It was a splendid performance by Asumbi Teachers Training College (TTC) in the just-concluded 2024 Kenya Teachers’ Training Colleges Sports Association (KTTCSA) National Ball Games Championships. The Machakos extravaganza witnessed double domination from the Bun yeja-based institution, which annexed both the Women’s Basketball and Women’s Football titles.
The dominance in Women’s Basketball
Eleven-time champions: the Asumbi TTC ladies proved their mettle for the eleventh year in a row after being crowned women’s champions. Asumbi narrowly defeated their fiercest opponents, Bondo TTC, who had been crowning the same for the past few years. The final was very tense and action-packed, where Asumbi managed to pip Bondo 34-33.
Coach Tobias Kaloo was thankful and happy after the win. “The final has been a very hard game although we beat them in the preliminaries. If their star player had not been taken out, they would have beaten us,” said the coach. Assistant Coach Mwaka Evans highlighted the team’s tradition of excellence in basketball, which has been a hallmark since 2018.
Team playmaker Priscilla Shisia and Captain Debra echoed the sentiments of hard work and determination. “Nothing was easy and our Coach Tobias was also tough on us but he tells us that the only thing we can do is to train hard and win easy,” said Priscilla.
Triumph in Women’s Football
The prowess by Asumbi TTC was not reserved only for basketball; it replicated itself in the ladies’ football team event by scooping a final win against Eregi TTC in a tough penalty shoot-out to record 3-1. This double victory confirms Asumbi’s domination in female disciplines in the colleges.
Men’s Football and Overall Performance
In men’s football, Mosoriot TTC clinched the title in a 1-0 victory against Eregi TTC by showing true football skill and character.
The Rift Valley region emerged top of the points table with 661 points at the end of the tally. It was followed by the Western and Eastern regions with 347 and 320 points, respectively. Nairobi, Nyanza, Central, and finally Coast wrapped up the table.
Highlights of the Closing Ceremony
Among those who witnessed the closing ceremony of the event were Machakos County CEC Member Dr. Consolata Mutisya, who was representing the Governor, and County Director of Education Margaret Mwirigi. In her speech, Dr. Mutisya congratulated the organizing committee for the choice of this year’s theme of the games, “Developing a Professional and Ethical Teacher through Sports.
KTCSA Secretary General Paul Maina presented trophies and certificates to winning teams and termed the recently concluded competitions successful. Forty-one colleges were represented with 1300 players in most of the ball games.