The 2013 Tour of Rwanda best climber Eyob Metkel, who rides for Eritrean Team AS BE CO won Saturday’s penultimate stage six from Huye to Kigali City (127.7km) after clocking 3h03’16’’.

Eyobe Metkel won Stage Six and also retained the Black Jersey for best climber. Sunday Times/Timothy Kisambira

The 20-year-old become the sixth different stage winner and moved to within two minutes and 22 seconds behind the Tour leader Dylan Girdlestone of South Africa National Team, who finished 5th yesterday in 3h03’22’’.

Metkel goes into the final stage today wearing both the Red Jersey and Black Jersey for winning the stage and for best climber respectively. He has worn the Black Jersey since stage one and remains with a big chance to win the Tour if he wins today.

MTN-Qhubeka’s Louis Les Meintjes came in second position with time of 3h03’16’’ on Saturday, while Team Rwanda Karisimbi’s 20-year old Jean Bosco Nsengiyumva came third after clocking 3h03’18’’. AS BE CO Aron Debratsion came was fourth in a time of 3h03’18’’.

Metkel’s win on stage six, made him the sixth different stage winner of this year’s Tour of Rwanda that started last Sunday.

Team Rwanda Karisimbi’s Janvier Hadi won the Prologue on the first day (Amahoro stadium-Kimoronko-Amahoro stadium), Team MTN-Qhubeka’s Jay Robert Thomson won stage one (Kigali-Kirehe) but has pulled out of the Tour due to illness.

Team Rwanda Akagera’s 19-year-old rider, Valens Ndayisenga, won stage two (Rwamagana-Musanze), Team MTN-Qhubeka’s Meintjes took stage three (Rubavu-Kinigi)  before MTN-Qhubeka’s Johann Zyl Van won stage four ( Musanze-Muhanga) on Thursday, while Lagab Azzedine won stage five, Muhanga-Nyamagabe.

Other Rwandans

Team Rwanda Karisimbi riders Hadi, Adrien Niyonshuti came on ninth and tenth positions after clocking 3h03’43’’ and 3h03’58’’recepectively.

Ndayisenga came on 14th position in h4’29, Team Rwanda Akagera’s Gasore Hategeka came on 19th position in a time of 3h05’19’’, he was followed by team mates Hassan Rukundo ( 3h05’19’’) and Joseph Biziyaremye (3h05’30’’).

Lagab Azzedine, who won stage five, finished on 26th position after clocking 3hour six minutes and 43 seconds and he is on 14th position in the general classification with a time of 18 hours 19 minutes 6 seconds.

AS BE CO take over the Green Jersey for the best team from Team MTN-Qhubeka.

The 2013 Tour of Rwanda will climax today with the seventh and last stage which will start from Amahoro stadium, go round the City of Kigali and finish at Amahoro stadium covering a total distance of 94.2km.

By Peter Kamasa,The New Times

Champions Kenya Police retained the National Boxing League title for the seventh year in a row after dominating the fifth and final leg of the competition at Madison Square Garden in Nakuru over the weekend.

Aziz Ali of Prisons (left) trade punches with Elly Ajowi of Police. PHOTO: BONIFACE THUKU/STANDARD

The policemen, who had placed eight boxers in the finals, saw five of their pugillists win their bouts to collect a total of 22 points and emerge as the best club in the fifth leg of the league. This helped them retain the title with 112 points.

Boxing Association of Kenya President John Kameta handed over the giant Yamashita Trophy to the Kenya Police captain Peter Mungai amid ululations from fans that jammed the boxing auditorium.

“It has been a tough season and it did not come on a silver platter. However, winning the title with no cash incentives is bad for the sport. The federation should come up with ways of awarding cash prizes to the best boxers,” said Mungai.

Kameta confirmed he is shopping for sponsors to boost their efforts and called on the government to help them out.

Kenya Prisons, who earlier posed a big threat to the policemen, finished the fifth leg as runners-up with 14 points followed by hosts Nakuru, Coast and Kenyatta National Hospital all tied on six points apiece.

Kisumu and Nairobi Metropolitan tied on four points, Central had one point while Administration Police trailed without any points. In the overall rankings,  Prisons finished runners-up behind Police  with 92 points followed by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) on 62 points, Coast 30, Kisumu 26, Nakuru 23, Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi Metropolitan had 14.

Administration Police and Central trailed the ten-team log with three points each. The five out of the eight policemen who won their bouts in the finals were Peter Mungai in the flyweight, Martin Oduor (bantam), Silas Masake (welter), Charles Okoth (heavy) and Peter Opudi (super-heavy).

Mungai knocked out Issa Mwangi of Nairobi Metropolitan, Oduor defeated Ethan Mwangi of KNH on points, Masake dismissed Jacob Kimathi of Prisons 3-0, Okoth thumped Anthony Oduor of Kisumu forcing the referee to stop the contest in the first round while Opudi forced Peter Mwangi of Prisons to throw in the towel in the first round.

