Ask anybody who played or watched rugby on these lands from the turn of the millennium, to list their top five back rows of that time and most likely his name will be there. Walk around any KCB match, ask for the one man who exemplifies the lion, his name will in most cases be presented to you.
Anthony Ochino Obel, commonly referred to as Junior by his mates was the definition of a beast on the pitch and a gentleman off it. Junior joined KCB in the year 2000 from the Lenana High school where he had completed his KCSE in 1998. He would soon represent the country in the under 21’s before becoming a regular in the Lion’s squad.
Chino XL as this writer fondly called him was later to be an integral part of the golden generation of KCB. The side that won 3 Kenya Cup titles, 2005, 2006 and 2007, two Enterprise cups, in 2004 and 2007 and one Super series title in 2008.
Junior would remain a vital part of his squad up until 2011 when he left for the UK to complete his Bachelor of Science in Business Information Technology at the University of Greenwich. He kept playing his beloved sport in the UK, while keeping a close eye on the proceedings back home especially on his club side.
He would be online following the live Kenya Cup and ESS scores every Saturday, you wouldn’t find him far from any discussion touching on the local game. A trend he kept even on his return.
He came back to the country in mid 2012 where he ventured into coaching and here too, his star shined. Leading Laser Hill to the National sevens championships twice and winning the Damu Pevu shield twice.
Even with his coaching duties, you’d rarely miss him at a KCB match, wherever it would be. He’d be the silent observer, it was a hard convincing the new fans that the man was a brutal beast on the field of play. He rarely criticized, you could spot him after a match giving the younger players a word of advice and it didn’t matter the colour of the shirt the player wore.
It was this humble and polite quality that won him friends and admiration from across the clubs. He loved a good read, and was an avid reader of this space, one that had a big role in making what you see here. He once wrote the preview of last year’s KSSSA Sevens Games here..
On the night of March 5th 2014, the Lord saw it fit to call Junior to glory, he will be remembered by many as a friend, a mentor and an all round great man. My prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends during this tough time.
Chino XL…Fare the well Back Row Matata..May the after life hold only the greatest for you and may you make that come back we were waiting for playing against the angels..Till we meet again Bro!!
