Hosts St Mary's School Yala dominate annual Yala Invitational Tournament

St Mary's School Yala rugby team celebrates after lifting the rugby 15s title/ANGWENYI GICHANA

Hosts St Mary’s School Yala dominated the 13^th edition of the Yala Invitational Tournament, which concluded on Sunday evening in Siaya County.

Yala, popularly known as the Black Saints, bagged the basketball, rugby 15s, hockey, and handball titles during the highly competitive tournament, which attracted 56 schools.

In rugby 15, Yala, coached by George Kerima, overwhelmed national champions Vihiga Boys 9-5 in a tightly contested final.

In the semis, Yala overpowered Nyanza region rivals Maseno School 57-0 while Vihiga Boys narrowly edged former national champions Butula Boys 3-0 in a closely contested semi-finals.

“This was an excellent tournament because it attracted rugby powerhouses from Nyanza and Western. Vihiga and Butula Boys gave our boys a good run ahead of the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association term one games,” said Kerima.

Kerima said they are keen to end Kisii School’s three-year dominance in rugby 15s in Nyanza. “Our focus this year is to qualify for nationals and challenge for the title. We want to represent Kenya at the East Africa Schools Sports Association games in Tanzania,” said Kerima.

In basketball, Yala outclassed Maseno University 85-51 to defend their title. Yala coach Leonard Okuku said: “It was a good tournament with standard playing time. This helped gauge my boys and identify areas to improve.”

Butula Boys successfully defended the volleyball title after a thrilling 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-23) win over hosts Yala, while in handball, Yala beat Nyanza region champions Maseno School 25-15. Yala also reigned supreme in hockey after beating former Nyanza champions Maseno School 1-0.

The football final was between former national champions St Anthony’s Kitale Boys and Ebwali High School. St Anthony’s Kitale Boys, popularly known as Solidarity Boys, emerged winners after beating Ebwali 3-2 on post-match penalties.

The teams battled to a 0-0 draw at full time. Medula and Siaya Central won the Junior Schools football and basketball titles, respectively.

Tournament Coordinator Peter Ojwala said the tournament was a huge success. “It was a very competitive tournament which attracted powehouses from Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western region,” noted Ojwala who is also Yala’s games coordinator.