Resolution Impala Saracens will be up against bitter foes and next door neighbors (or is it the other way round?) Kenya Harlequin in a potentially exciting Impala Floodlit cup semifinal clash under the Impala Club lights on Saturday 8 October.
This won’t be a contest about who has the better kit, or club house, those are trivialities to be discussed post-match…it will be about the quest to secure a cup final slot on Saturday 15 October against the winners of the equally mouthwatering semifinal clash between champions KCB and Top Fry Nakuru.
Both sides come into this clash boasting a rich array of talent and experiences, and will without a doubt, seek to summon all their available resources for Saturday’s fixture.
Nato Simiyu who gave a man of the match performance in the Sarries 34-15 quarterfinal win over Strathmore Leos will once again be expected to conduct the orchestra that features the likes of Sammy Oliech, Duncan Ekasi, Joel Omer, Ian Minjire and Mohamed Omolo in complimentary roles as they seek to return to the championship match on 15 October.
Kenya Harlequin were slow off the boil, gathering steam late on to beat Mwamba 15-5 in last weekend’s cup quarterfinal. It will be recalled that they pulled off a last 29-22 win over the Sarries when the two sides met in last season’s Kenya Cup opener at the same venue.
Quins will certainly relish the opportunity to post another win over the Sarries at the Impala Club, and, while Saturday’s encounter is for all intents and purposes a pre-season clash, they most certainly treat it with the seriousness of an event planning committee, paying attention to detail as they seek to get their systems and combinations going, not only for this fixture but for the fast approaching 2016/17 Kenya Cup season.
They will look to the experience and leadership of David Ambunya, Lyle Asiligwa, Ronald Musaja, Dennis Muhanji, and Jared Owinyo to guide them against the Sarries.
Whoever wins the battle of the forwards will very likely set themselves the platform to win the match. There should be some interesting battles in midfield, former St. Mary’s schoolmates Anthony Nyadigisi (Impala Saracens) most probably dueling against David Ambunya (Quins).
It will be also be interesting to see if Quins utility back Pius Shiundu is fielded against the side he decamped from two seasons ago.
Both sides will release their match day squads on Thursday evening.