Maseno School rugby coach Paul Nyamita is impressed with his young squad’s performance in the western region Prescott Cup.
“The team comprising largely of Form Ones, Twos and Threes is slowly taking shape. My target is to retain the Nyanza region title next year and regain the national title,” said Nyamita after his team beat lost 15-12 to Vihiga in a mid-week Prescott Cup tie at Maseno School.
Nyamita added: “My boys played well despite the fact that we have not done physical and conditional training. Vihiga overpowered us because they are fit but we have picked our lessons from the game.”
Vihiga’s coach Abdalla Abubakar said: “Our defence won us the game which was closely contested. In the last minutes, Maseno were camping in our area but the defence stood out.”
He said the two tries by Maseno were conceded due to errors from his boys. “I will try to work on the small mistakes here and there and we will be good to go, said the coach.
He said Prescott Cup will help teams train and prepare for next year’s championships. “This is a good initiative because all the top teams in Western and Maseno are competing against each other. This is good for the development of the game since 15’s and 7’s rugby was played in the first term,” noted Abubakar.
Captain Jack Mongare scored and converted Maseno’s first try with Jeff Oluoch crossing the whitewash for the hosts’ second try. Caleb Owino scored two tries for the visitors with Eddy Wambugu adding the third. The tournament takes a break until after the schools' half term, according to the coordinator Collins Wekesa.
Reigning national 15’s champions Kakamega High School and upcoming Koyonzo are the only unbeaten sides in the tournament so far. The Nyanza edition failed to take off after Butula Boys, Sawagongo, Chianda and Ambira withdrew in the last minute.
The decision to withdraw would have been influenced by a circular by the regional director of education Richard Chepkawai banning events outside the Ministry of Education calendar.
