Kenya Institute of Bankers Interbank Sports: KCB Bank tug of war team not looking back

KCB Bank tug of war team during the Interbank Sports at KSMS on Sunday. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

They missed the trophy by a whisker last season and now the inspired KCB Bank tug of war team is leaving nothing to chance.

The side started the Kenya Institute of Bankers Interbank Sports on good footing, trampling former champions Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) 2-0, Post Bank 2-0, Agricultural Finance Corporation 2-0 and a walkover against Diamond Trust Bank to sail into the Saturday's semis which will precede the final to be held later in the day.

Team's anchor Barnabas Mungo says the reason for their ruthlessness is as a result of the mistake they made in the final against Co-Op Bank in the last edition of the Games that cost them the elusive trophy

"We lost to Co-Op Bank 2-1, but we were to be blamed.

"Our kindness to allow the opponents to replace an injured player in round three when we were all tied at 1-1 cost us the cup.

"The fresh player who came in was very tactical, he had immense energy, he finished us off completely, he perfectly delivered the cup to them," Mungo told Standard Sports.

Mungo, who doubles as a player cum team manager, says KCB have set their sights on the trophy again this season, hoping they will bag it for the first time to write history.

To show how serious the squad was, Mungo and the team-mates always headed straight to their training base at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka to practice immediately after every game.

Mungo is glad that this kind of focus paid dividends as the team was able to dismiss former tournament winners CBK with ease.

"We thought CBK were worthy opponents in our pool, but they could not match our tactics, our skills in the clash were simply beyond their reproach," he stated.

The KCB Bank Digital Finances Services Division Manager, Key Accounts explained they took one game at a time in the competition, to top their pool and proceeded for the next round of matches with similar stealth.

In order to make the team sustainable for future Interbank championships, KCB has recruited five new players this season to replace the older charges gradually.

"Actually, our first eight is a pretty new line up as older players like us are passing the mantle to them.