Quins Raid Bankers As Djs Scratch Kabras

It was a weekend filled with nail biting, gluteus cringing action as Quins cashed in on the bankers and the Djs snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Muhanji breaks the KCB line, in a past encounter
Muhanji breaks the KCB line, in a past encounter

Other encounters saw Nondies struggle to beat Thika, with Impala opening up a 4 point gap at the top courtesy of a 55-10 result against Machine. Mwamba and Strathmore also posted resounding victories to strengthen their positions on the log.

At the Kakamega show grounds, Homeboyz found themselves trailing 20-8 at the breather, with little going their way. The sugar millers were 12-0 up inside the first 20 minutes courtesy of Jone Kubu and Max Adaka.

Haroun Lubisia would get the first points on the board for Homeboyz from a penalty, before Mulama slashed the deficit to 4 points from a try. Adaka and Kubu were again on hand to return the 12 point margin, with Max getting his brace and Kubu adding the 3 from a penalty.

There was little coming in terms of scores as the second half wound away, up until Ikambili grounded for the Homeboyz to make it 20-15 after the conversion. Jone Kubu replied for his side, from a penalty to make it 23-15. With a little over 10 minutes on the clock, all indicators pointed to a breath taking finish here.

Joshua Chisanga would burge over to make it a one point game at 23-22, before Kabras got what looked like the game settling score from James Odong to make it 28-22, with 4 minutes left to play.

The Djs would then hold on to possession, putting together phase after phase, inching closer to the Kabras Try line. With the clock having run down, Alvine Otieno would go over with Lubisia adding the extras for a 29-28 full time score.

Haroun Lubisia lines up a kick in a previous match.
Haroun Lubisia lines up a kick in a previous match.

That result, a true testament to the Djs resilience, in a game they trailed for 79 minutes, they never put their heads down, coming back to snatch it at the death. That result took Homeboyz to 6th on 24 points with a game in hand.

Kabras’ woes continue piling with 15 points to show from 7 games, they are now in 9th spot.

At the Impala grounds, it was Quins that were first on the board, Kevin Keegan kicking over a penalty after what can be described as a cagey start to this encounter. Bonab Were would slot in two penalties after this to make it 6-3 with 20 minutes on the clock.

It was Quins who enjoyed territory in the match so far, pinning the Lions inside their 40 for extended periods. Their next score however came against the run of play as KCB found themselves inside the Quins 22.

A loose ball from a ruck saw Felix Ayange gather at the blind side, to sprint the length of the pitch and score at the corner to make it 8-3. Keegan adding the extras for a 10-6 score line heading to the breather.

Quins were the better of the two sides, with KCB showing glimpses of brilliance. Their backs had managed to silence their opposite numbers, with Ambunya and Agunda causing all sorts of problems with ball in hand.

It was however at the forwards where the Lions could at least get something to smile about, having had the upper hand at the set piece and breakdowns.

The second half saw the Lions come off the blocks roaring, the introduction of Oliver Mang’eni doing the side all sorts of good. It was no surprise then, when Felix Wanjala sold an audacious dummy inside the Quins 5 at the base of a ruck, to go over and hand his side a 11-10 lead.

Felix Wanjala in past action.
Felix Wanjala in past action.

The next 10 minutes or so, was all KCB as their forwards ran rampant and were perhaps guilty of hogging the ball for far too long, when they could have taken it to the backs. At some point the Lions thought they had extended the lead, only for center referee Andrew Karani to call ‘held up.’

KCB would eventually get on the score board, from a Bonab Were penalty to make it 14-10. Then it was Quins’ turn to run proceedings.

A sweeping move saw Bernard Nyambok score at the corner, with Lyle Asiligwa raising the flags from the conversion, despite muted protests from KCB, to make it 17-14. Surely, the next score would certainly win it.

The Lions would throw everything at Quins, but looked like a spent force as they failed to put together sustained phases of play. Quins would again make their way into KCB territory looking to kill off the game.

They would win a penalty off a KCB infringement at a ruck, Lyle Asiligwa making no mistake from the penalty to make it 20-14.

Asiligwa would minutes later scuff a penalty from dead center, to hand the Lions a life line in the closing 3 minutes. His blushes were however saved, as the bankers inexplicably kicked away the last play into touch for a 20-14 full time score.

That defeat saw the two sides trade places on the log with KCB now in third on 26 points, one behind Quins on 27.

It was a truly thrilling encounter that saw Quins finally get one over the Lions, they will be buoyed by this performance heading into the next fixtures, having outwitted the defending champions.

It is worrying times for the Lions as they once again struggled to get into their stride, they’ll probably point out their populated injuries list, but at the weekend they did have chances to kill the game off that they simply did not take.

Other results saw Nakuru beat Western Bulls 37-13 and move into 4th place on 25 points. It is shaping up to become the most competitive league yet and to imagine that we are only halfway through the fixtures.

Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up, for this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Collated Match day 7 results :

KCB 14-20 Quins
Machine 10-55 Impala
Kabras 28-29 Homeboyz
Sharks 9-77 Mwamba
Strathmore 62-0 Blak Blad
Nakuru 37-13 Western Bulls
Nondies 22-5 Thika

KWISHA…Nimeruka Nje!!!

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