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Coast Region hockey champions St Charles Lwanga are hoping that years of hard work will pay off with a double at this year’s Brookside Secondary Schools National Term One games that begin on Tuesday in Kisumu.
St Charles have over the years morphed into a regional hockey powerhouse and are gradually becoming a household name in Kenya and East Africa.
After successfully defending their Coast trophies, they are eyeing both the boys’ and girls’ titles. The boys side will be out to upgrade their bronze medals they have won in 2024 and 2025.
They will launch the title campaign in Group B alongside homeboys Our Lady of Mercy Ringa Boys who will be out to maximise on their golden chance having qualified for the nationals as the second team from the host region.
They will also be up against former national and East Africa champions Friends School Kamusinga from Western who return to the national stage after three years in the cold.
They will also face off with Nairobi champions Hospital Hill who make their second straight national appearance. Interestingly, St Charles, Ringa and Hospital Hill were in the same pool during last year’s games in Mombasa and have some unfinished business to handle in Kisumu.
The three sides played to barren draws against one another in Mombasa and this presents an opportunity to battle it out and prove their mettle.
Should St Charles make it to the semis, they will meet the top two sides in Group A which has former national and East Africa champions St Anthony’s Boys Kitale from Rift Valley, Alliance High from Central, hosts Kisumu Day and Eastern’s Mbooni Boys.
The girls side which was eliminated in the preliminaries will be hoping to reach the semi-finals.
They are in Group B together with St Joseph’s Girls High School Kitale, defending champions Friends Tigoi from Western and 2023 national and East Africa winners Nyamira Girls who return after missing last year’s games.
Nyanza champions Ng’iya Girls, Mpesa Foundation Academy from Central, Nairobi’s Mwiki Secondary and AIC Nyayo from Eastern will battle for the last four slots in Group A.