Joel Ajayi
The Kada Queens Hockey Team of Nigeria who etched their name in African Hockey history by clinching the bronze medal at the just-concluded 25th Women’s Africa Cup for Club Champions (ACCC) in far-away Egypt returns to the country on Monday.
It will be recalled that just a few days ago, the Kaduna-based women’s team and Nigeria’s representatives, Kada Queens, emerged as bronze medal winners at the 26th Africa Cup for Club Hockey Championship in Ismailia, Egypt.
The Queens beat the Kenyan side, Mombasa, 1-0 in a keenly contested match. The Nigerian club finished 2nd in Group B after winning 3 out of 4 games to qualify for the knockout phase.
Also, their male counterpart, Kada Stars, who participated in the same tournament, could not win, but one of their players, James Smalia, won the highest goal scorer of the tournament as a consolation prize for the male team as well, returning home.
The team arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday at 2:00 pm, where they were welcomed by Nigerian and hockey enthusiasts.
Speaking was an elated coach of the two teams, Abdullahi Babagana. “I wouldn’t say I’m not excited. I am, but it was not what we planned for. We planned to clinch the gold medal, but at the end of the day, all short, we got the bronze medal. We still thank and appreciate God for giving us the bronze medal. It’s not really easy. In fact, the weather, whatever you call it, the journey, the stress, it begins with a lot of good things, wonderful performances from them. So we thank God. But it’s a lesson. We’ve learned our lesson against next year’s African Club Championship. When we go back there, it will be a different ball game. I believe, with the experience they gained, we will do better.”
When asked whether the team had learned anything from the tournament, he replied, “Well, you know, when we left, we left on the 29th, getting there on the 30th. On the 30th was our first match. We got to the hotel around five to six in the morning, and the match was scheduled for 10 o’clock. So there was no rest, we rushed into it. Some of them did not even take breakfast, and it was not easy. That was how it started, and that was the match we lost. Losing a match in a tournament of this nature, you know, it’s always a problem. Maybe by next year, the preparation will be early, we’ll go early, and all this will not affect us, and I believe we’ll do better. I commended my players for standing against strong opposition and coming back with the bronze medal. It was a great competition for us. We’ve added to our experience as a team.”
He, however, expressed gratitude to the Kaduna state government for ensuring that the teams participated in the championship despite the meager resources of the state.
On her part, the team’s captain of Kada Queens, John Alfa Cornelius, expressed that the late arrival to the venue really affected the team’s performance: “Really, the bronze medal is not our target, but that is the game. We still appreciate God for that. We arrived late, and we swung into action, but we couldn’t meet up.”
Two other Nigerian clubs in the women’s category, Delta Queens and Plateau Queens, finished respectively 3rd and 4th in Groups B and A.
