Strathmore’s 17-10 victory over Quins in finals of the Western Union National sevens circuit underlined the thin divide separating local giants and whipping boys.
The students’ triumph, a first ever title in the National Sevens circuit was a shock result especially having had a torrid season in 15s rugby league.
Twenty minutes of play in a pulsating final in the Driftwoods Sevens was what determined who would have the bragging rights as the best sevens team in Kenya.
And for Strathmore coach Mitch Ocholla the twenty minutes yielded a big reward for years of painstaking hard work put in by the team in their quest for glory.
Ocholla reckons that even though the final was equally important, it was the road to the final that really mattered.
"We have been working really hard for five years and now we get to sow the rewards of our labours," said Ocholla.
"There is no easy way about it, and the hard work makes the victory all too sweet," he added. Strathmore captain Dennis Nyarige echoed his coach saying: "It all depends on the work you put in and how much you prayed to God, it is only through the Almighty that one is able to accomplish such feats."
Strathmore fended off strong opposition from Kenya Harlequin, KCB and Nakuru RFC. Quins fought Strathmore to the bitter end, but were unfortunate to lose to the students in the Driftwoods Sevens finals in Mombasa thus ending the circuit with 110 points, four less than the 114 attained by the champions.
KCB were third best despite a spirited fight back.
Nakuru were favourites to lift the overall title when the season began in November, but they slowly wilted as the circuit progressed and from being number one, three weeks ago, they have had to settle for fourth place.
Strathmore put on a splendid display of consistency that mirrored the endurance of a marathon runner.
The students started the circuit by keeping up with the leading pack and towards the end broke off to a sprint by winning the last three legs in the circuit to lift the coveted overall title.
