Sports
Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Boys’ national football Champions, St. Antony Boys from Kitale County, fondly referred to by football lovers as Solidarity Boys, will not defend their national title.
This comes after they were knocked out by their long-term rivals St. Joseph Kitale in a hotly contested Trans Nzoia County KSSSA derby of the saints’ final, played at Kipkeikei Secondary School. The mouthwatering clash lived to expectations as football enthusiasts were kept on their toes for the entire game.
St. Joseph otherwise known as Jobo, broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through their lanky goal poacher Rickson Wekesa, who capitalized on a mistake in St. Antony’s defense to fire home a fierce shot, which the goalkeeper could not stop.
Solidarity Boys tried hard to equalizer before the break but Jobo stood firm as they defended zealously. The second half started on an even note but things turned worse for Solidarity Boys in the 70th minute as their custodian came off the lines earlier than expected to collect a cross, only for St. Joseph’s goal hungry winger Instin Simiyu to turn him in before deliciously slicing the ball in an empty yawning net to make it 2:0.
St. Antony tried to push more bodies forward in the dying minutes in an effort to salvage the situation, but all was in vain.
With one minute of regular time remaining on the clock, fans who couldn’t stomach the outcome of the match entered the field of play forcing the center referee to blow the final whistle handing St. Joseph the title and a ticket to represent the County at the regionals in Bomet later this month.
In the girls’ category, Wiyeta Girls defended the title after humbling St. Joseph Kitale by a solitary goal in a closely contested affair.