fight, but they will hope they will head into the second leg, with one leg already in the final.
The second leg will happen on the second last weekend of September.
Women’s Division
Table toppers in the National Hockey League, Kampala Swans will face Deliverance Church on Saturday in the first leg of the semifinals of the Uganda Cup.
Deliverance are the only women’s team to lift this trophy. They have won it twice since it’s inception in 2021. They will enter this game as the cup holders, and will be seeking to retain the trophy, but their current form doesn’t back them up.
Before their 2-0 league win over Wananchi-HDF last weekend, they had lost four games in a row. Against KHC, they come up against a side on form and one hungry for success.
KHC’s red-hot form sees them top the table standings in the women’s division with 23 points, two above Wananchi. The last time these two sides met, Deliverance swallowed 6 unanswered goals.
The Swans will feel this is finally their season to boss, and they will feel they have all it takes to down Deliverance.
The other women’s game will see the battle of the heavyweights involving Wananchi and Weatherhead. Like their male counterparts, these two teams are the biggest in the league. It is still hard to explain how any of them hasn’t lifted the Uganda Cup yet.
Nonetheless, each will head into this game knowing they have a chance to finally win it.
The two are separated by just a point in the league. Weatherhead is placed third with 20 points, just a place below their Saturday opponents.
