KCB players celebrate with the trophy after clinching the 2019 Kenya Cup title beating Kabras Sugar in the final played at the Kakamega Showground. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 – Kenya Sevens skipper Jacob Ojee proruced a man of the match performance, contributing 18 points as KCB hit Kabras Sugar 23-15 to successfully defend their Kenya Cup title at the Kakamega Showground on Saturday evening.
Ojee crossed over once, drilled home three penalties and converted Ahmed Shabaan’s try as the bankers hit Kabras to the title for the third time in a row and cement their place as the best 15s team in Kenya currently.
Having never lost to Kabras in the 10 meetings they have faced each other in, KCB showed they were not ready yet to soil that statistic. The bankers got into business early, Ojee crossing over the chalk and converting his own try.
The bankers had shown resilience to go ahead just minutes after Oliver Kilonzo had been sent to the sin bin.
Kabras gave in a fight and came close to reducing the gap when Philip Wokarach tried his luck with a penalty from distance but sailed wide. However, they were rewarded at the stroke of full time with Dan Sikuta sinking a try but Wokarach missed the extras.
The two sides went to the break with the bankers tails up at 7-5.
KCB’s Tony Onyango shoves aside Kabras Sugar’s Paul Abuto during the Kenya Cup final at the Kakamega Showground on May 18, 2019. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
But, the home side, pushed on by a passionate home crowd came in rejuvenated after the break. Charlton Mokua crossed over with Wokarach converting after Brian Moseti had knocked on to give Kabras possession.
With a 12-7 lead, Kabras were in control and they ensured that control remained tight under their arms when Wokarach drilled home a penalty to take the scores 15-7 in favor of the home side.
Sensing that the game was dragging away from them, KCB upped their tempo and twin penalties from Ojee took them to within two points of their hosts, squeezing the score at 13-15.
KCB won a penalty and elected to go for the line out and this proved a decisive gamble as they retook the lead from here. Ahmed Shabaan who had come off the bench stepped inside and out to find space and roll over under the posts.
Ojee added in the twos for a 20-15 lead before he sliced the posts with a penalty four minutes to full time to put the game beyond Kabras.
The home side will count their losses from another failed bid, this being the sixth time they are playing in the final and the fifth they have lost.
