Kabras Sugar will close out the calendar year on top of the Kenya Cup standings after registering their fourth consecutive win on Saturday 18 December 2021.
The sugarmen, winners of the league title in 2016, were made to fight for the 24-12 result against hosts Resolution Impala Saracens at the Impala Club.
They labored throughout the fixture, getting their first points through former Kenya international prop Hilary Mwanjilwa who scored under the posts, Barry Robinson missing the conversion. Quinto Ongo responded with a penalty for Impala, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
The tie remained edgy, Impala forcing their visitors into a string of errors but were unable to make the most of the ensuing penalties. Kenya international prop Ephraim Oduor got the visitors second try, Ntubeni Dukisa sure with the conversion as his team took a 12-3 lead into the interval.
Impala returned for the second half revitalized, again drawing the penalties from repeated Kabras infringements but still unable to make inroad from the ensuing territorial kicks. Another Ongo penalty brought them to within six points of the visitors, the scoreboard reading 12-6 after fifty minutes of play.
Derrick Ashiundu would then score the first of his two tries, Dukisa converting for a 19-6 buffer before Ongo’s trusted boot brought three more points for the Sarries, 19-9 with fifteen minutes left to play.
Ashiundu’s second try secured the bonus point for Kabras but Ongo was on hand again, his three pointer taking Impala into double digits as the visitors secured a far from compelling victory.
Kenya Harlequin 12 Homeboyz 23
Across the fence, Homeboyz registered their first win of the season, breaking Kenya Harlequin’s unbeaten record with a 23-12 result at the RFUEA Ground. Quins went ahead through Cornelius Mukoro’s unconverted try but two Amon Wamalwa penalties saw the deejays lead 6-5 at the interval.
Charles KInyanjui’s converted effort after the restart saw Quins go 12-6 up, the last time they would get any points on the board as quickfire tries from replacements Mohammed Omolo and Joseph Amalemba saw Homeboyz go 16-12 up before Brian Juma’s converted effort secured the result for the deejays.
Masinde Muliro 19 Menengai Oilers 30
Masinde Muliro fell to their second successive loss of the season, going down 19-30 to visiting Menengai Oilers in Kakamega.
Clinton Odhiambo’s converted try gave the visitors a 7-0 lead, opening the floodgates as further tries from Tyson Maina and Davis Nyaundi in between Timothy Okwemba’s second conversion saw the Oilers lead 19-0. Okwemba drilled over a penalty for a 22-0 score before the colorfully named Eric Cantona drilled over a penalty for the hosts as the scoreboard read 22-3 to Oilers at the interval.
Another Cantona penalty after the restart brought the score to 22-6 before the evergreen Geoffrey Ominde went over to see the Oilers go 27-6 up before Okwemba and Cantona traded off penalties.
Cantona would then convert Claus Shirievo’s try before signing off with a drop goal.
The day’s other two fixtures saw Nondescripts register their first win of the season, breaking Strathmore Leos unbeaten record with a 22-15 result at the Ngong Racecourse while former champions Topfry Nakuru remained winless, playing out a 10-10 draw with Blak Blad in Nakuru.
The Mwamba –KCB fixture was postponed in line with health and safety protocols following positive Covid-19 cases within the Mwamba camp.
Collated Results
Resolution Impala Saracens 12 Kabras Sugar 24
Nondescripts 22 Strathmore Leos 15
Kenya Harlequin 12 Homeboyz 23
Masinde Muliro 19 Menengai Oilers 30
Topfry Nakuru 10 Blak Blad 10
Mwamba v KCB (postponed)