Bandari Youth, Changamwe Ladies crowned Chapa Dimba Coast Region champions

Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies are the winners of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Coast region fourth edition played Sunday at Mbaraki Sports Ground, in Mombasa County.

Cheered by a huge crowd, Bandari Youth silenced The Young Gunners from Tana River 3-0 courtesy of a hat-trick from Khamis Nyale to emerge the new regional champions. Khamis not only led his team to victory but also earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Top Scorer awards in the boys’ category due to his outstanding performance.

Meanwhile, Changamwe Ladies secured their second regional Safaricom Chapa Dimba title by defeating Kilifi’s Bulls Starlets 3-0. The home team, Changamwe Ladies, took the lead in the 15th minute through a header by Mercy Ouma after a delightful corner cross from Margaret Nafula.

In the 24th minute, Margaret Nafula doubled the lead to make it 2-0 by the end of first half. Fidelia Atieno further sunk Bulls Starlets' hopes with a superb strike in the 90th minute, just before the final whistle to close it at 3-0.

"Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to Safaricom for their commitment to supporting and nurturing football talents across the country. We are thrilled with our victory and being crowned the Coast region champions. Undoubtedly, it was a tense and tough game as our opponents were also strong. After today’s win, our focus now shifts to the national finals, which are just around the corner. We request our fans to continue their unwavering support as they have always done, and we promise to bring the trophy home,” said Alex Shikanga, Head Coach Bandari Youth.

Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies had qualified for the regional finals after beating their challengers in the Saturday’s semi-finals, Bahati Juniors from Taita Taveta, 1-0 and Ukunda Starlets from Kwale 4-1, respectively. The Young Gunners and Bulls Starlets had made it to the finals after also edging out King Loyal 4-2 on penalties and Wenje Secondary School 7-0 respectively in their semi-final games.

 Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies each pocketed Ksh. 250,000, and will represent the Eastern region in the National finals slated for early next year.