Salphoda, Exchequers, and Army Shine in Week 7 of Salphoda Hockey League

Week 7 of the ongoing Salphoda Hockey League delivered an action-packed slate of fixtures across all divisions, despite a few postponements and tightly contested draws.

The opening match between Police and Arkmen was postponed due to technical issues. Nonetheless, the remainder of the weekend offered fans plenty of excitement and drama.

In the Development Division, the University of Ghana and Ark Ladies played out a goalless draw in a match dominated by strong defensive displays from both sides, with few clear-cut chances at either end.

The Women’s Division featured the much-anticipated rescheduled Week 6 clash between Extinguishers and Army, which lived up to its billing. Despite earning nearly seven penalty corners, Army were unable to convert, thanks in large part to the superb performance of Extinguishers’ goalkeeper Precious Osei and captain Joanita Korwu.

After the match, Joanita Korwu remarked:
“We’ve worked hard for this game and made sure we played according to the pattern. Even though there were lapses in our defence that gave them a lot of penalty corners, they couldn’t score. We would have beaten them on the original match day, but whatever the case, we are happy with the draw.”

Army’s Owusuwaa Margaret expressed her disappointment, stating:
“We were looking to continue our winning run to give us a boost. We’ve been in the league for about four years and are hoping to win our first trophy this year, which is our main target. Just look at the number of penalty corners we had and couldn’t score. But we’ll go back to the drawing board and come back stronger.”

In the Masters Division, league sponsors Salphoda produced a commanding performance to defeat Golden Sticks 4–0. Hammond Abraham scored his first-ever hat-trick, with goals in both the opening and closing quarters, while Sogah Nathaniel added a fourth. Golden Sticks were unable to mount a response as Salphoda cruised to victory.

Exchequers maintained their dominant form with a comfortable 3–0 win over Legonknights. Goals from Kofi Okyere Quagraine, Tetteh Lartey Francis, and Ebenezer Nortey secured another valuable three points, reinforcing their place at the summit of the table.

In the final match of the weekend, the Army Men defeated Reformers 3–1 to register their second win of the season. Goals from Abdul Malik, David Sarfo, and Dzotsi Eric sealed the result, with Samuel Apekne scoring a consolation for the Reformers.

Reformers’ captain Yeboah Sarpong reflected on the result:
“We are disappointed with the result. We worked hard and were hoping for our first win, but it didn’t go as planned. We hope for better in our next match.”

Army captain Asamoah Ofusu Stephen credited their tactical discipline for the win:
“From the blast of the whistle, we stamped our authority on the game. We were quicker with the ball and made good use of our chances. We didn’t play to their game plan—we used more aerial balls and pace—but there is still more room for improvement.”

As the league intensifies, teams are beginning to find their rhythm, and with every passing week, the title race becomes increasingly competitive.