The first outing of the SportPesa National Pool Circuit 2026 held at the Timba XO Bar and Grill in Eldoret from 6-8 November came to a successful end with Patrick Mwangi and Patricia Keruche emerging winners in the men and ladies category respectively.
In a thrilling race to 7 finale, Mwangi forced the game into a tiebreaker having trailed from 5-2 when he levelled the scores at 6-6. He then kept his composure to grab the win that saw him walk away with a cash prize of 100,000 shillings.
On winning the first of three outings, Mwangi said, “The game was good, I had a very worthy opponent who pushed me to my limits and I am over the moon. I just took one game at a time without thinking of the outcome and I am glad to have emerged as the winner.
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I would love to dedicate this win to my chairman for always supporting us as Mchana Pool Club and always committed to seeing the growth of pool.
I’d like to appreciate SportPesa for their support all the way from grassroots and now we are in the nationals. A big thank you to them for always being there to supporting young talents and also for the efforts they are putting to help this sport to be recognized worldwide.”
There was another comeback in the ladies category with Keruche coming from 3-1 down before emerging victorious 5-3 and walking away with 70,000 shillings.
“I am so happy. It was a comeback and I think I surprise myself sometimes. I did not know I would hold it down like that but I am so happy. When I was down, I was not dwelling on the scoreboard because I did not want to dwell on the thought of defeat and I managed to do it.
I would love to thank my fans for all their support and my boyfriend for always pushing me. This is just the beginning with my eyes on the National Finals in Nairobi,” she said.
One on one with Keruche The Pool Queen!
#SportPesaPoolCircuit https://t.co/jHHpLCxUHE— SportPesa Kenya (@SportPesa) November 8, 2026
Collins Tuwei, who is one of the Directors at Cuevolution organizing the tournament, expressed his delight at how the event played out in the first outing.
“My heart is full. When we started we were not sure how it will come out but the results have been overwhelming. This partnership with SportPesa means everything for pool players.
I have been a pool player for over 20 years and with all honesty I have not seen any corporate to take the game as seriously as SportPesa has. Their slogan is ‘Make It Count’ and I hope pool players live up to that,” he said.
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SportPesa Public Relations Manager Willis Ojwang’ on his part reiterated the company’s commitment in supporting the game and taking it to the next level.
“The journey has been impactful. We have seen thousands of players all the way from grassroots and we have seen amazing showcase of talent and potential.
For SportPesa it is just a dream come true because our aim was giving players a platform to showcase what they have and Eldoret has been more than successful and a sign of better things to come in the remaining legs and future,” he said.
After Eldoret, the attention now turns to the second outing in Nakuru to be held from 20-22 November. The last outing will then be held in Mombasa from 4-6 December.
After the last outing in Mombasa, the top 64 of 128 in the men’s category and the top 32 of 64 in the ladies side will advance to the National Finals.
SportPesa National Pool Circuit calendar
Eldoret – 6 to 8 November 2026
Nakuru – 20 to 22 November 2026
Mombasa – 4 to 6 December 2026
SportPesa National Final – TBC