Luwere, Luwere, Nyasaye akhulinde (It’s over, it’s over, may God protect you) engulfed the pitch as Kenya Cup champions Kabras Sugar weathered the storm to retain their Enterprise Cup title in Nakuru yesterday.
They fought hammer and tongs and never gave their opponents, Menengai Oilers, time to breathe throughout the match.
Kabras Sugar did so after stopping the stubborn Oilers 33-12 in a tension-packed but entertaining match at ASK Nakuru Showground.
Even several exchanges of players in both halves did not help the homeboys as Kabras fans who travelled all the way from Western Kenya kept the match live with the Luwere song.
Kabras Sugar assistant coach Max Adaka attributed their victory to a number of corrections they made to their squad after losing to Oilers in the Great Rift 10-a-side finals at same venue last weekend.
“We made the corrections that mattered from the mistakes we had done at the Great Rift 10-a-side Championships finals, which of course, worked in our favour,”Adaka told Standard Sports.
Oilers head coach Gibson Weru admitted his players did not click in the match, thereby giving their opponents the leeway to overcome them.
“Our players terribly failed in the match, which allowed our opponents to penetrate into our territory at will to beat us, but we can correct that as we move into the future,” Weru said.
The millers were in a class of their own from the first whistle and were aggressive in the first half, pinning the Oilers in their own in the first 40 minutes.
And when the opportunity to score came, South African import Ndukiza Ntabeni did not disappoint with the first penalty to take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter of the first half.
Thereafter, Walter Okoth touched down for the visitors with Ntabeni making the conversion to increase their tally to 10-0.
The try by Okoth seemed to have caught Oilers by surprise just a few minutes before the break.
Shortly, Kabras Sugar scored an unconverted try through Alfred Orege for them to take a 15-0 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Oilers were a bit steady in their defence, but they could not manage the aggressiveness and sporadic speed of the millers.
With that speed, Kabras easily earned their second penalty, slotted in by kicker specialist Ndukiza.
After that score, it was the turn of Oilers to raid Kabras’ territory, and their efforts paid off when experienced Bildad Ogeta touched down as Timothy Omela made the conversion for an 18-7 score, just 10 minutes after the restart.
But Gabriel Adero widened the gap for the millers for another try as Ntabeni kicked it over for a 25-7 lead.
Griffin Chao stretched the lead beyond the reach of the homeboys for a 30-7 lead, triggering early celebrations from Kabras fans.
Oilers reduced the deficit through Samuel Ofwamu’s try, whose conversion was missed by Samuel Mwaura for the score to stand at 30-12.
Mukidza then wrapped it up for Kabras with a penalty at the death.
Ben Ahenda
| Apr 27, 2025