The three policemen who lost were Joseph Shigali in the lightweight, David Njuguna (middle) and Elly Ajowi in the light heavy.

Shigali was beaten 2-1 by Joseph Njogu of Prisons, Njuguna lost 3-0 to upcoming Patrick Maina of Nakuru while Ajowi lost 3-0 to Olympian Aziz Ali of Prisons. Matayo Keya of KNH started off well by knocking out Abednego Kyalo of Nairobi Metropolitan.

By Ben Ahenda, The Standard

South Africa’s cyclist Ron Rutland, who is on a continent-wide cycling expedition, yesterday, wound up his ten-day tour of Rwanda.

Ron Rutland was in Rwanda for 10 days and leaves on Monday, heading to Uganda.

He followed the 2013 Tour of Rwanda, which concluded on Sunday.

Rutland’s trip, according to officials, was in line with celebrating “health, vitality, mobility, adventure, life, and human spirit,” courtesy of DHL-Rwanda.

En-route to Rwanda, Rutland rode through Tanzania and Burundi. He proceeded to Uganda.

DHL Express Rwanda Country Manager, Julie Mutoni, said, “Ron’s trip is a result of years of reading stories of great modern and past adventures, of  ordinary people doing extraordinary things and he decided to do an adventure of his own.”

She added, “In Rwanda we have welcomed him to DHL family, gave him moral support, accommodation and all the basic needs required for him to reach the next destination in Uganda.”

Last week, Rutland visited the Virunga National Park where he saw the endangered mountain gorillas.

Mutoni added, “We are partnering with an exceptional explorer, Ron has dedicated 2 and a half years of his life to cycling through Africa; a 43, 000-km bicycle expedition through every country on Mainland Africa.”

In July, DHL-Rwanda brought former South Africa and Manchester United player, Quinton Fortune, where he spent three days in an effort promote football in the country.

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

FOR the second year running the Tour of Rwanda title heads to South Africa after Dylan Girdlestone of South Africa National Team won the 2013 race which started last weekend and ended yesterday.

Girdlestone wins Tour of Rwanda

The 24-year-old Girdlestone, who was 3rd in 2011 and 2nd in 2012, covered the 804km-race in 20h35’55’’ to succeed his compatriot Darren Lil, who won it last year.

Girdlestone finished the final stage in fifth place in a time of 2h25’42’’. The final stage started at Amahoro stadium, went around the City of Kigali (97.2km) and back to Amahoro stadium.

Algerian Lagab Azzedine won the stage after clocking 2h23’54”, two minutes and 20 seconds ahead of his teammate Chabane Hichem, who came second.

Eritrean Aron Debratsion, who rides for Team AS BE CO came third in 2h25’34’’, while Rwanda’s Team MTN-Qhubeka rider Adrien Niyonshuti posted 2h25’42’’ to take the fourth position.

It was Lagab’s second stage win after winning stage five; Muhanga-Nyamagabe. He finished tenth overall in a time of 20h43’00”.

Team Rwanda Karisimbi’s Jean Bosco Nsengiyumva came in 14th position yesterday to finish sixth overall after clocking 20h40’47’’, two minutes and seven seconds ahead of Niyonshuti, who was Rwanda’s best rider in last year’s tour-after settling for 9th place.

For Niyonshuti, another ninth place finish this year was a phenomenon performance for a rider, who was out of action with an illness for several months and the Tour of Rwanda was his first competitive race since his return.

The 2013 Tour of Rwanda best climber Eyob Metkel of Team AS BE CO finished in third position in the general classification after clocking 20h38’15”. He was sixth yesterday.

His team, AS BE CO won the best team award. Tanzania National Team rider Richard Laizer, who finished the race in 22nd position after posting 20h54’49”, took the Tour’s fair play award.

Team MTN-Qhubeka’s Louis Jes Meintjes came 11th yesterday in a time of 2h25’42’’ which was enough to give him second place overall after using a total of 20h37’56’’.

Most promising rider

Team Rwanda Akagera’s Valens Ndayisenga took the award (brand new bike) for the most promising rider after finishing in a respectable 11th position overall with a time of 20h43’11’’. He received a bicycle donated by the French Embassy in Kigali.

The 19-year-old made history by becoming the youngest Rwandan to win a stage in the Tour of Rwanda when he took stage two, the most grueling stage (151.9km) on this year’s tour, Rwamagana-Musanze on Tuesday.

Team Rwanda Kalisimbi rider Janvier Hadi, who won the Prologue (Amahoro stadium-Kimoronko-Amahoro stadium) on the first day, finished the Tour in 12th position with 20h43’21’’.

Competitive race

Apart from Lagab, who won two stages in the 2013 Tour of Rwanda, the other five stages had different winners. Team MTN-Qhubeka’s Jay Robert Thomson won stage one (Kigali-Kirehe) but was forced to pull out of the Tour due to illness on the third stage (Rubavu-Kinigi), which was won by his teammate Meintjes.

