Nairobi School Games underway
Brunil Lumbasi (with ball) of Dagoretti School from Nairobi Region goes for a lay-up under pressure from Tong Athiou of Dr Aggrey School from Coast Region during their basketball semi-finals match at the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Term One National Games, held at NOVA School in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County on April 28, 2023. Dagoretti School won 59-52.
What you need to know:
- The other team in the group, Huruma Mixed Secondary School will hope to upset the odds and qualify as one of the top two to the Round of 16. They will play Waylight before finishing their group matches against Highway.
- Girls' football champions Dagoretti Mixed will be up against Mwangaza Secondary School and Karen Community Girls Secondary School.
Stiff competition is expected as the Nairobi Region Secondary Schools Term Two Games get underway Saturday morning at various venues in Kibra Constituency.
The four-day event will feature football, volleyball, rugby sevens, basketball 3x3, netball and racquet games. At stake will be titles, and most importantly, tickets to the national games which will be held at Kakamega High School in Kakamega County next month.
Upper Hill School will host football, volleyball and rugby sevens while Moi Girls High School will stage netball. Olympic Secondary School will be the venue for basketball 3x3, and racquet games will be played at Public Service Club, Nairobi Club and Visa Oshwal Academy.
Save for Ofafa Jericho, who pulled out of the rugby sevens after their 15s team qualified for next month’s East Africa Secondary School Games, all of last year’s other winners came through unscathed from the sub-county games.
Highway Secondary School (boys’ football), Dagoretti Mixed Secondary School (girls’ football), Ruthimitu Mixed Secondary School (boys’ volleyball), Soweto Academy (girls’ volleyball) and Mbagathi Secondary School (girls’ netball) will all put their titles on the line.
The games had initially been primed to start on July 19, but were brought forward to allow Highway travel to Morocco for the World School Championship which begins on July 20.
Highway will get their title defence underway with a mouth-watering clash against Waylight High School in Pool “A” at the Woodley grounds.
The match is a repeat of last year’s regional final which Waylight won 1-0 at Lenana School.
However, Highway appealed the victory, citing Waylight’s fielding of an eligible player.
Daylight were banned and Highway declared champions and went on to represent Nairobi at the nationals in Nakuru where they finished second behind Western Region’s Ebwali Secondary School.
With that in mind, their meeting today promises to be a cracking affair as neither side will want to start on a losing note.
Highway’s assistant coach Eric Wandambusi believes they have a better squad this year.
“We only lost five players from last year, but this year’s squad is capable of beating anyone and going all the way to the nationals and even the regionals in Rwanda. However, Waylight are a formidable side and we’ve got to be at our best,” said Wandambusi, whose side retained their Makadara sub-county title after beating St Patrick’s Secondary School 4-1 on Wednesday at Aquinas Boys’ High School.
Waylight coach Eric Odhiambo is also relishing the chance of facing Highway again.
“We beat them on the pitch, but they got a ruling in their favour. We hope to win this time,” he said.
Girls’ football champions Dagoretti Mixed will be up against Mwangaza Secondary School and Karen Community Girls Secondary School.
