Daystar Falcons soar past Bungoma Polytechnic in dominant victory

The Falcons, who clinched the National Handball Championship in the Ladies’ Category during the 16th edition of the Kenya University Games at MMUST last year, displayed their experience against an inexperienced Bungoma Polytechnic side.

Bungoma Polytechnic had a promising start, scoring the opening goal, but quickly lost momentum. By the first time-out, Daystar had taken control, leading 7-4.

The match intensified in the 22nd minute when Emmaculate Grace of Daystar received a yellow card for a foul, as Bungoma Polytechnic continued to press forward. However, the defending champions remained composed and extended their lead to 17-11 by halftime.

Bungoma Polytechnic came into the second half with high intensity but struggled to convert their chances. By the 37th minute, Daystar had stretched their lead to 23-13. In the 39th minute, Bungoma Polytechnic’s standout player, Diana Barasa, scored a penalty, but the gap remained significant.

Despite their efforts, Bungoma Polytechnic could not mount a comeback, and Daystar secured the 35-26 win.

"This is our second win of the second half of the season, and we are happy. We took a lot of time preparing our defense, and we always say, ‘once the defense is good, we are good.’ We are aiming for the Super Cup, and we have four top teams in the race. We also had another game in the KUSA Games earlier today. For me, it's not about how many goals we score; the goal is to get three points," said Daystar Falcons head coach Martin Kamau.

Earlier in the day, Daystar had also defeated JKUAT 22-12 in the KUSA Games, a win their captain says they expected following their good preparations.

"We expected the win, of course. The team looked good today, but we lost some spaces in our defense. We will work on that," said captain Damaris Lebon.

Bungoma Polytechnic head coach Sharon Simiyu on her side, acknowledged her team’s struggles, attributing their performance to the long travel time and unfavorable weather conditions.

"The ladies fought hard, and when we come back, we promise to do better. Traveling from Bungoma took a toll on us, and maybe the climate was not favorable. We are aiming for the round of 12 this year and will work on our stamina after learning a lot from our rivals today," Simiyu said.

"The game was good. This was our first time competing against an experienced team like Daystar. Our players got tired early, but we will train hard, and next time, we will beat them," added Bungoma Polytechnic captain Wafula Esnas.

This was Bungoma Polytechnic’s second match in the league, following their 30-30 draw against National Youth Service (NYS) in the opening round on Saturday.

Other Matches

In other league action, Inspired secured a 36-27 victory over Young City (M), while The Citizens, a Kimilili-based team, failed to show up, handing the points to Thika (M).