Kakamega School were crowned Kakamega County school rugby 15s champions after edging St Peters Mumias 5-3 in a tense final staged at Eregi TTC grounds on Wednesday afternoon.
The tightly contested encounter saw both sides struggle to break each other’s defence in what turned out to be a cagey battle decided by a single unconverted try.
Kakamega School, popularly known as the Barbarians , had the first opportunity to get points on the board but missed a 50-metre penalty attempt in the opening minutes, leaving the score tied at 0-0.
Midway through the first half, St Peters began to pile pressure on Kakamega School before Clinton Munyao stepped up and drilled in a penalty to give the Rough Machine a 3-0 lead.
However, Kakamega School responded strongly. After a series of pick-and-drive phases close to the line, they powered over for a try to take a 5-3 lead, though the conversion attempt drifted wide.
The second half remained a tense affair as both sides pushed for points. Kakamega School attempted two drop goals but both efforts were charged down, while another sailed wide as St Peters continued to defend resolutely.
Despite several attacking phases from both teams, neither side managed to add to the scoreboard, with Kakamega School holding on to secure the narrow victory and the county title.
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In the third-place playoff, Butere staged a strong comeback to defeat Mukumu 12-10. Mukumu had taken a 3-0 lead at halftime before extending it to 10-0 after scoring and converting a try early in the second half. Butere responded with two tries, converting one, to complete the turnaround.
Earlier in the semifinals, St Peters Mumias edged Mukumu 14-7 to reach the final. The Saints scored a converted try before Mukumu responded with a converted try of their own to level the scores at 7-7. St Peters then added another try to seal their place in the final.
Kakamega School, on the other hand, delivered a dominant performance in the other semifinal, beating Butere 30-5 to book their spot in the decider.
Both Kakamega School and St Peters Mumias will now represent Kakamega County at the Western Region games, where they will join champions from other counties including Bungoma and Vihiga.
