Bertha Fernandes
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HE was the late Egbert Fernandes, perhaps Kenya's greatest hockey centre forward.
She was Bertha Fernandes, one of the most capped Goan hockey stars.
It was always
going to be a match made in sport:
I started playing hockey
when I was 16 years old. I first played
with Ragtimers and later
with the famous
Collegians hockey team
which was coached
by one of the most respected
men in hockey, the international hockey umpire Peter Barbosa.
During my time with the Collegians, we played a lot of hockey, took part in the
domestic league competition
comprising of various hockey teams from different clubs in Nairobi.
We also toured
several places like Mombasa, Tanga, Dar-es- Salaam, Zanzibar and were victorious in all these
places. I did not play
hockey at school, as St. Teresa’s Girl’s
School did not have the facilities, but I did take part
Fortunately, I excelled in all of the above.
I joined the Spartans
Athletics Club in Nairobi, but stayed with them for a short time because I had hockey on my mind. After Collegians finished as a team, I played for the once whites-only Impala Club for a while. I would be about 19 years old when I was selected
to represent Kenya. The father of hockey coaching in Kenya,
the great Mahan
Singh, was our coach and he took
my game to another
level. Yes, I was the most capped Goan player in the Kenya Team. I started playing
right wing, then right inner, and sometimes centre forward. I played against All England, South African Proteas,
and Uganda (several
times). I got along with all my teammates.
I have lots of good memories of my hockey
career. One was when I was selected to play against the All England Women’s hockey team.
My mother, brothers and sisters, fans and friends,
all turned up at the Nairobi City Park Stadium
to cheer me on.
I remember the important build-up
to the game, the warm-up,
the cheers, the vision
of scoring … Although I played a number of internationals against Uganda,
this was something special. Playing for your country was awesome. Hockey gave
me something to be a part of where I felt I belonged. It allowed me to
grow closer with
people and has
introduced me to more friends. I remember the joys of winning
and the heartbreak of losing.
My favourite Goan male player will always be none other than the dashing centre forward for Kenya,
the one and only Egbert
Fernandes, later my husband.
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