Ruthless Serani lay down marker in Mvita school games
What you need to know:
- Defending champions and National Secondary School games Champions Serani High School delivered a statement of intent with a 7-0 thrashing of rivals Mombasa Baptist High School
- Eleven football teams from schools in Mombasa County took part in Day 1 of the event, with Serani emerging overall winners in Pool 'A' ahead of Makupa High, and Mombasa Baptist
- The games will continue on Friday with girls competitions and other disciplines taking centre stage
Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) Mvita Sub County Games started with a bang at Khamis High School grounds on Thursday.
Defending champions and National Secondary School games Champions Serani High School delivered a statement of intent with a 7-0 thrashing of rivals Mombasa Baptist High School.
The two-day tournament features different sports disciplines namely football, basketball, volleyball, handball, netball, and rugby 7s, and are being played at three venues namely Fahari Primary School, Khamis High School, and Mombasa Baptist High School.
The Games are in their second phase and have resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eleven football teams from schools in Mvita Sub County took part in Day 1 of the event, with Serani emerging top in Pool 'A' ahead of Makupa High, and Mombasa Baptist. Serani beat Makupa 1-0 to bag maximum six points.
Makupa recovered to beat Mombasa Baptist 2-0 and proceed to the quarter-finals.
For the first time, three girls' teams participated in the football competition. The event also had five basketball boys' teams and three basketball girls teams and five handball boys teams and as many girls teams.
In Pool 'A', Serani started their title defence against rivals Mombasa Baptist.
Kamal Mohammed and Hamisi Omar both grabbed a brace while Mohammed Aden, Salim Ali and Hamisi Nyale added a goal each as Serani stamped their authority early on.
Serani remain favourites to win the Sub County games, having won the Copa Coca-Cola National championship twice, and represented Kenya on the African stage where they were bundled out in the Copa Africa semi-finals on penalties by winners Tanzania in 2020.
In Pool 'B', Allidina Visram started slowly with a 1-1 draw against Kaa Chonjo High School.
Mohammed Abdinasir opened the scoring for Allidina in the 56th minute after receiving a lovely pass from Fawzy Mbarak to tap in from close range.
However, Kaa Chonjo restored parity 10 minutes later after Khamis Karisa headed home from a Mohammed Alwy cross.
Allidina sealed top spot in the group after beating neighbours Tudor Day 2-0 and Tononoka High School 2-1.
Tudor Day finished second with six points after beating both Kaa Chonjo and Tononoka 2-0 to also proceed to the quarter-finals.
School Games have been a breeding ground for football talent and they have given rise to some of the best players in the Coast region like former Kenyan internationals Wycliffe Ochomo of Tononoka High School, Wilson Oburu of Khamis High school, and current Kenyan internationals Abdallah Hassan of Bandari who was a prolific striker of Bamburi High School, Siraj Mohammed of Serani High School and Omar Aboud of Tudor Day.
In attendance were Bandari's Assistant coach Daniel Lenjo Mshamba, Bandari Youth Coach Alex Shikanga and Team Manager Swaleh Abdallah who were scouting for talent.
Mshamba said that this is a perfect scouting ground for Bandari as part of their philosophy of investing in the youth.
"This is the perfect platform to watch and experience talents in their raw form. We are here to seek young and upcoming talents that will make it to our next team in future," said Mshamba.
Serani High School Head of Sports Issa Wandera was delighted with the team's performance and said that his boys are aiming for national glory.
"The games are getting competitive in the region, and this is a sign of football growth. As a football fan I am very impressed with the talent on display. I am delighted with the team and how they play, I am confident that Serani will bring national glory back to Mombasa. That is our promise to the people of this county," said Wandera.
The games will continue on Friday with girls competitions and other disciplines taking centre stage.