Another Team MTN-Qhubeka rider Johann Zyl Van won stage four (Musanze-Muhanga.

Despite the Tour of Rwanda title remaining elusive for Rwandans since it became a UCI Africa Tour race five years ago, there has been great improvement by all the 15 Rwandan riders, who represented three teams; Karisimbi, Akagera and Muhabura.

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Kinondoni team helped Dar es Salaam to regain the Tanzania Darts Championship title at Kiwira Motel in Mbeya over the weekend.

According to the Dar es Salaam Amateur Darts Association (DADA) secretary general Lambert Rwihula, Kinondoni, which was represented by the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) Lugalo team, brought back to the city the title they lost to Mwanza in 2011 and 2012.

The new champions recorded a 9-7 victory over hosts Mbeya City in a thrilling final to clinch the title in style. But they did it without defending champions Mwanza, who failed to send a team to Mbeya.

Dar es Salaam stole the show at the championship as they also took home the singles and doubles trophies.

In the men’s singles final, which was an all-Kinondoni affair, Harold Mono thrashed his club-mate Msira Wambura 5-3 to win the title. John Mlay and Noah Isaya from Ilala, Dar es Salaam were crowned the doubles champions.

Dar es Salaam finished second in the women’s singles and double as both trophies went to Morogoro. The two-day tournament involved four regions — Morogoro, Dodoma, Mbeya and Dar es Salaam, who were represented by Kinondoni and Ilala districts.

Temeke failed to send a team to Mbeya due to financial constraints. Dar es Salaam went to Mbeya determined to regain the title and managed to do so in the absence of defending champions Mwanza.

The annual tournament was organized by the Tanzania Amateur Darts Association (TADA) in collaboration with the Mbeya Amateur Darts Association.

Source Tanzania Daily News

The just concluded 2013 Tour of Rwanda was hugely successful and lived up to its billing, according to the Rwanda Cycling Federation president.

Girdlestone wins Tour of Rwanda

Aimable Bayingana reckons the Tour, which was won by South African Dylan Girdlestone, 24, leaves a great deal of experience to the local riders and many young cyclists from across the continent.

The 2013 Tour of Rwanda go underway on November 17, with 70 riders representing 14 teams from across the world.

The Tour traversed all four provinces and the City of Kigali before concluding on Sunday at Amahoro national stadium in Remera.

Girdlestone, who came third in 2011 and second in 2012, covered the 804km-race in 20 hours 35 minutes and 55 seconds, to win the title previously held by compatriot Darren Lil, who did not participate this time round.

According to Bayingana, everything in this year’s Tour of Rwanda went as planned and that organisers were pleased with how the riders and everyone involved expressed themselves throughout the eight-day, seven stage race.

“We are happy with how everything went, from the first to the last day. The way everything was done reflected the status of the Tour of Rwanda as an international race and the biggest event on our (local cycling) calendar,” Bayingana told the media.

“We are hugely grateful to everyone, from all our partners, the riders and all the Rwandans who have been following the Tour in the various areas across the country,” he added.

He said this year’s edition had raised the bar, adding that strong partnership was needed to make next year’s tour even more successful, both in terms of organisation and competitiveness.

Two Rwandans, Team Karisimbi’s Jean Bosco Nsengiyumva (sixth) and Adrien Niyonshuti, who was riding for South Africa’s Team MTN-Qhubeka (seventh), finished in top ten, and Bayingana reserved special praise for the duo.

He also praised the other 13 Rwandans who were riding for different local teams in the Tour.

Last year, Niyonshuti was the only Rwandan to finish inside the top ten and before then none had ranked among the top ten – since 2009 when Tour of Rwanda became an UCI Africa Tour.

“We are happy because our riders have shown great improvement from the previous edition, they have grown in technical  ability and experience, and we hope that they will do much better next year,” added Bayingana.

He added, “The Tour of Rwanda offers an opportunity to our riders to prove themselves against some of the best riders on the continent and beyond. It’s a big motivation and experience for everyone in Team Rwanda,” he added.

He singled out 19-year-old Valens Ndayisenga (Team Akagera) who shocked many when he won the Tour’s Stage Two (151.9-kilometre, Rwamagana-Musanze), the most gruelling of the seven legs.

The stage victory made Ndayisenga, a debutant in the annual race, the youngest Rwandan ever to win a leg in the Tour of Rwanda.

“It was a special moment, Valens made us proud. I believe that with more commitment and determination, our riders will go places,” he said.

Overall, Ndayisenga finished in 11th position with a time of 20 hours 43 minutes 11 seconds over the seven legs.

During the awards ceremony on Sunday, Ndayisenga was named the most promising rider in the annual competition, a feat for which he received a bicycle courtesy of the French Embassy in Kigali.

After the Tour, the highest ranked Rwandan, Nsengiyumva, 20, said, “I think we did our best but a couple of our opponents were stronger and more experienced in international competitions; nonetheless, we are happy with what we have done. Personally, to finish in sixth is a great achievement.”

