CHASING ELUSIVE REGIONAL TITLE: Kenya's hunt for boys’ football gong is on

Barding High School's Clement Okiring dribbles the ball past Laiser hill Academy's John Macharia during their Secondary school Games football match at Moi Stadiuml, Kisumu County on August 6, 2016.[PHOTO:DENNIS OKEYO/STANDARD]

Laiser Hill Academy, Barding, Passenga and Friends School Bukembe will be hoping to end the country’s 13 years' long wait for a Brookside East Africa Secondary schools boys football trophy.

 National champions Laiser Hill will lead the Kenyan sides at the annual competition that begins on Saturday in Eldoret. The quartet will be banking on home support to outclass their opponents, more so Ugandans who have dominated the sport winning 13 out of 14.

St Anthony’s Kitale is the only Kenyan school to have lifted the crown in 2002 at the inaugural edition of the championship held in Nakuru. Since then, home schools have failed to clinch the coveted trophy with Uganda’s St Mary’s Kitende dominating the discipline with a record 12 titles. In 2006 Mombasa High School came close to winning the title but fell to Kitende in the final played in Dar es Salaam.

Laiser Hill and Passenga will be making their second appearance at the regional games while Barding and Bukembe will be hoping to make their debuts count. Laiser Hill coach Anthony Kirimi told FeverPitch that Kenya will be fielding the talented, hard-working, committed and dedicated players and with home support they are capable of winning the title.

"We are fielding better sides this time compared to previous years and I believe that they are capable of winning the trophy,” Kirimi said.

Laiser Hill and Passenga both failed to go past the group stages during last year’s competition in Huye, Rwanda. Passenga finished fourth overall after St Mary’s were disqualified while Laiser Hill finished sixth out of 11 teams.

Both teams are in Pool B, which also has defending champions Masaka from Uganda, losing finalists Alliance High of Tanzania and South Sudan representatives. Barding are in pool A together with Kibuli of Uganda, Makongo (Tanzania), Hanika (Rwanda) and Charawe of Zanzibar. Bukembe are in pool C with 12-time champions St Mary’s Kitende, St Basile of Burundi and College Gisenyi of Rwanda.