Hockey:IEI league final kicks off Friday

Defending champions Yobe
Desert Warriors is
expected to lead Nigeria
elite hockey clubs in finals
of the International Energy
Insurance (IEI) Premier Hockey League this Friday,
August 24, 2012 through
to September 1, 2012 at
the Abuja Hockey Pitches. The tournament is the
flagship of the Nigeria
Hockey Federation and
would signal a befitting
end to the 2012 league. The IEI league flicked off
early this year with the
Atlantic Conference
National League holding in
Port Harcourt and
featuring clubs in the national league before
moving on to Kaduna
where the Savannah
Conference was held. Kaduna and Kano teams
qualified in the male
category from the Kaduna
zone, with matches played
at the Murtala Mohammed
Square, while in the female category, Benue hockey
team came tops and
qualified for the Premier
League final alongside Kano
female teams. Female teams expected in
Abuja for the one-week
round-robin tournament
include Bayelsa Queens,
Plateau Queens, Yobe
Desert Queens, Heartland Flickers, Ondo Babes, I.G.
babes, Edo Queens, Benue
State, Kaduna Queens and
Delta Queens . The male teams are: Niger
flickers, Union Bank,
Plateau Tigers, Bayelsa
Kings, Police Machine, Delta
Flickers, Kaduna Flickers,
Kano State and Ondo Flickers. Winners and runners-up in
both categories would
represent the country at
the Africa Club
Championship in November. Heartland Flickers has won
the Club Championship
back to back from 2010
while they would have a
hard nut to crack in
Bayelsa Queens, who would be defending their title.