Kwanthanze, Kesogon reach East Africa Games semis

Kwanthanze, who are yet to test defeat since the return of inter-school competitions in July, steamrolled Hilton High School of Uganda in straight sets (25-19, 25-16, 25-18) to top pool ‘B’ on six points following a similar win against Katikamu, also from Uganda, last Friday.

Other Kenyan representatives Kesogon Mixed Secondary School saw off home girls Kajunjumele Secondary School 3-0 (25-20, 25-8, 25-12 ) to take control of pool ‘A’ on six points ahead of the final preliminary fixture on Tuesday.

In the final group matches, Kesogon will be seeking to maintain their hundred percent win run and finish at the top of their pool when they play against tricky IPRC Rwanda who have also picked two wins on the trot.

Kwanthanze head coach Justin Kigwari was eager to warm up for the semi final with a win over Mkalapa of Tanzania in the final group ‘B’ fixture.

“By reaching the semi final, we’ve the battle but the war is far from over. We must finish the group matches with nine points. This will give us confidence as we head to Thursday’s semis. We’re improving day by day and despite the long period of inactivity occasioned by Covid-19 my players seem not to relent,” said Kigwari, who has helped the Machakos based team win four consecutive regional title

The legendary coach however expressed his concerns over a sluggish start to some Kenyan teams who have struggled to find their feet on the return of the regional inter-school competitions.

“Our opponents did not stop training even after Covid-19 pandemic struck but in Kenya we put everything on the back burner. The effect is evident and many giants are either unexpectedly falling by wayside or not punching equal to their weight. This also came up during the nationals and I believe we need to put some extra efforts to regain our momentum,” he added.

In boys' handball, Kenya’s Hospital Hill stormed into the last four after a 22-17 victory over Tanzania’s Kilombero Secondary School in their final pool "A" match. The result means they finish second in the pool with four points behind leaders Adegi Secondary School of Rwanda.