L. MathekaStrathmore down JKUAT as Spartans bag first win
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 10.10.23. | 17:54
Teams are chasing both the league title and Super Cup slots
A highly-anticipated clash between Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology ( JKUAT) and Strathmore lived up to its billing with the latter managing a 28-23 victory.
The Kenya Handball Federation (KHF) men's league match was one of the highlight clashes in Tuesday's league action at Nyayo handball court.
The two sides were locked in a close encounter in the first half but it was the Madaraka-based side that headed to the break ahead by two goals in a 14-12 scoreline.
A better show for the Lilian Olibe-led Strathmore in the second half saw them bag a crucial fifth win and bragging rights as far as the varsity derby goes.
Shadrack Lenku and Moses Oduor led the scoring for the winning side with seven goals apiece as Eshton Situma added six to the final tally. On the opposition side, Dolan Bwibo who has been instrumental for JKUAT so far scored six as did Lewis Maraga but it was not enough to hand their side victory.
In another derby of the day, Thika-based Engineers fell 34-32 to Spartans, the latter capitalizing on their opponent's lapse in concentration in the final five minutes of the clash to go ahead and secure the win.
Engineers had taken an early lead going ahead 9-4 but allowed Spartans, who they train alongside in Thika to come back into the match and take a 17-15 lead to the halftime break.
The military side, Engineers, fought to cut the deficit and go ahead by a goal at 22-21, maintaining the advantage for the better part of the second half.
Drama unfolded in the final five minutes of the clash as the Musa Mohammed-coached Engineers missed four clear chances with the scores tied at 29, allowing Spartans to gain confidence and convert their opportunities for the win.
Andrew Odoyo and former Engineers' dangerman Brian Mutunga led the onslaught for Spartans, a side composed of former and current Mount Kenya University (MKU) players, with nine and eight goals respectively.
The military side's charge was led by Boniface Namnaba and Hussein Khalif with nine and eight goals respectively as Siwai Chebii added six to the tally.
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"We played well today. This is a Thika derby and we know each other well so there was more to the match than just a league win. We remained confident, remained calm and fought for every goal while making sure not to waste any chances.
We are happy for this win, a first of the season in seven matches. This is, however, not where we had intended to be at this time of the league.
We have been losing concentration in previous matches and dripping points that we should otherwise have won. This win, however, is like a reset and we intend to keep this spirit going forward," Mutunga told Mozzart Sport.
On his part, Engineers' skipper Kenneth Biwott who is one of the highest scorers for his side but was restricted to just four in Tuesday's clash blamed the loss on officiating and a lapse in concentration towards the end of the match.
"It was a match of fine margins and with such meetings, the team that remains focused to the last whistle wins. It is a painful loss as we are well aware that we should have won it to remain in Super Cup contention. We have to work on a few things that went wrong before our next match," Biwott offered.
In other men's league matches of the day, Technical University of Kenya (TUK) fell to holders National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) 49-22 while Daystar registered a 33-29 win against Kenyatta University (K.U).
Meanwhile, in the women's league, Amaxon opened the day's action with a 39-31 win over school girls Rising Star while JKUAT women lost 33-26 to K.U Vampires.
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