The Prescott Cup champions, Ofafa Jericho, have made a tough decision—they’re withdrawing from the Nairobi County Sevens Championship this weekend. But don’t worry, they have a good reason! They’re focusing all their energy and efforts on the upcoming East African School Games in Rwanda next month. Gotta prioritize, right?
Now, you might be wondering, why the withdrawal? Well, it turns out that the tournament rules state that a school can’t have two teams competing in both 15s and 7s formats during the regional games. And since Ofafa Jericho wants to go all out in the longer version of the game, they’ve decided to skip the sevens championship. It was a tough call, but they believe it’s the best way to go.
Coach James Kaili expressed his optimism about the boys’ performance at the East African Games. Their impressive performance in the Prescott Cup and Damu Changa is a great sign of what they’re capable of achieving. Kaili firmly believes that the squad he has can go all the way and win the tournament. Now that’s some confidence!
Ofafa Jericho earned their spot in the East Africa Games after finishing fourth in the Term One ball games held back in April. They faced tough competition, losing 18-0 to Butula in the semifinals and a close 10-9 match against St. Anthony 1 in the bronze medal match in Eldoret. But they’ve learned valuable lessons from those experiences, which they’ll carry with them to Rwanda.
But don’t worry, the team is not sitting idle. They’ve already started training for the East African Games, preparing both physically and strategically. They might even squeeze in a friendly game or two before the term ends, just to fine-tune their strategies and test their skills.
Now, let’s talk about the Nairobi County Sevens Championship. 30 schools will be converging at St. Mary’s School for this exciting event on Saturday. It’s going to be a showdown, folks! Hosts St. Mary’s find themselves in Pool ‘A’ alongside Upper Hill, Garden Estate, St. Mary’s, and New Dawn Educational Centre. Pool ‘B’ features Dagoretti, Our Lady of Fatima, Mutuini, and Kabete Vet Lab. Lenana takes on Eastleigh, Komorock, and Makongeni in Pool ‘C,’ while former giants Nairobi School go up against Kangemi, Highway, and Uhuru Secondary in Pool ‘D.’
There’s more! Jamhuri, Sunshine, Peter Kibukosya, and Muhuri Muchiri make up Pool ‘E,’ while Kibra, Hospital Hill, Embakasi Garrison Secondary, and Light Academy will battle it out in Pool ‘F.’ Aquinas, Langata, Moi Forces Academy, and Ushirika Secondary conclude Pool ‘G.’
The top 16 teams from the championship will qualify for the finals on July 22, with the top four schools advancing to the nationals in Kakamega. It’s going to be an exciting journey to see who comes out on top!
