Busia’s Chakol Queens successfully defended their county Safaricom Chapa Dimba title for the second consecutive time after edging out Falcon Queens 1-0 in the Busia County final played at Malaba Primary School.
In the boys’ contest, visitors Musokoto Secondary School from Nambale Constituency silenced home side Malaba Homeboys in a highly spirited encounter at the same venue.
John Onyango opened the scoring for the visitors in the fourth minute to put his side in front. Malaba Homeboys pushed for an equaliser but were unable to find a way through before Sanchez Omondi sealed the victory for Musokoto FC with a late strike to make it 2-0 and send the home side packing.
“I am happy to have retained the title for the second consecutive time. As you know, it is not easy to retain a title, especially with the tough competition at the grassroots level. The game was tough. We are used to playing the ball on the ground, while our opponents preferred aerial balls, which took us some time to adjust to. However, after studying their game, we decided to keep possession and capitalise on the opportunities we created to beat them,” said Abraham Muleme, head coach Chakol Queens.
Elsewhere, last year’s Bugoma regional champions Brenda Girls and Vihiga’s Ebwali Boys failed to make it to the regional finals after being knocked out. Brenda Girls were eliminated in the playoffs at Bungoma High School Grounds, while Vihiga’s Ebwali Boys narrowly fell 1-0 to Coach Francis Muhambe’s Vihiga Cranes in a tightly contested encounter, handing the Cranes the Vihiga County title.
Still in Vihiga, Maroon Queens fell 2-0 to Blue Commandos, with both goals scored by Victoria Nekesa, as the new entrants booked their place in the regional finals.
In Bungoma County, Elgon Queens from Mt. Elgon were crowned the new champions after defeating St. Augustine Girls Lukhuna 5-4 on penalties after 1-1 draw in the girls’ final.
In the boys’ category, Terem FC booked their place in the regional finals after edging out Misikhu Friends School 5-3 on penalties following a barren draw in regular time.
“We came prepared for this game. After watching our opponents play in yesterday’s playoffs, we knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Although we had hoped to win in regular time, that didn’t happen. However, I am happy my boys showed great composure during the penalty shootout and converted all our spot-kicks to win the title. From here, we now embark on preparations for the regional finals, as we know it is going to be tough. My aim is to reach the national finals and have some of my players make the All-Star Team that will travel to Sweden for the Gothia Cup,” said Evans Kimungui, coach of Terem FC.
The winners from the three counties will be joined by the Kakamega County champions, whose finals are scheduled for the coming weekend on 8th and 9th August at Bukhungu Stadium.
“It has always been my wish and prayer to participate in Chapa Dimba. Today, I am glad that I am not just participating but also showcasing my talent to the world through this well-organised platform. I am happy with the win, and I want to assure our fans that as we head to the regional finals, we will not let them down,” said Owen Kiprop, Captain, Terem FC.
The winning boys’ and girls’ teams were each awarded Ksh.75,000, while the runners-up received Ksh. 30,000. The Best Goalkeeper, Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) in each category took home Ksh. 10,000.
In addition, the MVPs will receive fully funded tertiary education scholarships under the Safaricom Citizens of the Future Programme.
