Kenya Cup: Menengai Oilers knock out reigning champions KCB

For the first time since 2016, eight time Kenya Cup champions KCB will not play in a championship deciding match as they were knocked out of the semifinals by a Menengai Oilers side that was only promoted to the top tier in the 2017/2018 season.

In the semifinal matchup played on Saturday afternoon at KCB Sports Club, Oilers silenced the home team and their stunned onlookers as they recorded a 17-24 win to confirm their place in the 2021/2022 Kenya Cup finals for the very first time in their history.

While Oilers never managed any try in the game, huge credit went to the resplendent fly half Geoffrey Ominde who drilled in all eight of his penalties that lifted Oilers to the upsetting victory over the reigning champions and a historic feat since their formation.

Try as they could, KCB, who were largely on the backfoot in the first half could not find any response to the questions asked, as they ended up going down in defeat.

Straight from the word go, Oilers approached the match knowing that only points would help their course. So when KCB committed early infringements in the game, Ominde stepped up thrice to give his side an early 0-9 lead from three successful penalty conversions.

After a moment that nothing seemed to work for them, KCB got their elbows out in the 25th minute as they confidently called for a scrum just 5 metres out instead of taking the easier points route.

That decision ended up turning to be a masterstroke as Darwin Mukidza evaded challenges in the corner to land the game's first try that he also successfully converted to chop the deficit to only two points. (7-9)

By the halfway interval, Oilers managed to extend their lead to 7-12 after a fourth penalty conversion by Ominde.

Just four minutes upon the resumption of the second half, another scrum routine gave KCB a first time 14-12 lead in the match after Vincent Onyala's try was converted by Mukidza.

Oilers hit back with an immediate response as Ominde drilled in his fifth penalty. Mukidza then scored KCB's only penalty in the game afterwards but Ominde added three more to singlehandedly carry his side to the 17-24 shocker that saw them advance to the finals.