Kabras sneak past Oilers to make Enterprise Cup finals

Kabras RFC narrowly edged longtime rivals Menengai Oilers 19-17 to see them qualify for the Enterprise Cup finals .

The highly anticipated Enterprise Cup semifinal went down on Saturday 8 April at the Kakamega Showground. It was not just the stakes of the match that had fans on edge, but also the scorching hot weather that tested the limits of both teams. Tensions and adrenaline ran high and the match was a thrilling and highly contested affair, with every player leaving it all on the pitch in pursuit of victory.

To qualify to the semifinal stage, Enterprise Cup defending Champions Kabras RFC had received walkovers from Kenya Harlequins and Strathmore Leos. The Sugarmen have also won this title two times in a row. The last time they lost an Enterprise Cup final was in 2018. Oilers on the other hand were seeking to better their quarter-final performance where they beat Nondies RFC 53-3.

Series of kicks, lineouts, and scrum with both teams sharing the energy dominated the opening 10 minutes of the match. From the scrum, Biden Hayo went over with the first try of the match which Valerian Tendwa successfully converted. Kicks from Dukisa gained territory for the hosts and from the lineout, Biden Hayo graced the scoresheets with another five-pointer. The conversion attempt unsuccessful.

Oilers lost possession at their yellow zone and the center referee called for a scrum. From the scrum, Dukisa kicked the ball and a series of passes was witnessed before Bryceson Adaka scored joined the scoresheets with a five-pointer that Tendwa converted. The visitors then closed the last half with an unconverted try to see scores climb to 19-14 at halftime - setting up a jaw dropping second half.

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The well-oiled Oilers came back stronger in the second half and piled pressure on Kabras RFC's defence to cause them to infringe. After minutes of camping inside the hosts' half, Gibson Weru’s charges were out with three points and the score is 19-17.

No more tries were scored in the match to see the final scores at 19-17.

At the Lions Den, KCB saw out visiting Impala 64-3 to join Kabras in the finals.