He added, “Having competed with professional riders, we have learned a lot, it was a very tough race; for me it’s only the beginning because I still have a lot to learn,” stated Nsengiyumva who was making his debut in the Tour of Rwanda.

On his part, teenage rider Ndayisenga said, “For me competing at the international level is a dream come true, I never anticipated this any time soon.  I am excited and want to continue working hard with hope that I can do even better next year.”

Eritrean Team AS BE CO won the best team award, while Tanzania National Team rider Richard Laizer, who finished the race in 22nd position after posting 20h54’49”, took the Tour’s fair play award.

Participating teams:  Team Akagera, Team Karisimbi, Team Muhabura (Rwanda), AS BE CO (Eritrea), Avia Crabbe (Belgium), Team Haute Savoie (France), South Africa’s MTN Qhubeka, South Africa National Team, Team Novo Nordisk (USA), Ethiopia National Team, Kenya National Team, Algeria National Team, Gabon National Team, and Tanzania National Team.

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Its systems go for the 2014 Men World Championship Qualifiers Zone 5 volleyball tournament which gets underway today at Amahoro indoor stadium.

Rwanda national team players celebrate after winning a set in a previous competition. Times Sport

Rwanda will be looking to make the most of the home advantage when they clash with neighbours Burundi in the second match of the opening day at 6pm.

This tie will be preceded by the game between Egypt and Kenya, both of whom pose a threat to Rwanda’s chances of progressing to the final qualifying round due early next year.

Also in the competition is Uganda.

The Egyptians, who have already booked their ticket to the next and final qualifiers phase, will be playing for pride in the Zone V championships in Kigali.

All the four visiting teams are staying at Hotel La Palisse Nyandungu, while officials from the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) and match officials are at Hilltop Hotel and Alpha Palace Hotel.

“On the organisation part, we are well prepared and ready to pull off a successful tournament,” said the Rwanda Volleyball Federation secretary general Christian Hatumimana.

Egypt, Cameroon and Tunisia have already qualified for the final round and, according to the FIVB, the teams have been divided into three pools.

Pool one is led by Cameroon who will be joined by Nigeria, Gabon, Zone 1 winner and Zone 5 winner (Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Burundi).

Pool 2 has Egypt, who will be joined by Botswana, Zambia, Zone 2 runners-up and Zone 5 runners-up, while Pool 3 is comprised of Tunisia, Seychelles Congo Brazzaville, Niger and Zone 2 winners.

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Throughout the twentieth century, sports have increasingly become a dominant part of our culture.

So much so, that the games we play and watch are a part of our daily lives; at home, and also at work, whether we are fans or not. Nowadays, there is an exploding industry that is almost as inescapable to us as the game itself, that is sports betting.

Everyone has probably experienced it at some point. Remember when watching the game behavior of your friend who comes upset or exited when a late goal is scored or when free throw is missed in the waning moment. That is the rush that better is experiencing while waiting for the outcome of the bet he placed.

While the acceptance of the sports betting by the public has greatly contributed to its growth, probably even bigger role in the tremendous growth of this form of gambling played sports programming on TV.

This boom in sports broadcasting and information has significantly increased the public interest in sports, increased public access to betting information, and in return has increased public interest in betting.

At the end, internet has revolutionized whole sports betting industry, and today we have it available almost everywhere.

Individuals can bet on almost anything in the world of sports. One can not only bet on the final outcome of the game, but also on such things like who will score the first goal, how many of them will be, different kind of handicaps, etc.

You can easily get addicted, so be careful if entering tempting world of sports betting. In any case, best of luck!

Hosts Rwanda and favourites Egypt kicked off their campaign in the 2014 Men World Championship Zone V Qualifiers with wins over Burundi and Kenya respectively. The championships started yesterday evening at Amahoro indoor stadium in Remera.

In the first game of the day, Egypt beat Kenya 3-2 in a tough game which lasted two hours. Kenya started well with the first set 25-23 but Egypt recovered to take the second and third set 25-17, 25-20 respectively before Kenya dominated the fourth set 25-19. The match was decided in the fifth set, which the North African side won 15-12.

By the time, Rwanda took to the court against Burundi, a vibrant atmosphere on the terraces had already been set and the hosts did not disappoint the home crowd by running away with the match 3-0.

Paul Bitok’s team started the first set badly, letting Burundi to take a 19 points lead before they (Rwanda) recovered to win 25-22. However, the second and third sets were different as the home team took them 25-17 and 25-13 respectively.

The tournament continues today with the top of table clash between Rwanda and the African champions Egypt, who despite taking part in this Zonal qualifier, have already qualified for the third and final qualifying round for next year’s World Championships in Poland.

Tuesday
Egypt 3-2 Kenya
Rwanda 3-0 Burundi

Today
Uganda vs Burundi 4pm
Rwanda vs Egypt 6pm

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

The East and Central African Handball Clubs Championship that was to be held in Kampala, Uganda from December 2-7 this year has now been shifted to Tanzania.

