Prisons coach Barasa has selection headache
Volleyball and Handball
By
Rodgers Eshitemi
| Feb 22, 2018
Kenya Prisons coach Josp Barasa has admitted he has some tough decisions to make with his fully-fit side ahead of the 2018 Women’s African Club Championship slated for March 5-15 in Cairo, Egypt.
The five-time African champions, who have been training for the past two weeks at the Kasarani Gymnasium, have roped in six new players as they seek to end a five-year continental title drought.
Prisons was the last Kenyan club to lift the title in 2013 when they beat GSP of Algeria to win their fifth continental crown in Madagascar.
Last year, the wardresses beat former champions Al Ahly 3-2 to finish third in the competition.
The new recruits include Pamela Masaisai, Meldine Sande (both left-attackers), and Teresa Ekai (right attacker) from Prisons Staff Training College.
Others are former Kwanthanze Secondary duo of Sharon Chepchumba (left attacker) and Lorine Chebet (centre).
Prisons have also been boosted by the return of experienced libero Elizabeth Wanyama, who had taken a maternity break.
With the fitness level, healthy competition in the team, and impressive performance of the new signings in training, Barasa has warned that nobody is guaranteed a place in his final 14-member squad.
“I am very happy to have a fully-fit squad at my disposal. For the first time in a very long time we have trained well without any injury concerns.
“The new players are giving their experienced counterparts a run for their money,” Barasa told the Standard Sports yesterday.
But with less than two weeks to the competition, the national women’s team assistant has talked of pressure to drop six from his provisional squad of 20 players.
“From what I have seen in the training, all positions are threatened and no one is assured of a slot in the team. But everybody is in good shape and form, hence it will not be easy to come up with the final squad.
“I think we are ready and set for the competition,” said Barasa.
“We are training with the aim of winning all our preliminary matches, then set our targets from there. But our main target is to improve from last year’s performance. “
Prisons will be joined by their arch-rivals and national champions, Kenya Pipeline, in Cairo.