Impala Saracens in Enterprise Cup action…
Resolution Impala Saracens will travel to play Mombasa Sports Club in the first fixture of the Enterprise Cup on March 8th. In fixtures released last Friday, Impala will then play Mwamba RFC at Railway Club, should they beat the coastal outfit. Kulabu have a bye to the semi final to be played on March 15th.
The Enterprise Cup, the oldest existing rugby competition in East Africa, was inaugurated in 1928, in Kenya. Kenya Cup club sides participate in it. Impala Saracens is yet to play the 12th ranked Mombasa in the Kenya Cup competition. Mombasa has, however, been a stubborn client at Mombasa Sports Club.
On the same side of the Impala Saracens draw, Lunch Bar Quins are at home to Western Bulls on the first weekend. Quins played Bulls in a memorable Kenya Cup match where Bulls lost 27-34 but got two bonus points. The winner of this tie then meets KCB RFC which has a bye to the semi final.
Resolution Impala Saracens has won the knockout Cup 11 times. The Resolution
Insurance
backed side first won the Cup in 1961 and are only second to Nondescripts RUFC that has won the diadem 25 times. Nondies first won the competition in 1937 and last in 1998.
Other than 1961, the Nairobi based arm of the Saracens Global Network also won the prestigious Cup in 1965, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and lastly in 2005. Impala Saracens will be keen to improve its fortunes in an injury-plagued season that denied the team valuable experience.
5 interesting facts about Enterprise Cup:
1. The Cup wasn’t played in the following years: 1940-1946 (World War II), 1987 (All Africa Games), 2010 and 2012 (KRU-semi finalists dispute)
2. The Cup has been shared twice: 1998 (Lunch Bar Quins and Nondies) and 2003 (Resolution Impala Saracens and Lunch Bar Quins)
3. Resolution Impala Saracens longest consecutive run of wins is four, achieved twice: (1971-1974) and (2000-2003)
4. Coast Province and Mombasa have each won the competition once – in 1952 and 1998 respectively
5. The Kenya Police team, now defunct, once won the Cup in 1959