The venue is changed for the second time as it was earlier scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya before it was transferred to Uganda.

The Tanzania Amateur Handball Association (TAHA) Secretary General, Nicholas Mihayo, told the ‘Daily News’ in the city that Uganda have requested Tanzania to shoulder the responsibility of hosting this year’s event.

“We have received a request from Uganda to stage the event in Tanzania, we agreed to do so in order to rescue the tournament and we’ve already confirmed to the organizers, the East and Central African Handball Federation (ECAHF),” he said.

Mihayo said that Tanzania has agreed to host the event which will now be held in Soweto, Arusha from December 17-21. He added that the reasons behind the changes are, among others, the security of the Ugandan capital city.

“They also told us that they have many responsibilities this time around that prevent them to host the event in its perfection,” Mihayo said.

“We have already started preparations and we have contacted both the government and Arusha officials to ensure the tournament is a success,” he added.

Tanzania as hosts are expected to feature three teams — JKT, Ngome and Magereza — in the anxiously awaited championship. Each will compete in the men and women’s categories.

Mihayo said the three teams started preparations since September aimed at regaining the East and Central Handball Club Championship honours.

Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and hosts Tanzania are expected to participate in the tournament.

By MBONILE BURTON, Tanzania Daily News

Rwanda’s top ranked professional rider Adrien Niyonshuti believes his Team Rwanda colleagues have the talent and potential to win international competitions including the Tour of Rwanda but says they still have a lot to learn.

Adrien Niyonshuti

According to the South African-based Team MTN-Qhubeka rider, Rwandan riders are strong and competitive but lack the experience and maturity required to succeed at the highest level of cycling.

“We (Rwanda) have very good riders, they are strong and ambitious but they need to be mature and know what they want, they have to play like a team, not to compete against themselves,” Niyonshuti told Times Sport at the end of the 2013 Tour of Rwanda that ended on Sunday.

He said, “I am happy some of the young riders have made great improvement in just one year or two, but they still have a lot of learning to do especially on the mental aspect.”

“Niyonshuti tipped his colleagues to learn how to compete as a team and also when to attack and when not.  These are the factors that help to win or not to win a race, he advised.

“There is no way we are can win the Tour of Rwanda or any other international competition without team effort; these competitions require working as a team. But these guys (of Team Rwanda) were competing against each other which is a big mistake,” explained Niyonshuti, who finished in 9th position.

The 26-year-old noted, “Yes we have improved a lot but the riders have to know their opponents and compete as a team not to compete against themselves. We can’t win Tour of Rwanda without a proper strategy even when it is held on our home soil.”

It was the first competition for Niyoinshuti since his return from an illness that had kept him out for nearly 10 months. He rode under his MTN-Qhubeka team. Team Karisimbi’s Jean-Bosco Nsengiyumva was Rwanda’s best rider in sixth position.

“I am happy that I am back in competition and to be able to compete in the Tour of Rwanda, but I will continue to work hard to get back to the top level,” Niyonshuti stated.

South African Dylan Girdlestone, 24, won this year’s Tour of Rwanda after covering the 804km-race in 20 hours 35 minutes and 55 seconds.

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Kenya volleyball national team came to Kigali with an ambition of qualifying for the final round of the 2014 Men World Championships Qualifiers which will determine the three African qualifiers in next year’s World Championships in Poland.

In their first game on Tuesday, Kenya lost to Egypt (reserve team) 3-2 in a tough and entertaining game which lasted two hours at Amahoro indoor stadium. The loss put Kenya in a must win mood today when they clash with hosts Rwanda to increase the chances of achieving their target.

“We need to give our best, our aim is to qualify for the final round and have another chance to qualify for the World Championships. But our priority is to be in final round,” Head coach Gideon Chenje said.

Referring to his team’s loss to Egytp, he said, “We lost to the best team in Africa because of their experience but we will try and win the remaining matches. The game against Rwanda will be tough for both teams but I am sure the best team will win,” he noted.

While Rwanda and Egypt were in action yesterday, Kenya had a day off to rest. This could play in their favour when they come up against the home team.

To qualify to the next round, Kenya must finish ahead of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. Whoever goes through will be in the same Pool as hosts Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria and Gabon.

Pool 2 has Egypt, along with Botswana, Zambia, Zone 2 runners-up and Zone 5 runners-up, while Pool 3 is comprised of Tunisia, Seychelles Congo Brazzaville, Niger and Zone 2 winners.

Thursday
Egypt vs Uganda
Rwanda vs Kenya

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Hosts Rwanda lost their second game in the 2014 World Championships Zone V Qualifiers against Egypt 3-1 after a one hour and fifty five minutes game last evening at Amahoro indoor stadium.

Egyptians players jump to block a spike. They won Rwanda in a set of three to one. The New Times/Timothy Kisambira

The loss makes Rwanda’s next game against Kenya today a must win for Paul Bitok’s team to have realistic hopes of qualifying to the next round as second runners up or second runners up in this tournament. Both Rwanda and Kenya have one win apiece but the Kenyans have played a game less.

