All set for national school games in Eldoret

Eldoret comes alive Tuesday as the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Term One National Games get underway across different venues in the North Rift town.

The five-day championships will feature basketball, rugby 15s, hockey, handball, swimming, athletics and cross country.

Teams from Nairobi, Central, Coast, Eastern, Nyanza, Western, North Eastern and Rift Valley regions will battle for the various titles and spots to this year’s East Africa Secondary School Games set for August in Huye, Rwanda.

Hill School will be the main venue and will host hockey and handball. Basketball and swimming will be at Nova International School, while rugby 15 and athletics will be staged at Eldoret Sports Club and Moi Girls High School respectively.

New winners will be crowned in rugby 15s and girls’ hockey after their respective title holders Kakamega High School and St Mary’s Tachasis Girls Secondary School were eliminated at the regional games earlier in the month.

Dr Aggrey High School (boys’ basketball), Kaya Tiwi Girls High School (girls’ basketball), St Anthony’s Boys High School, Kitale, Hospital Hill High School (boys’ handball) and Moi Girls Secondary School, Kamusinga (girls’ handball) will be defending their titles.

New sides will fancy their chances of upsetting the form book as they look to get the better of the favourites. The highlight of Tuesday’s action will be a repeat of last year’s boys’ handball final pitting national champions Hospital Hill from Nairobi Region against Rift Valley Region’s Kamito Boys Secondary School which the former triumphed 30-25.

The pool “A” clash, which is set for 11.30am, will be preceded by the other pool clash between Mbooni Boys Secondary School from Eastern and debutantes Handege Secondary School. However, all eyes will be on the Hospital Hill versus Kamito clash, with the winner most likely to top the pool.  

Hospital Hill coach Fernwick Opili believes it will be a tough contest with their opponents out for revenge.

“I didn’t expect to face them (Kamito) in the first match, but this is the national stage and we have to overcome the best if we want to be crowned champions,” offered Opili.

“We beat them last year in the final but that will count for nothing and we need to be at our best to ensure we get off to a good start,” he added. His Kamito counterpart Zakayo Korir believes they have learnt great lessons after their maiden appearance last year.

“We have grown a lot as a team in the last eight months and I believe we will be a better team this year. We lost in the national and East African finals last year and that heartbreak is motivating us to do better,” he said.

In basketball, Coast’s Kaya Tiwi will launch their title defence against Hon D.M Amin Girls Secondary School from North Eastern Region in Pool “A”, while the other match will see returnees Butere Girls High School and last year’s fourth place finishers Ototo Mixed Secondary School clash.

Tuesday Fixtures

Basketball

Girls

Hon.DM Admin VS Kaya Tiwi High School

Butere Girls High School v Ototo Mixed Secondary School

Loreto Girls High School v Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School

Clay International School v St Joseph’s Girls Secondary School

Boys

Lukenya School v Thika High School

Dagoretti High School VS. Friends School Kamusinga

Sabunley High School VS. Laiser Hill

Onjiko Boys High School VS Dr Aggrey High School

Rugby 15s

Ofafa Jericho High School VS St. Patrick’s High School, Iten

Mangu High SchoolVS. All Saints Embu High School

St. Anthony’s Boys High school, Kitale v Kisii High School

Kwale High School v Butula Boys High School