Strathmore Leos sink KCB to claim Embu 7s title

Strathmore Leos outclassed circuit leders KCB 31-21 in a pulsating Embu 7s final at Ngujiri Showground, cutting the bankers’ lead in the National Sevens Circuit to just three points and throwing the title race wide open.

The Leos started with electric pace. Nygel Amaitsa picked up a loose pass deep inside his 22 and sprinted the length of the field to score the opener, before Arnold Muita created space out wide for Victor Mola to extend the lead.

KCB’s woes at restarts continued as Stanlus Shikoli punished a fumbled high ball to land a third try. 

Barnabas Owuor then cut through the bankers’ midfield defence to add a fourth, with Muita converting two for a commanding 24-7 halftime advantage.

KCB hit back strongly after the restart, taking advantage of Gabriel Ayimba’s yellow card. 

Floyd Wabwire touched down twice in quick succession, with Brian Wahinya converting both to close the gap to just three points at 21-24.

The momentum looked to be shifting, but Strathmore held their nerve. Substitute Samuel Wafula delivered the killer blow, slicing through the KCB defence and beating Vincent Onyala to score the decisive try, Muita adding the extras to seal a famous 31-21 victory.

Strathmore Leos earlier eliminated Menengai Oilers in the semi finals. It was sweet revenge for the Leos, who lost to Menengai Oilers at the Christie 7s semifinal last week.

Oilers settled for third place in Embu after hammering MMUST 31-0, while Kenya Harlequins beat Kabras 15-5 to claim fifth spot.

Catholic Monks edged Mean Machine 15-5 for ninth, and Impala topped the 13th-place playoff with a 19-5 win over Nondescripts.

In the women’s category, Mwamba were crowned champions after winning all their matches in the round-robin format.

KCB still lead the overall circuit standings on 66 points, but Strathmore have closed in on 63, setting up a tense finish in the last two legs of the series.

 

Mwamba 19 Kabete Stallions 17

Catholic Monks 15 Nondescripts 5

Embu RFC 29 Impala 24

Mean Machine 12 Zetech Oaks 7

Main Cup quater finals 

KCB 21 Kabras 5

MMUST 21 Nakuru RFC 19

StrathmoreLeos 29 Daystar Falcons 5

MenengaiOilers19 Kenya Harlequins 14

Nondescripts 14 Kabete Stallions 7

Impala 28 Zetech Oaks 12

Mean Machine 10 Embu RFC 7

Catholic Monks 10 Mwamba 7

Kabras 24 Nakuru 5

Kenya Harlequins 22 Daystar Falcons 5

KCB 31 MMUST 7

Strathmore Leos 24 Menengai Oilers 7

Impala 19 Nondescripts 5

Catholic Monks 15 Mean Machine 5

Kenya Harlequins 15 Kabras 5

Menengai Oilers 31 MMUST 0

Strathmore Leos 31 KCB 21