Handball: GSU leave it late in win against JKUAT

With their eyes firmly set on ending the NCPB, Ulinzi handball dominance, General Service Unit (GSU) know far too well that they will need every win to achieve such a feat.

Their urgency in the final minutes of their match, therefore, was warranted and understandable when they faced off with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) on Sunday 8 October.

The Joseph Okemwa-coached side found themselves trailing 16-13 in a highly charged match and their attempts to reclaim the lead in the opening 20 minutes of the second half proved futile.

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With time quickly running out and the paramilitary side keen not to drop any points in just their seventh match of the season, they played the last eight minutes with renewed energy and new-found urgency to take the lead and go five goals ahead, winning 31-26.

Christopher Mayende led the scoring for GSU with 8 but it was JKUAT’s Dolan Bwibo who proved a thorn in the opponent’s flesh, scoring 9 for the varsity side in the loss.

“It was a tough match and we had to dig deep for this win. Coming into the match I think we underrated what JKUAT had to offer. We also had been on a six-match winning streak and were probably too confident. We are, however, happy that this happened early in the season as we will not make the same mistake against any other side,” offered GSU’s shot stopper Nicholas Ndochi.

The former Black Mamba goalkeeper was instrumental in those final moments of the match, twice stopping JKUAT players clear on goal and saving a crucial seven-meter shot to keep GSU ahead as they held on for the win.

“When we were trailing everyone was trying their best to come back and, in those instances, I believe self-drive plays a huge role which is what I set out to do. There is always pressure when one knows they have others watching how they perform but that worked for me as it gave me that push to do the best for my team,” the goalkeeper added.

In other men’s league matches, title-chasing Ulinzi HC put a dent on an otherwise perfect run by University of Eldoret (UoE) Pippers as they picked a 36-26 victory to extend their unbeaten streak to nine matches.

Pippers had won an earlier match 35-30 against Technical University of Kenya (TUK), adding to Saturday victories against Daystar (35-34) and Spartans (40-39).

In the women’s league, JKUAT picked a 35-26 win over Rising Star while holders Nairobi Water made easy work of Kenyatta University in a 45-14 outcome.  

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