Kenya dominant in regional schools hockey

When St Anthony Boys of Kitale and Kerugoya Girls secondary school won the gold medals in the boys and girls Brookside East Africa Secondary schools hockey competition it was evident that the rest of the countries will take a little bit longer to beat Kenyans in the game.

In the boys competition St Anthony reigned supreme by emerging the overall winners with 13 points  while Lenana took a silver medal after collecting 10 points ahead of their arch rivals and national champions Mang’u High School who amassed eight points to return to thier base with a bronze medal.

City High School of Uganda who gave Kenyans some anxious moments in the pitch finished fourth with eight points but with n inferior goal aggregate while Bugema and St Marys Kisubi the other Uganda representatives collected one point each.

In the girls title race which attracted four teams – three Kenyan teams and one Ugandan side saw the ever green Kerugoya Girls dominate the games by harvesting nine points to clinch the gold medal.

Kamusinga Girls of Western Province took a silver medal after collecting six points while hosts Greensteads who, failed to translate their home ground advantage  into wins, trailed in third position with three points for the bronze medal. Ugandan girls side City High finished last with no point.

Hockey scholarship

Hosts Greensteads produced the best goalkeeper in Carioline Ngarachu who is set to join  United States International University (USIU) on a hockey scholarship next month.

Other players who played their hearts out include the twin sisters Loius and Etta Madete, Irene Wamai and Miriam Mwangi while Kamusinga Girls captain Rebecca Amade, Sylvia Bunyasi, Rena Winre  and Priscilla Wanjala were outstanding.

In the boys category, Evans Alulu of Lenana , Samuel Kariuki, Kelvin Ng’ng’a , Robert Okoth, Derrick Omwaka (Mang’u) and Gabriel Temuge (St Anthony) and Bugema’s dribbling machine Thomas Opiyo were on top form.

Greensteads Coach Priscilla Jean – Louis attributed their defeat at home to what she termed as a different pattern of hockey exhibited by participating schools .

She says she was surprised no hockey coaches were in Nakuru to scout for future talents to join established clubs.

“This is a lost opportunity which hockey managers in Kenya squandered by failing to send heir representatives,” she said.