Near-perfect Upper Hill win rugby 15s title
What you need to know:
- Six-time winners Kakamega are currently on nine point points, four ahead of third placed Namilyango. Kenya’s Menengai are fourth on six points, with Kisubi bottom with no points.
IN MUSANZE, RWANDA
Kenya’s Upper Hill on Friday clinched the rugby 15s title on the sixth day of the Brookside East Africa Secondary School Games.
The national champions thrashed Uganda’s St Mary’s Kisubi 35-12 in their fourth and final match to finish on 16 points. Kakamega, who beat another Ugandan side Namilyango College 25-8 in another match, will secure silver with a win against Kisubi on Saturday in the final match of the round robin competition.
Six-time winners Kakamega are currently on nine point points, four ahead of third placed Namilyango. Kenya’s Menengai are fourth on six points, with Kisubi bottom with no points.
Upper Hill skipper Smith Rolf praised his teammates for completing the double following their triumph in the national games in Embu in April.
“Our fighting spirit is what has carried us through and the lads can savour this maiden crown,” he said.
In basketball, Kenyan girls’ champions Kaya Tiwi failed in their quest to reach the final after they narrowly went down 69-67 to Ugandan side St Mary’s Kitende at the St Vincent basketball court in the semi-finals.
It was a heartbreak for the Kenyan side, who ran out of time, to possibly force overtime or even win it in the end, as the Ugandans held on for victory and will face compatriots and champions Buddo Secondary School in today’s final.
Buddo ran out 76-39 winners against Rwandese side St Bernadette in the other last four encounter. Kaya Tiwi trailed 23-17 at the end of the first quarter, before recovering to outscore the Ugandans 17-15 at the end of the second quarter, but were behind 38-34 at halftime.
Kaya appeared to tire in the third quarter and Kitende, who won the title in 2015, led 54-48 at the end of the third quarter. The Kenyans would return stronger in the last quarter but their 19-15 success was not enough to see them reach the final.
Kaya’s offence was led by Julia Akoth, who sunk 18 points, while Kitende’s Valerie Namale was her team’s highest scorer with 10 points. Kaya, who won the regional title in 2016, will once again play for the bronze just like last year against St Bernadette.
“The girls should be proud for fighting till the end. We have given a good account of ourselves in this competition. The terrible start in the first quarter proved to be our undoing today,” Kaya Tiwi coach Philip Onyango said yesterday.
In boys’ basketball, Kenya’s Sigalame’s debut at the games ended at the preliminary stage after they were handed a 103-42 by champions APE Rugunga of Rwanda.
