In a scintillating Semi Final encounter played at the Impala Club grounds, hosts Resolution Impala Saracens have bowed out of this year’s Enterprise Cup. KCB, last weekend, sneaked in a 31-24 win. The hotly contested match saw the teams go kamikaze on each other, trading massive tackles and rugby flair in seesaw fashion.
Recovered centre Lameck Dunde, lightning quick in striking the Lion’s try box when his fingers picked up the high ball from a miscued penalty kick by winger Quinto Odhiambo. Odhiambo converted this second kick. The lions would grow hungry and would quickly level the scores after a Mwanja Kolia try. His scrum half, veteran Peter Mutai converted for a 7-all score.
Odhiambo would then display flying wheels to chase fly half Nato Simiyu’s kick which KCB failed to deal with. The young winger would score in KCB back three’s ensuing confusion. He didn’t convert his own try, though, for the score to remain 12-7. The Impala Saracens fans went into a frenzy.
The Lions then begun constantly poking the Impala Saracens defence and ruthlessly denying the Gazelles possession. Eventually, the well-coordinated forward play had the Impala defence caving in for another KCB veteran Anthony Ogot’s try. Mutai’s boot didn’t falter at making the scoreboard read 14-12. Half time.
Lapses in concentration saw the Gazelles give away tries to backrowers Philip Wamae and Ian Indimuli. They attacked the spaces where the bankers earlier preferred a direct approach that Impala was dealing with well on the one-one tackles. Impala now trailed 12-24, a seemingly insurmountable score. But, the Saracens boys immediately became resurgent when the The Lions’ rested centre Ken Moseti, long serving lock Mwanja Kolia, Wamae and incisive fullback Ojee,Mutai was then shown yellow for cynical play in the red zone. Impla didn’t, however, score in the intervening period. Impala Saracens’ backrow, Anthony Oyugi then sliced through the Ruraka boys’ defence, to reduce the difference to a one score game. Maurice Mbai would soon be shown yellow for KCB’s repeated infringements.
The Ngong Road club’s never say die attitude would reflect towards the end of the match when they scored in the very last play, to tie the match at 24-24. Sensational flyhalf Simiyu would ground from solid forward play. It was his most significant run where he had been mainly directing play and playing territorial kicks. Veteran Kola added the extras.
The Enterprise Cup rules meant two extra time halves of 10 minutes each. KCb were more decisive in the early exchanges with another KCB veteran Alubaka Asher barging over the line from a rampaging maul drive that had served the Men In Green well the whole afternoon. This ended up deciding the game.
‘It was a great show from the boys. This is a great improvement from where we were end of last year and early this season. The major positive for us was the ‘never say die’ attitude that took us to extra time. Our boys put their bodies on the line’, remarked Duncan Ekasi, the Impala Saracens captain.
The Resolution-backed side now sets its eyes on the Chairman’s Cup and the Bamburi Rugby Super Series franchise- Chui.
