Menengai Oilers reign supreme in Nakuru Derby once again

Menengai Oilers' Clinton Odhiambo races past Nakuru RFC players during their Kenya Cup match at Nakuru Athletics Club last year. Inset: Kenya 7s legend Collins Injera. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Beldad Ogeta scored a hat trick of tries as Menengai Oilers reigned supreme in the Nakuru Derby after coming from behind to outclass Wanyore 25-18 at ASK Nakuru Showgrounds yesterday.

Samwel Mwaura gave former Kenya Cup champions Nakuru RFC a narrow 3-0 lead after converting an early penalty before Fredrick Odongo made it 8-0 with an unconverted try.

Oilers would reply through Beldad Ogeta's try that was not converted before taking the lead through Geoffrey Ominde's unconverted try.

Emmanuel Mboya would however ensure Wanyore had the last laugh at halftime after crossing over to give Nakuru a 13-10 lead.

Upon restart, Ominde tied the scores at 13-13 after splitting the posts with a penalty before Thomas Okeyo restored Wanyores's advantage with another unconverted try as they retook the lead 18-13.

Ogeta would however come alive in the last 20 minutes of the match after bagging two more tries to complete his hat trick as Ominde converted the last try for a 25-18 win.

The win moved Oilers second on the log with 24 points behind former champions KCB who maintained their 100 percent start to the 2022-2023 Kenya Cup season after edging out Kenyatta University's Blak Blad 24-3 at KCB Sports Club.

Wilfred Waswa gave the bankers a 7-0 lead after touching down early in the match with Darwin Mukidza adding the extras before former Kenya Sevens captain Andrew Amonde made it 12-0 with an unconverted try.

In the final half, Kenya Simbas full back Mukidza stretched the score to 19-0 after touching down and converting his own try.

Shujaa's Johnstone Olindi would cap the victory with a late bonus point try off the bench but the conversion would sail wide as they won 24-3 after Blak Blad's stoppage time penalty.

The bankers remain top with 25 points after picking their fifth straight consecutive bonus point victory.

In Karen, Catholic Monks lost 45-15 to Kenya Harlequin as Masinde Muliro University lost their fifth straight match after narrowly going down 24-23 to University of Nairobi's Mean Machine.

At Madaraka, Mwamba came from behind (17-3) at the break to win 27-20 against Strathmore Leos.

Meanwhile, Kenya Sevens legend Collins Injera will be inducted into the Fiji Hall of Fame during the Coral Coast Sevens slated for January 12-14.

Injera, who scored 271 tries in the World Rugby Sevens Series over a career spanning nearly 16 years, was appointed as the ambassador of the Coral Coast Sevens tournament in August 2022.

He will be inducted into the Rugby Town Walk of Fame in Sigatoka alongside Fijian Sevens great Noa Nadruku.

The pair will join legends David Campese, Waisale Serevi, Jonah Lomu, Viliame Satala, Ben Gollings, Karl Tenana and Lote Tuqiri in the Walk of Fame.