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Former national and East Africa hockey champions St Anthony’s Boys High School Kitale and Friends School Kamusinga will have everything to play for at this year’s Brookside Secondary Schools National Term One games that start on Tuesday in Kisumu.
The two will be looking to recapture the national crown and restore their fading glory. Stakes will be higher at the games that have shaped the sport not just at school level but have been part of the rich Kenyan hockey history nurturing stars for the national team and top clubs. Even so, for the past three years the national stage has felt incomplete.
St Anthony’s Les Titans who are the most consistent side at the games are wounded not just from one disappointing outing but from three years of suffering.
While reaching the national final is a dream of every team, losing three consecutive finals has been a slow-burning heartbreak for Les Titans.
In a painful case of so close yet so far, St Anthony’s have taken to the field in Eldoret, Machakos and Mombasa with hunger for the crown but it all ended in agony.
St Anthony’s coach Kelvin Lugalia said this year’s games will not be easy especially now that the title is up for grabs following the elimination of last year’s winners Musingu High School.
“In the absence of the champions every team believe that they can win it because there is no one defending it. Just like our opponents we have prepared well and we are hoping for a good start and a happy ending too,” Lugalia said.
They are in Group A where they launch their quest against hosts Kisumu Day who are returning to the national stage hungry to excel.
Kisumu Day who are among the lucky schools that have lifted the East Africa gong will be looking to secure their return to the regional stage where they intend to reclaim the title they won in 2017 in Gulu, Uganda.
Les Titans will also be up against Central Region champions Alliance Boys High School who also make a comeback to the big stage.
Eastern’s Mbooni Boys who are not fancied like their peers will be eager to shock the big boys and shake off the underdogs tag.
Kamusinga on the other hand face an uphill task in Group B which has teams that featured in last year’s national games. With experience playing a key role in any competition, the Cougars must be at their best to overcome the preliminaries hurdle.
They will be up against last year’s national and bronze medalists St Charles Lwanga from Coast, Our Lady of Mercy Ringa Boys from Nyanza and Nairobi’s Hospital Hill.
While Les Titans have been suffering in the nationals, Kamusinga have struggled to go past the Western Region.
Their return is more than just a qualification but a statement that the wounded giants have finally stopped limping and are back to claim their legendary status.