Saturday Nation
Date: 07.05.2016
Page 49
Article size: 84 cm2
ColumnCM: 18.66
AVE: 26133.33
KHU league to adopt pooling
system of play next season
BY BRIAN YONGA
The 2016 Kenya Hockey
Union (KHU) Men's Premier
League, which gets underway
mid­next month, will adopt
a pooling system. The move,
according to KHU, will ensure
the league ends by November
and save on time.
The 2015 season, which
began in August last year, was
played on a home and away
basis and ended last weekend
with Butali Sugar Warriors
and Telkom Orange retaining
both clubs earning promotion
to the top­flight league. KHU
vice chairperson Elynah Shiv­
eka said the move was only for
the 2016 season as the leagues
were running behind schedule.
Shiveka however noted that
the National Women's League
teams will continue playing on
the home and away basis.
"We are far behind schedule
and the only way to ensure
we finish the league at the
stipulated time, which is in
November, is to adopt a pool­
ing system because the men's
leagues have many teams,"
Shiveka told Saturday Nation
Sport yesterday.
"The top two teams from
each pool will proceed to the
play offs where the winners
will play in the finals to de­
termine the overall winner."
The Union is believed to have
the men's and women's titles
respectively. The National
Men's League was played in a
pooling system as newcomers
Chase Sailors won the title on
their debut season after beating
Bay Club in the playoffs with
already met the various clubs
who have unanimously agreed
on the format of play. The top
flight league, which is made up
of 15 teams, will be split into two
pools comprising of seven and
eight teams respectively.
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