Cheptalal FC celebrate with their cheque after winning the South Rift Cheza Dimba Tournament.Photo: Courtesy
Cheptalal FC beat Narok Town Stars Fc to win the South Rift Region Cheza Dimba tournament, earning a three year sponsorship deal worth Kes 250,000 annually while also securing the much coveted spot in the nationwide Tujiamini Initiative Cheza Dimba tournament.
Speaking after the final whistle that earned them a hard fought 2-1 victory, Cheptalal captain Elius Kipng’eno expressed joy in the victory acknowledging his team’s bravery in confronting what he said was a very challenging opponent.
“Knowing that we were facing a tough opponent, we renewed our focus in the final moments of the match and which turned out to be the crucial game changer. This sponsorship win is a welcome silver lining for both the team and players considering the many challenges we have faced in pursuit of success as a community club,” said Kipng’eno adding that the cash award will go along way into helping achieve the dreams of the Bomet based football club.
SportPesa’s Mercy Kabui reaffirmed the gaming firm’s dedication to supporting grassroots and community sports, highlighting the invaluable exposure gained by the players through initiatives such as Tujiamini.
“Through tournaments such as Cheza Dimba, young players who are the stars of tomorrow get to test and develop their skills even as they pursue their individual and collective growth. We are therefore encouraged and excited to be part of these success stories by providing the much needed support, however small for community clubs,” she stated.
The Cheza Dimba Tujiamini tournament in the South Rift Region boasted one of the highest number of entries with 170 applications, demonstrating a strong but needy talent base in the regions.
The winning spirit trickled down to the fans who pocketed cash rewards worth Kes 10,000 through the Bronze Kwa Ground award.
Cheptalal FC’s supporters stole the show with the highest fan turnout among the participating teams while Johnson Mungai nailed the Crossbar challenge for an individual win.
The Tujiamini initiative now heads to the Coastal region where even more community teams will get a chance to apply for a place in the penultimate Cheza Dimba tournament.