Rwanda won their opening game against Burundi 3-0 and Egypt beat Kenya 3-2 before humiliating Rwanda in their second match yesterday.

Rwanda started on a high notch taking the first set 33-31. Bitok’s team started well but Egypt led to first technical time-out 8-5, and continued to lead the set to 11-8 before Olivier Ntagengwa’s service made it 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, 14-14, 15-15 and Rwanda led to the second technical time-out 16-15.

Egypt came back with strong services and led 20-18, 21-19, 22-20, 23-20, 23-22 before Yakan Lawrence Guma responded with strong service for 23-23, 24-24 and 28-27. Yakan continued his spikes and strong services and Rwanda equalised 31-31 before taking the set 33-31.

Rwanda again started well the second set leading 4-2, 5-3, 6-4, 7-5, until the first technical time out 8-5, before Egypt took over 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, 14-14, 15-15. Egypt led the set to second technical time out 16-15.

The Africa champions continued to lead 18-17 before Rwanda leveled at 18-18, Egypt went ahead 20-19 but Rwanda skipper Christophe Mukunzi made a good lob to make it 21-21. However, Mohamed El Hussein made strong services for 23-22, 24-23. Egypt took the set 25-23.

Egypt dominated Rwanda 5-3, 6-3, 7-3, e 16-10, 17-11, 18-12, 20-12, 24-13 and won the third set easily 25-14.

The fourth set both sides started with purpose sharing point after another 3-3, 5-5, 6-6, 7-before Egypt led 10-6, 13-7, 14-9, and Egypt continued to lead to 16-10, 17-11, 18-12, 19-13, 20-14, 25-15.

In the first game, Uganda won their first game of the tournament 3-0 against Burundi.

Yesterday
Burundi 0-3 Uganda
Rwanda 1-3 Egypt

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Approximately 48 hours after Uganda’s U20 girls endured heart-breaking news of being forced out of a major tournament, the women’s netball team—the She Cranes have not been spared either.

Uganda’s national team, who are coincidentally also the All Africa Games netball champions, have been forced to withdraw from the Six Nations Cup tournament in Singapore due to financial constraints.

The high-profile event is scheduled to start on Sunday.

However, the She Cranes, one of Africa’s top sides, will not be part of the party as the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF) failed to secure travel funds.

The team, according to the UNF General Secretary Annet Kisomose needed to raise sh102m in order to take part at the weeklong tournament.

“We received pledges from concerned parties but none has delivered yet. I don’t expect any miracles to happen right now. We are left with no other option but to tell the girls that it’s all over,” Kisomose explained.

Kisomose added: “We had even already secured visas for the 14 players but we have no other option rather than cancelling the flight arrangements.”

On the contrary, UNF publicity secretary Wilberforce Mutete still sounded optimistic.

“We are still waiting for the final pledge from the President’s Office,” he said.

Uganda was supposed to play USA in the opening match on Sunday and later take on the Republic of Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and host Singapore at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall.

She Cranes absence also means that Uganda will consequently miss the golden opportunity of being entered on the international ranking list.

Uganda was invited on the back of her tremendous performance at the Africa Netball Challenge Championship held in Malawi early this year.

Kenya’s men’s volleyball face Rwanda today in their second match of the on-going World Championship Zone “H”second round qualifiers in Kigali Rwanda.

Kenya’s men’s volleyball face Rwanda today in their  second match of the on-going World Championship Zone “H”second round qualifiers in Kigali Rwanda.

Kenya’s men’s volleyball face Rwanda today in their  second match of the on-going World Championship Zone “H”second round qualifiers in Kigali Rwanda.

They opened their campaign with a 2-3 (25-23, 20-25, 17-25, 25-18 and 13-25) loss to Egypt on Tuesday evening.

As expected, Kenya coach Gideon Chenje paraded the Turkey based Michael Chemos and Phillip Maiyo, Sila Makiso, the recently crowned Kenya Volleyball Federationl “Player of the Season” Cornelius Lagat, James Ontere and Alisha Aliwa. Buoyed by three professional players among them Ontere who plays in Cyprus, the Kenyans took quick points thanks to Maiyo’s explosive spiking to be 10-6 up at the first technical time out.

They opened the lead to 16-12 on their way to a 25-23 first set win. Egypt  comfortably took the second (25-20) and third ( 25-17) before Kenya levelled at two sets-all with a 25-18 fourt set win.

There was no stopping the North African in the fifth set. With both sides having to sets at their disposal, the fifth set was played at high pace, it saw the teams tie at 2-2, before Kenya led at 6-4, 8-6.

But it was Egypt who had the final laugh closing in 9-10, 13-11 and 15-13 to win the clash. Commenting on the match, Chenje said, “The match was unpredictable, all along we knew they would be a hard nut to crack, we gave it our all but unfortunately luck was not on our side.”

