KCB just barely edged out Top Fry Nakuru in a succinctly encapsulating Impala Floodies semifinal fixture under the Impala Club lights on Saturday 8 October 2016.
All of Nakuru’s early prodding came to naught, falling behind to a Darwin Mukidza penalty. Martin Muita missed the chance to draw the Wanyore level, his goal attempt from a penalty sailing wide and they fell further behind through Stafford Abeka’s unconverted try, KCB leading 8-0 after 17 minutes of play. Mukidza would soon add a penalty to put the bankers 11-0 up after 23 minutes of the first half.
Andrew Amonde, receiving the ball in motion, would ghost past feeble Nakuru defending to touch down, Mukidza adding the extras as the bankers went 18-0 up after 27 minutes of play.
The final 13 minutes of the first half would witness two things, first, a lull in play, second, a spirited Wanyore fight back. The insurmountable pressure from Nakuru paid off when Mike Okombe barged over from a rolling maul on 33 minutes before big Ed Okemwa landed a second on the stroke of half time for an 18-10 score at the interval.
Nakuru picked up from where they left off, their early intentions curtailed by Mukidza’s try saving tackle but the writing was clearly on the KCB wall, Nakuru’s pressure eventually paying off when Okemwa landed his brace on 46 minutes to bring the score to 18-15.
KCB,on the ropes from Nakuru’s game chasing barrage, still managed to find themselves inside Nakuru’s half, the intensity of their phase play raised by replacement scrum half Felix Wanjala. They would force Nakuru into an error, Mukidza’s goal attempt from the ensuing penalty bouncing off the posts. They would eventually come good moments later, Mukidza drilling home another penalty to put KCB 21-15 on 57 minutes.
Nakuru were still in this, coming to within three points of KCB when Geoff Ominde drilled home a penalty but the bankers, keen to seal the result, landed a third try through debutante Felix Ojow, Mukidza’s 64th minute conversion putting the defending champions 28-18 up.
The final quarter of an hour made for malaria (for lack of a better word!) as Nakuru kept asking questions of KCB, a litany of errors seeing them pull back, first through Muita’s penalty that brought the score to 28-21 before Philip Kwame’s unconverted try two minutes from time brought the score to 28-26.
Nakuru kept chasing, piling the pressure on the flailing bankers but simply ran out of clock, KCB sneaking into a third successive Floodies final.