Kenya finished at an impressive second place during the just-concluded All Africa Junior Teams Championships (AAJTC), played at the Windsor Country and Golf Club on Thursday.
Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s junior Mwathi Gicheru registered the best scores for Team Kenya boys, managing an overall score of one over to anchor the team to a strong runners-up position.
“The experience was good. I cannot say it was easy; it was a bit hard. The course was playing long, the greens were fast, but we managed to play well. It means a lot because South Africa is a very strong team and finishing second behind them shows that we are also strong and we can compete with the best in Africa,” Gicheru said.
He added, “I feel great. It is a dream come true for me. I have always wanted to represent my country in a world event, and now I have the chance. We are going to work hard and make sure we perform well in Japan.”
Bianca Ngechu had the best scores for the Kenyan girls on five over.
Team Kenya’s team manager, Vincent Mukiri, said he was delighted with the general performance of the team, noting that the team had prepared well for the event.
He said the second-place finish meant a lot to the country. He noted that as a host country, Team Kenya was delighted to be runners-up on home soil.
“To start with, the team was made up of players from Order of Merit who were then put into a camp, a nine-month camp, from where we then selected from a group of 20 players this group of four boys and three girls. Therefore, it is a nine-month program that we have seen presenting four boys and three girls to compete in this event,” Mukiri said.
Kenya has now finished second in the competition, a position they held from the first to the last day, with the boys' team managing a combined score of +13, while the girls’ team managed a combined score of +5.
The results means that South Africa and Kenya boys’ teams will represent Africa at the World Junior Championships in Japan in June, by virtue of finishing as the best two boys' teams, while in the girls’ competition, only South Africa qualified to represent the continent at the global showpiece, since only the best team was getting the limited ticket.
Boys Final Leaderboard
1. South Africa -22
2. Kenya +13
3. Morocco +18
4. Uganda +25
5. Zimbabwe +27
6. Zambia +33
7. Mauritius +49
8. Namibia +52
9. Botswana +55
10. Ghana +76
11. Egypt +86
12. Tanzania +100
13. Côte D’Ivoire +106
14. Tunisia +130
Gilrs Final Leaderboard
1. South Africa -14
2. Kenya +5
3. Morocco +29
4. Zimbabwe +43
5. Tunisia +45
6. Uganda +61
7. Botswana +87
8. Ghana +104
9. Maurituius +105
10. Zambia +134
11. Egypt +161