As expected, Kenya coach Gideon Chenje paraded the Turkey based Michael Chemos and Phillip Maiyo, Sila Makiso, the recently crowned Kenya Volleyball Federationl “Player of the Season” Cornelius Lagat, James Ontere and Alisha Aliwa.

Buoyed by three professional players among them Ontere who plays in Cyprus, the Kenyans took quick points thanks to Maiyo’s explosive spiking to be 10-6 up at the first technical time out.

They opened the lead to 16-12 on their way to a 25-23 first set win. Egypt  comfortably took the second (25-20) and third ( 25-17) before Kenya levelled at two sets-all with a 25-18 fourt set win.

There was no stopping the North African in the fifth set. With both sides having to sets at their disposal, the fifth set was played at high pace, it saw the teams tie at 2-2, before Kenya led at 6-4, 8-6.

But it was Egypt who had the final laugh closing in 9-10, 13-11 and 15-13 to win the clash. Commenting on the match, Chenje said, “The match was unpredictable, all along we knew they would be a hard nut to crack, we gave it our all but unfortunately luck was not on our side,”

As expected, Kenya coach Gideon Chenje paraded the Turkey based Michael Chemos and Phillip Maiyo, Sila Makiso, the recently crowned Kenya Volleyball Federationl “Player of the Season” Cornelius Lagat, James Ontere and Alisha Aliwa.

Buoyed by three professional players among them Ontere who plays in Cyprus, the Kenyans took quick points thanks to Maiyo’s explosive spiking to be 10-6 up at the first technical time out.

They opened the lead to 16-12 on their way to a 25-23 first set win. Egypt comfortably took the second (25-20) and third ( 25-17) before Kenya levelled at two sets-all with a 25-18 fourt set win.

There was no stopping the North African in the fifth set. With both sides having to sets at their disposal, the fifth set was played at high pace, it saw the teams tie at 2-2, before Kenya led at 6-4, 8-6. But it was Egypt who had the final laugh closing in 9-10, 13-11 and 15-13 to win the clash.

Commenting on the match, Chenje said, “The match was unpredictable, all along we knew they would be a hard nut to crack, we gave it our all but unfortunately luck was not on our side.”

By AGNES MAKHANDIA, The Star

Rwanda National Volleyball team has qualified for the last round of the FIVB World Cup qualifiers last round slated for next year.

Rwanda hit Kenya 3-2 in their third game of the World Cup Qualifiers to keep the hope of qualifying to the last round.

With two wins against Burundi and Kenya, one loss to Egypt and one game in hand to play against Uganda tomorrow, Rwanda has booked a slot in the next qualifying round.

Rwanda dominated Kenya in the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-20 as both Lawrence Yakan Guma and Christophe Mukunzi dominated with spikes and services, while Théodore Thiambo and Pierre Kwizera Marshal did great work with blocks to lead Rwanda to the opening two sets.

But Kenya came back to win the third and fourth set 25-21 and 25-22 respectively. Kenya’s recovery was led by Phillip Maiyo’s powerful spikes. But it was Paul Bitok’s side, which came on top in the decisive fifth set 15-13.

In the other match, Egypt continued their unbeaten run with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22 and 25-16) win over Uganda.

Friday is rest day for Rwanda, while Uganda with one win, will meet Kenya, who have lost their first two games, and Egypt meet Burundi, who has lost to Rwanda and Uganda.

Today
Uganda                vs            Kenya
Egypt                     vs            Burundi

Yesterday
Egypt                     3-0          Uganda
Rwanda                3-2          Kenya

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

Rwanda volleyball national team coach Paul Bitok has hailed  his players after beating their regional archrival Kenya 3-2 in a tough match played on Thursday at Amahoro indoor stadium.

Egypt players rise in uniform in an attempt to block a spike by Rwanda’s Lawrence Yakan Guma on Wednesday. Saturday Sport / T. Kisambira.

The win gave Rwanda the ticket to the last round of the FIVB World Cup qualifiers slated for next year. Kenya-born coach Bitok was not only happy with his team’s win and qualification but the fact that he beat his compatriots, who are handled by another ex-Kenyan international Gideon Chenje.

“It was a good game to watch for the fans but not the players (of either team) and we are really happy to have achieved our goal (to qualify), but we still have  work to do against Uganda,” Bitok said, adding that, “we needed to win that game, because it was one of the biggest games for us.”

He added, “I think the team has improved and we will continue to work in order to improve the level of players ahead of the next round.”

With two wins against Burundi and Kenya, one loss to Egypt and one game in hand to play against Uganda on today, Rwanda became the second team after Egypt to qualify for  the next  Zone V round.

Rwanda dominated Kenya in the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-20 as both Lawrence Yakan Guma and Christophe Mukunzi dominated with spikes and services, while Théodore Thiambo and Pierre Kwizera Marshal did great work with blocks to lead Rwanda to the opening two sets.

But Kenya came back to win the third and fourth set 25-21 and 25-22 respectively. Kenya’s recovery was led by Phillip Maiyo’s powerful spikes. But it was Bitok’s side, which came on top in the decisive fifth set 15-13.

