KBF league off to a slow start

After a 83-day long wait for the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) league to resume, the first day was not without its fair share of surprises as two premier league matches weren't played while the match pitting hosts University of Nairobi (UoN) Dynamites and Eagle Wings adjudged a walkover. 

Africa Nazarene University (ANU) got the better part of Kenyatta University (K.U) Oryx in a women's league varsity derby to win by a slim three points. ANU had a one basket advantage at the end of a low-scoring first quarter which ended 10-8. The Kevin Ojongo-coached ANU extended their lead by ten points at 25-15 as the match headed for a breather. 

On resumption, it was Oryx who went on redemption mode reducing ANU's advantage to eight points at the end of the third period. They returned for the final quarter all guns blazing ready to take down ANU but their 21 points were not enough as Ojongo's charges scored 16 to defend their lead and for the win. 

Strathmore Blades 68-55 K.U Pirates

In the men's premier league, Strathmore Blades won in all quarters to beat hard-fighting K.U Pirates 68-55 in the other match if the day that was played.

Zetech University were scheduled to play Storms while Equity Bank was set to face off with Embakasi Youth (EMYBA). All the four teams were a no-show. 

Dynamites who had undergone their Covid-19 tests and were ready to suit up for their encounter against Eagle Wings, who were not at the match venue, claim a walkover while their opponent for the day says the match will be rescheduled.

"We had not done our Covid-19 tests and that's why we couldn't play the match. It was communicated that the matches were not to be played until such a time when all teams are tested," says Eagle Wings team manager Nelly Odera. 

On his part, Dynamites' head coach Juma Kent says all teams that were in the first weekend of fixtures had agreed to playing and there was no official communication to the effect that the team's match had been postponed. 

"I followed all the protocol on testing and being at the match venue for the said match as I had received no official communication from the fixtures department to the effect of the match being cancelled. We went to a lot of trouble to get tested for this weekend's matches and it would be a shame if the league's guidelines were to be ignored in this case. I understand there are teams that agreed between themselves on playing at a later date and thus did not show for their fixtures but that was not the case for our match," said Kent.