St Anthony's maul Mbarara as Kamusinga share spoils with Arusha Meru

St Anthony's Boys hockey in action against Mbarara High School's during FEASSA games at Forest Hill Academy in Morogoro, Tanzania. [Courtesy]

Former East Africa hockey champions St Anthony’s Boys Senior School Kitale Saturday thrashed perennial rivals Mbarara High School in their opening Group B match of the 2026 Federation of East Africa Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) games here in Morogoro, Tanzania.

It was a great start for Les Titans, who are looking to recapture the title they last won in 2018 in Musanze, Rwanda. Having settled for second best in Kakamega last year, they are keen to end their five-year wait by bagging this year’s gong.

St Anthony’s coach Kelvin Lugalia said that they needed a positive start.

“We started the championship just the way we had envisioned, and that is good for our campaign because it instills confidence and self-belief in players. Our work just began, and we will now focus on winning our next match,” Lugalia said.

St Anthony’s were the better side on both paper and pitch, as they dominated the Ugandans from the outset, running rings around them as they created numerous scoring chances. However, Mbarara defended relentlessly, forcing a barren draw by the half-time break. On resumption, Les Titans continued with their dominance, threatening the Ugandans backline and goalkeeper Raymond Abbas.

However, after making countless crucial saves that kept his side in the game for the better part of the match, Abbas seemingly gave up the fight due to relentless attacks from the goal-hungry Kenyans. Idd Kipsang capitalized on their lapse in defence to hit the board for a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute. Kenya Under-18 hockey 5s star Peter Wachira, who bagged a brace in the duel, made it 2-0 seconds into the third quarter break.

There was no looking back for the Kenyans as they continued to call the shots, with Masibo Wanjala stretching their lead to 3-0 in the 51st minute. John Kola outsmarted Mbarara’s defence to put his name on the score sheet, with Wachira completing his brace seconds to the final whistle.

Friends School Kamusinga, who are also out to reclaim the title, began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against homeboys Arusha Meru in Group A. Ryan Barasa scored for Kamusinga, whereas Shaban Hamad was on target for Arusha.

In the girls' contest, defending champions St Joseph’s Girls Senior School Kitale (JOGA) and Nyamira Girls won their respective second pool matches to book their places in the semi-finals. JOGA edged out fellow Kenyans' Ng’iya Girls 1-0 in their second Group A duel, while Nyamira drubbed Uganda’s Gayaza High School 3-0 in Group B.

National boys’ basketball champions Friends School Kamusinga beat their hosts Juhudi Secondary School 58-47 in their opening Group A match. It was a tough day in office for Lukenya, who lost by a point to Uganda’s St Cyprian High School Kyabakadde in Group B after succumbing to pressure to go down 64-63. Butere Girls also had a tough day in office, losing 60-72 to Tanzania’s Orkeeswa.

It was a good day out for Musingu Boys and St Joseph’s Kitale as they won their respective handball matches. National holders Musingu beat Uganda’s Mbogo Mixed 38-25, whereas St Joseph’s saw off Tanzania’s Maweni 36-23.