Handball League review: Ulinzi win catalyst to our title charge, says Mwathi

Equity’s head coach Peter Mwathi has termed their win against Ulinzi as the catalyst to title charge, as the men handball league enters homestretch.

The Bankers stunned Ulinzi 28-21 to stay perfect, a win that delights Mwathi, more so against an opposition that halted their title hopes last season.

Equity’s attacker Brian Wakukha led Ulinzi’s riot as he scored eight goals to get revenge against the Soldiers who narrowly edged them 23-22 in last season’s league encounter.

The Mwathi-led charges showed intent from the onset, relentlessly attacking and defending well to manage an 18-12 win in the first half before seeing off the tie in the closely contested second half.

“The win was vital because Ulinzi is one of the top teams and for you to win the title you have to beat the top teams, when you lose your chances dim. It was not an easy match but I’m happy we picked maximum points,” Mwathi told Citizen Digital.

The former national team head coach also alluded their win to their intense training sessions especially in terms of strength and conditioning which helped them in match endurance.

Equity now have two huge hurdles to climb among the six games left - against reigning champions National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), and General Service Unit (GSU), in their next fixtures as they up the hunt for a first title.

Mwathi is confident they’ll reign supreme having analysed their opponents playing patterns and how they can counter them.

The 57-year old says his tweak on the team’s defensive pattern has worked magic this season after hard lessons from Ulinzi and NCPB last season.

“We learnt the hard way in our season’s finale against Cereals last season, and that forced me to change the way my defence plays. It has worked out and I’m confident that will help us win our first title,” noted Mwathi.

Equity currently top the league on 36 points, four above Ulinzi and NCPB who are tied in second and third respectively on 32 points.