Impala win floodlit trophy

By BS MULAVI

Impala RFC retained the Resolution Health Impala Floodlit trophy in a tense final against KCB at the Impala grounds.

Veteran Moses Kola emerged hero for the hosts, kicking in four penalties to help the Red Shirts win the game with a close 17-13 margin. Two tries from Anthony Ogot and Benjamin Otieno were not enough for the bankers to stop a repeat of history where they also lost to Impala in the final a year ago.

KCB captain Edwin Alubaka rued missed chances from his side and lauded the winning team for having the mettle to hold on to their lead and walk away with the title.

"We knew it wouldn’t be easy and the hosts did not disappoint, but overall it was a good game and props to my team too for such a tough contest."

Self Belief

Impala captain, Nato Simiyu, was ecstatic with the victory and thanked the God for enabling his team to retain the title.

"We always believed on our abilities and when we came out to the pitch, we told each other we were not getting out without the title. We just thank God we are the Champions."

Nato was humble in victory, saying the win was a reason for a careful approach to another Kenya Cup campaign on Saturday.

"I think this is a good start to the season and it will go a long way in building the confidence of the team as we start our Kenya Cup title defense," he added. Mean Machine scooped the second runners-up position after beating Nakuru 8-6 in the third and fourth playoffs. Captain Ian Were praised the victory, saying it shows the potential they hold. "Last weekend, we lost in the last minute of the game, but today we held our nerve and beat a big team. This just shows if we can correct some of our mistakes, we can beat any team in the Kenya Cup," said Were.

Early Warning

Were went on to sound an early warning to the losing finalists KCB, whom they meet next weekend for their first Kenya Cup fixture.

"We are ready for KCB and we will be going there for nothing less than a victory," Were added.

Mean Machine Flyhalf, Fielden Sinei, scooped the player of the tournament after leading his team to the third spot. Sinei could not hide his excitement at the Impala grounds.

"This is an honour to get the best player while I am still at Mean Machine. This shows that the upcoming youth can fill the shoes of the veterans and take the team to greater heights," said Sinei.