Baarding’s Keegan Ndemi attempts to go past an opponent. PHOTO/COURTESY
KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 4- National debutants Barding and Bukembe (boys), Nyakacha and Nginda (girls) all booked their first tickets to the East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (EASSSA) games to be held in Eldoret later this month.
Host Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) will field four teams in football, volleyball and rugby for both boys and girls meaning that all the four semi finalist will just have to fight for the national pride when the games get into the last four stages Friday in Kisumu County.
Boys football national champions Passenga (Aberdares) were forced to a 1-1 draw but still sailed to the semis where they will meet Barding of Lake region. Barding topped pool A on seven points even after they were held to a two-all draw by 2013 losing finalists Kathungi who crashed out at the group stages.
Bukembe who start their campaign on a rather sore note having lost to Barding in their opening match Tuesday got back their grooves following a massive 5-0 thrashing of Mau’s representatives, Cheptenye.
Coast rep Green Palms also crashed out but in defiant style having crashed Subuley of Northern 8-1 in the last group match.
Passenga needed a single point which they got when they were awarded a penalty in the first half through Kennedy Mwangi only for Peter Kinyanjui to level things up for Laiser in the 32nd minute.
A 2-2 draw between Nyakach and Nginda locked out Olympic from progressing to the girls semi despite a 4-1 win over Kirigara by the Metropolitan side.
The draw meant that Olympic needed two more goals to dislodge Nyakach who will now play defending champions Wiyeta in the semis. Wiyeta are yet to loss a match having topped pool B with nine points including a 2-0 win over St. Johns in the last group match.
St. Johns still progressed to the semis despite the loss and they will now have to seek redemption when they tackle Nginda in thither semis.
Nyakach finished second behind Nginda in pool A with six points, one less than the leaders while St. Johns finished behind Wayeta with six points in the other group.
Semi final results
Boys:
Passenga 1-1 Laiser Hill
Green Palms 8-1 Subuley
Barding 2-2 Kathungi
Bukembe 5-0 Cheptenye
Girls:
Nginda 2-2 Nyakach
Wayeta 2-0 St.Johns
Sindo 0-1 Itigo
Olympic 4-0 Kirigara
Semis fixtures
Boys: Passenga vs Barding, Laiser vs Bukembe
Girls: Wiyeta vs Nyakach, Nginda vs St. Johns