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times

The Sports Stadia Management Board has awarded Safaricom the naming rights for the main stadium and indoor arena at the Moi International Sports Complex in Kasarani.

The two year deal worth Sh55 million will change its name to ‘Safaricom Stadium Kasarani – Home of Heroes’ along with the ‘Safaricom Indoor Arena.’

The 60,000 seat stadium was opened in 1987 and named after then President Daniel arap Moi. It will be the first major facility named after the former president to have its name changed.

“We put out a tender in early September and ten companies showed interest but the board of SSMB chose Safaricom as it showed the best potential and track record,” said Sports Stadia management Board PR officer Raki Asman yesterday.

“This is a growing trend which we have seen in South Africa and we have decided to follow. However if any company want to use the stadium, they must still talk to us and draw up a contract. They can’t go to Safaricom,” added Asman.

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore commented, “Safaricom has since inception played a significant role in the development of sports in Kenya. Through this partnership, our aim is to help raise the country’s competitive edge as Kenya bids to host major continental and international sports tournaments.”

The Safaricom branded complex will be unveiled officially next week by Sports Secretary Hassan Wario and other senior stakeholders.

The event will showcase upgraded dressing rooms and other improvements at the stadium.

Other corporates may now take up similar partnerships as part of SSMB’s strategy to position Kenya as an international sports host.

In 2009 Coca Cola and Sports Stadia management signed a Sh118 million deal for the naming rights of the Nyayo stadium for three years .

Coca Cola were to enjoy exclusive branding of the stadium, indoor arena, handball court and aquatic centre.

The deal was cancelled a few months later when Sports minister Prof Helen Sambili claimed that it was negotiated behind her back. The minister directed that the stadium reverts to its original name of Nyayo National Stadium.

Coca Cola pulled out of the deal but reaffirmed its commitment to the development of sports in Kenya. It supports the annual Copa Coca-Cola soccer youth soccer tournament and other sporting activities.

By WILLIAM NJUGUNA, The Star

Kenya men’s volleyball team play Burundi in their final match of the World Championship Zonal ‘H’ second round qualifiers as the curtains come down today in Kigali, Rwanda.

Kenya have lost two matches against hosts Rwanda and Egypt in the 5-day event.

They held their opponents to a five set thrillers in all the encounters with Egypt and Rwanda and will be going flat out to beat Burundi to make it to the top two positions.

The home side fell to the Pharaohs 2-3 (23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 18-25 and 15-13) and on Thursday failed to impress against Rwanda falling by a similar 2-3 margin with scores of 18-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22 and 13-15).

The defeat to Rwanda now places Gideon Chenje’s Kenya team in third place with two points from two matches. Egypt so far have seven points from three matches which they have won.

Rwanda are in second position with 5 points from three matches having lost to Egypt.

Rwanda, who are coached by Kenyan export Paul Bitok, have in recent days shown a lot of growth in the game.

The two teams last met in Maputo during the All Africa Games and the home side fell prey to the Rwandese side.

True to Chenje’s words before the team left for Rwanda last Saturday, he acknowledged Rwanda and Egypt as their biggest obstacle and his fears have come to be realised.

Rwanda are tipped to take top position since Egypt have already qualified for the final round by virtue of being ranked among the top 3 countries by the international volleyball federation FIVB.

The top two finishers in the championship will secure a ticket to the final phase of the qualifiers in January.

The final continental men’s contest will involve 16 teams with the top three making it to the 2014 World Championship in Poland.

Rwanda will face neighbours Uganda in the last match of the championship.

By AGNES MAKHANDIA, The Star

Rwanda national volleyball team on Thursday beat Uganda in their last game in Zone V World Cup Qualifier match played at Amahoro Indoor Stadium.

Rwanda players celebrate during Zone V World Cup qualifiers. Sunday Sports/Peter Kamasa

The one week qualifiers saw Rwanda and Kenya join Egypt to be qualified for the last round of the world cup qualifiers.

Hosts Rwanda hit Uganda by 3-0 (25-18, 25-23 and 25-19) in a match that took one hour and half, which means Rwanda lost just one game against Egypt by 3-1, making the host finishing as the first runner up. Kenya beat Burundi by 3-0 to secure the second runner up position behind Egypt and Rwanda respectively.

Rwanda started with a win over Burundi 3-0, before loosing to group giants, Egypt. Paul Bitok’s men recovered by beating Kenya 3-2 and later Uganda.

The victory against Uganda on Saturday increases Rwanda’s hopes for good results in the next round where they meet hosts Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria and Gabon while Kenya will be at the same group with African champions Egypt in Pool 2 with Botswana, Zambia and expected Zone 2 runners-up. Pool 3 is comprised of Tunisia, Seychelles Congo Brazzaville, Niger and the expected Zone 2 winners.

Kenya 3-0 Burundi
Rwanda 3-0 Uganda

By Peter Kamasa, The New Times