Saniak Secondary sends warning to rivals ahead of national games

Team members of Saniak Mixed High School in Nandi handball team practice ahead of their departure to represent the Rift Valley Region in the National Secondary School Sport to be held in Mombasa. The team emerged champion in handball in the Rift Valley region games. [Kevin Tunoi, Standard]

Three-time Rift Valley basketball champions - Saniak Secondary School basketball has warned reigning champions Kimilili Boys that this year, the National Secondary schools first term games trophy will go to the region. 

The Nandi County school, which has clinched the Rift Valley title three years in a row since 2017 emerged fourth last year in a competition that Kimilili scooped the trophy.

Kimilili would end Saniak’s chase for glory after beating them at the semi-finals.

Saniak team captain Dismus Kipchirchir said his team is well prepared for the national school competitions set for Mombasa next week.

Kipchirchir said their sterling performance at the Rift Valley Secondary Schools Sports Association term one competitions held in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County last month, as well as the team’s rigorous training, raise their hopes of topping the charts in Mombasa.

Saniak had beaten Kamito Secondary from West Pokot County 25-16 during the regional finals.

“Competition at the regional level was tough but we came out strongly as a team in defence of our trophy. We were beaten by Kamito 30-29 in the pooling match but we went back and trained harder, and in the finals, we beat them and retained our trophy,” said the captain, who is in his fourth form this year.

He said his team is also prepared for a challenge from Nyanza’s Kanyawanga, the school which beat them by two scores last year at the national competitions held at Kangaru School, Embu County.

The mixed school has, since the early 1990s, dominated handball competitions in the Rift Valley region where most schools shine in athletics (track and field and cross country) and volleyball.

School coach Daniel Kemboi said: “We are telling our competitors to prepare well because we are coming to Mombasa for that trophy.”

Kemboi said the team began training in November last year when schools closed, setting up a holiday camp that through December in preparation for the first term secondary school games.

He said he has built a much stronger team with adequate reserves, unlike last year when they carried to the national meet, only eight reserve players - a move that negatively impacted on the team’s overall performance.

“This time, we have enough players because basketball has formed part of our school’s culture,” he told Standard Sport during their training in the school.

The coach, however, said the school has only one training pitch which is used by both boys and girls, limiting the team’s training time.

School principal Moses Chepkwony said the school will take two teams to Mombasa to ensure there are enough reserves to tackle rivals and clinch the title.

Chepkwony said the school allocated the team adequate time to train soon after the February regional games.
The principal said almost half of his players are in form two and form one, and expressed confidence that boys may continue dominating the Rift Valley region and compete at the national games as younger talents join in.

“The school population is growing rapidly and more students are gaining interest in handball. We are appealing for more space to expand our training facilities, he said.

2018 Boys handball ranking
Kimilili
Kanyawanga
Nduluni
Saniak
Lenana
Mangu
New White House
OVERALL REGIONAL RANKING
Rift Valley
Western
Nyanza
Nairobi and Coast
Eastern
Central
North Eastern