Eric Odanga
12 August 2008
Nairobi — Machakos is set for a thrilling five-day sports bonanza when this year's Barclays Bank Secondary Schools Championships begin today.
At stake during the Term 2B games will be a place in the Kenya team for the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association regional games to be staged in Kigali, Rwanda from August 22 to 31. Rwanda's President Paul Kagame will officially open the regional games, which have attracted 12 countries, including Southern Sudan.
Also, scouts from various Kenyan Premier League sides will troop to Machakos with the hope of signing the next big name in Kenyan football.
Volleyball clubs will also be keen to attract some of the players.
Barclays Bank are the main sponsors while Brookside are co-sponsors.
The disciplines to be competed for in Machakos are football, volleyball and racket games -- badminton, tennis and table tennis.
The one-week bonanza has attracted teams from all the eight provinces.
Confidence
Last year's overall champions, Western, have made no secret of their intention to sweep the board.
Albert Masiolo, the Western Province Secondary Schools Sports Association secretary, is confident they will win all the trophies in volleyball and soccer.
East Africa girls' soccer champions, Bishop Njenga, will lead the challenge, Lugulu will defend the girls' volleyball title while Malava are boys' champions.
"We hope to add the boys' soccer title to the lot," Masiolo said.
Kakamega High School's Green Commandoes are the Western Province soccer champions. They have a long tradition of producing some of the top soccer players. They were knocked out in the semi-finals last year.
Masiolo believes that the experience gained by the teams in past competitions will be the key to success. Butere Girls could be the surprise team and Masiolo believes the only threat will be from former champions Wiyeeta from Rift Valley.
One of Butere's players went to Brazil for the Copa-Coca Cola.
In girls' volleyball, Lugulu qualified from a strong field which also had rivals Mukumu and Mabanga. According to Masiolo, the only threat from volleyball will be from Rift Valley's Cheptil.
Bernard Nkubitu of Eastern Province believes top contenders in boys' soccer will be in for a rude shock because of the newest entrants Kirige.
"They are our hope especially after denying Kyulu and Matuu," Nkubitu explained.
He believes St. Charles Lwanga also have a chance in boys' volleyball while Gankanga of Mwingi is also a team to watch in girls' volleyball. Eastern Province could also get trophies in the racket games.
"Some of our players turn out for clubs in Nairobi during the holidays. It is an individual competition but there are prospects," Nkubitu said.
Nyanza's secretary Hassan Bakhet is equally confident. "By conservative standards, we should win both soccer titles and volleyball because the teams are well prepared. We had stiff competition at the province with up to 16 teams for each discipline, which is far less than the eight at the national level," Bakhet observed.
Chianda will compete for the second time. Bakhet describes them as tactful and good. Nyamonye rolled over established names and they have nothing to lose.
Some of the strong teams who did not qualify for the nationals are Kisumu Day and Migori in boys' soccer. "They lost to a much stronger team -- Thur Gem -- who are better prepared," Bakhet said.
Coast Province has had a small shake up. Cornelius Mwaluma, the CSSSA secretary, a teacher at St. John's Kaloleni, tips Shimba Hills to take the boys' volleyball title.
Other teams which should do well are Waa, who locked out Mombasa High. Mwaluma said changes at Mombasa High technical bench, which saw the departure of coach Patrick Mayoyo for Mivumoni, was still being felt and could have contributed to Mombasa's absence this year.
Moses Mbuthia, the Nairobi Secondary Schools Sports Association Secretary is keen to see an addition of trophies to the Lawn Tennis title which they have won for the past three years. Last year, Nairobi finished third in soccer and boy's volleyball. "We have not performed well in badminton and table tennis but can improve on the positions," Mbuthia said.
Casting his nets wide, Mbuthia warns that it will be suicidal to underrate any team in boy's soccer. He feels that the soccer title will be a close tussle between Nairobi, Nyanza, Western and Coast Provinces. "Remember North Eastern held St. Anthony's - the then defending champions - when Nairobi hosted the championships," Mbuthia recalls.
Newcomers Anointed breezed past Jogoo Road to qualify for the final and battle it out with the threat from Western Province and Nyanza.DRAWS
SoccerBoysPool A: Thur Gem (Nyanza), Aguthi (Central), Kirige (Eastern), Kabuyefwe (Rift Valley).Pool B: Waa (Coast), Kamukunji (Nairobi), Kakamega High (Western), Wajir (North Eastern).GirlsPool A: Arch Bishop Njenga (Western), Matuu Memorial (Eastern), Mukuyu (Central), Wiyeeta (Rift Valley).Pool B: Butere (Western), Waa (Coast), Jera (Nyanza), Anointed (Nairobi).VolleyballBoysPool A: Hospital Hill (Nairobi), Mandera High (North Eastern), Tetu (Central), Chianda (Nyanza),Pool B: Malava (Western), Shimba (Coast), Cheptil (Rift Valley), St. Charles Lwanga (Eastern).GirlsPool A: Cheptil (Rift Valley), Lugulu (Western), Bura (Coast), Tetu (Central),Pool B: Nyamonye (Nyanza), Wajir (North Eastern), Gankanga (Eastern), Pangani (Nairobi).
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