Hunt for national glory begins

What you need to know:

  • The stage is set for this year’s Airtel Rising Stars National Secondary Schools Term Two B Games which get underway on Tuesday morning in Nyeri.
  • The five-day championships will see schools from the country’s eight regions do battle in football, volleyball and racquet games.
  • Moi Complex will stage football, volleyball, table tennis as well as some lawn tennis encounters. Badminton will be played at Tumutumu High School, while Kagumo Boys will play host to most lawn tennis matches.

The stage is set for this year’s Airtel Rising Stars National Secondary Schools Term Two B Games which get underway on Tuesday morning in Nyeri.

The five-day championships will see schools from the country’s eight regions do battle in football, volleyball and racquet games.

Moi Complex will stage football, volleyball, table tennis as well as some lawn tennis encounters. Badminton will be played at Tumutumu Girls High School, while Kagumo Boys will play host to most lawn tennis matches.

At stake will be honours and tickets to next month’s East Africa Secondary School Games set for Gulu, Uganda for the top three schools in the various disciplines.

New champions will be crowned in football as well as girls’ volleyball after last year’s winners failed to qualify for the nationals.

Laiser Hill (boys’ football), St John’s Kaloleni (girls’ football) and AIC Kosirai (girls’ volleyball) were all ousted at their various regional games late last month.

Debutantes will also be looking to make their mark and if the upsets witnessed at last month’s National Term Two A Games are anything to go by, the giants will need to be wary.

During the Two A Games in Mombasa, new champions were crowned in all disciplines underlining the unpredictability of these championships.

In the pick of Tuesday’s opening matches, former winners St Anthony’s Boys Kitale and Upper Hill clash in a Pool B football match, while 12 time winners Kakamega High School lock horns with Tetu.

The clash between St Anthony’s and Upper Hill will rekindle some bitter rivalry between the two sides. Three- time winners St Anthony’s beat Upper Hill, who were led by Michael Olunga in the 2012 finals held in Mombasa 1-0 to lift the title.

Upper Hill would go on to clinch the title in Embu the following year. St Anthony’s Coach Peter Mayoyo expects a cracking match but is confident his charges can reign supreme.

“We are here to win the title and that means we have to beat the teams so that we can emerge champions,” Mayoyo said on Monday. His Upper Hill counterpart Joseph Makokha expects a close encounter.

“We have been away from the nationals for the last two years and are determined to make up for lost time,” the coach said. Kakamega, who are also back in the nationals after two year hiatus, will also look for an impressive start.

In girls’ matches, Kobala Mixed of Nyanza and Olympic Mixed of Nairobi will renew rivalry in Group B.

Olympic will be out to avenge their 1-0 loss to Kobala in the 2015 semis.

Tuesday's matches

Football

Boys

Boystown v Kathungi

Tetu v Kakamega

St Anthony's v Upper Hill

Ramisi v Kanga

Girls

Nginda v Ibinzo

Wiyeta v Kwale

Njambini v Utithi

Kobala v Olympic

Volleyball

Boys

Malava v Kangundo

Hospital Hill v Was Boys

Tetu v Sengera SDA

Waberi v Cheptil

Girls

St John's Kaloleni v Cheptil

Passenga v Soweto

Kwanthanze v Makaror

Sega v Lugulu