Battle lines drawn as Nairobi County school games begin

Stiff competition is expected as Nairobi County secondary schools converge at different venues for their regional Term One Games on Friday morning.

At stake during the two-day championships, will be various titles as well as tickets to next month’s National Term One Games in Mombasa.

Schools will do battle in hockey, basketball, rugby sevens and 15s, handball, swimming, athletics and cross-country. Basketball will be staged at Upper Hill School and State House Girls, handball at Aga Khan with Lenana School and State House playing host to hockey matches.

The rugby sevens and 15s matches will be played at St Mary’s School.

The various disciplines’ champions all successfully came through the sub-county games and will be confident of retaining their titles.

In boys’ basketball, former national champions Upper Hill will be out to reclaim their title from Dagoretti High school who toppled them last year.

Dagoretti, under the guidance of former Upper Hill principal Peter Orero, ended Upper Hill’s dominance of Nairobi basketball with a 58-51 in last year’s final at Nairobi School. The two schools are tipped to once again clash in the final.

Dagoretti are in pool A and will come up against Dandora Secondary School and Kayole South for a place in the last eight. Upper Hill headline pool B and will need to overcome Jamhuri High School and Rafiki Secondary School.

Upper Hill coach Ronald Omangi is confident they can reclaim their title and seal their place in the nationals.

“Last year we lost out in a closely contested final, we have learnt from our mistakes and are ready to reclaim our place at the spot,” Omangi said on Thursday.

In the girls’ competition, champions Buru Buru Girls will be expected to once again dominate but will be wary of Stat House Girls who knocked out former champions Parklands Arya in the Westlands Sub-County Games.

Buru Buru are in Pool A and will tackle St Teresa’s Girls and Ushirika Secondary School. State House have been placed in Pool B and will need to navigate past Dandora Secondary School and St Aloysius. Buru Buru Girls coach Julius Otieno has warned against complacency.

“Everyone will want a piece of us and therefore we have to play every match us a final to show we deserve to retain the crown,” Otieno said.

Moi Girls Nairobi have revenge on the cards in hockey as they bid to reclaim their title wrestled from them by Mount Laverna. Both sides have been kept apart in the two pools and will be favourites to top their respective groups.