John Osogo Secondary School from Budalangi beat hosts, Teens of Hope FC from Nambale, 1-0 to be crowned the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Busia County finals champions on Saturday.

The captivating match held at Otimong Primary School Grounds in Nambale, saw talented winger Evans Siande touch the back of the net with the decider goal in the 31st minute.

John Osogo Secondary will now proceed to play at the Western region finals of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba slated for Bukhungu in Kakamega on August 26 and 27.

In the Girls' Category of the thrilling football tournament by Safaricom, Chakol Queens delivered a 4-1 thrashing to their long-time rivals Kingandole Queens to carry the day.

Chakol’s Maximilla Apio opened the match’s scores in the first minute but Kingandole Queens retaliated to level the match in the second minute through Phozy Achieng.

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However, in the 22nd minute, Sharon Akumu managed crashed through Kingandole's defense and hurled an astounding cross to place the indomitable Chakol Queens ahead.

Successive goals by Abigael Ilukor and Lilian Achom in the 25th and 42nd minutes respectively saw Chakol Queens convincingly thrash Kingandole into submission.

Chakol Queens’ coach Antony Kalia said he is now focusing on the regional finals and lauded Safaricom for giving the youth a chance to showcase their talents from the grassroots level.

“My players showcased a good game today. They capitalized on every chance they got that earned us a victory. Our focus now shifts to the regional finals as we have less than a week before we play finals scheduled for this coming weekend,” said Kalia.

He added, “We thank Safaricom for such an amazing initiative to support young talents. We need more of such initiatives here at the grassroot to help expose and many untapped talents.”

Each winning team pocketed a cash prize of Sh75,000, and each runners-up Sh30,000, with the top scorers and best goalkeepers each taking home Sh10,000.

Abigael Akol of Chakol Queens scrambles for the ball with Linet Akinyi of Kingadole Queens in the Busia County Finals. PHOTO/SAFARICOM

Similarly, the Most Valuable Players (Golden Ball) from both the boys’ and girls’ teams, each got Sh10,000 and a TVET scholarships courtesy of the Safaricom and M-Pesa Foundations.

“Looking ahead to the upcoming regional finals, our goal is nothing short of victory. I extend my gratitude to Safaricom and our fans for their support, as we promise to bring the trophy home,” said Chakol Queens player Melsa Amusolo.

John Osogo and Chakol Queens join Compel Sportiff and Brenda Girls from Bungoma and Madira Girls and Ebwali Boys from Vihiga who already qualified for Western region finals.

The last Western Region County finals is slated for Kakamega County on Sunday at Kakamega High School Grounds, and will see Lugari Progressive face Kakamega Starlets in the Girls category and Lugusi Boys face off with The Menace in the Boys’ Category.

The Western Kenya finals tournament attracted a total of 441 teams with Kakamega leading with 162 registered teams, followed by Bungoma (152), Busia (64), and Vihiga (63).