Kenya are joint top in regional championship

What you need to know:

  • Kenya’s pair of Ken Bollo and John Kariuki halved with Uganda’s Ronald Otile and Herman Mutebi, while Bhavnish Chandaria and Agil Is-Haq won 4-2 against Martin McDonald and George Semi.
  • Hosts Rwanda, with two points in the foursomes, remained third with seven points.

Kenya’s national golf team on Friday collected two and half points in the second round’s foursomes to tie with champions Uganda in the ongoing East Africa Challenge Cup at Kigali Golf Club in Rwanda.

Kenya’s pair of Ken Bollo and John Kariuki halved with Uganda’s Ronald Otile and Herman Mutebi, while Bhavnish Chandaria and Agil Is-Haq won 4-2 against Martin McDonald and George Semi.

Kenya’s second point came through Justus Madoya and John Karichu who won 4-3 against Ethiopia’s Natanim Fantahun, but Paul Muchangi and Anthony Kinuthia lost 8-7  to Uganda’s Robert Oluga and Daniel Baguma as Uganda collected three and half points to tie at the top with Kenya on nine and half points each.

Hosts Rwanda, with two points in the foursomes, remained third with seven points.

Tanzania and Ethiopia follow in fourth and fifth places. Kenya had got off well in the opening round singles on Thursday, winning seven out of possible eight matches. Kenya’s top seed Kenneth Bollo had beaten Tanzania’s Abas Adam 2-up and Edwin Mudanyi won with a similar margin against Ethiopia’s Hagos Mulu, a round which included a hole in one at the 159-yard par three-10th with a nine-iron by Mudanyi.
Meanwhile team captain Bhavnish Chandaria posted a 1-up victory against Uganda Open champion Ronald Otile to give Kenya its fourth point.
Thereafter, John Kariuki lost 5-4 to home player Leonard Nkurunziza, but Justus Madoya, Paul Muchangi, junior player Agil Is-Haq and John Karichu all won their matches.
Madoya beat Rwanda’s Nsunziwela Celestine 3-2 and Muchangi won 4-3 against Binyan Gabreselasie of Ethiopia. Is-Haq trounced Tanzania’s Francis Julius 8-7 as Karichu beat Uganda’s Happy Robert 2-1. The first round was watched by big crowd of Kenyas living in Rwanda.