Njoroge rallies Buccaneers despite shilly-shally season start

Five matches into the Kenya Handball Federation (KHF) league, men’s side Buccaneers have managed two wins, a result team captain Franicks Njoroge attributes to their sharpness on offense.

On the weekend the side posted missed results winning 34-31 in a closely contested match against school boys Makueni Bees before going down 20-18 in the hands of varsity side Strathmore.

Strathmore overpower GSU for crucial KHF points

While the score line against Makueni Bees who were making their debut for the season, having handed walkovers in their previous fixtures, came as a surprise to many, the clash against the Peter Mwathi-led Strathmore was expected to be tough and there were no clear favourites.

The match lived up to its billing, with both sides pushing the opposition to their limits. The two sides were separated by a single goal at half time with the varsity side holding the advantage and nothing much changed in the second half.

“It was a close match as expected but the loss is still as painful as any other. Despite the preparation we had against Strathmore our conversion rate became our main undoing in the end.

Strathmore are a good side in all aspects and we were ready to match them. We created more chances than they did, defended really well but our attack cost us this win. We did everything but being clinical in our finishing and that needs to change going into the next matches,” offered a dejected Njoroge in court-side interview.

The skipper believes the worst is over and the results at the beginning of their season does not define how the rest of their season goes. Njoroge opines that since they have already played the top three finishers from last season’s league, they are up for better results going forward.

Buccaneers opened the season with a clash against Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) winning 25-14 before a 27-19 loss to holders National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

In another close encounter, the side lost to Black Mamba 20-19 on 19 June before last weekend’s action where they lost one and one to make it 2-3. This weekend, Buccaneers have the chance to go back to winning ways with clashes against soldiers Thika and Technical University of Kenya (TUK) on Saturday and Sunday respectively. 

“Our focus is on better finishing now. Conceding 20 goals against some of the best teams in the league shows our defense is okay. However, the number of chances we threw away against Strathmore, especially those the keeper managed to save calls for a change in tactics,” added Njoroge.