Nondescripts’ remarkable journey from the KRU Championship to the Kenya Cup semifinals continued with a hard-fought 26-20 victory over Kenya Harlequin in a tightly contested Top 6 playoff clash at the RFUEA Ground on Saturday, March 16, 2024.
The game began with a display of determination from Nondies, as former Quins player Dominic Osino scored a try within the first four minutes, quickly followed by Moseti Nyaenya’s conversion, giving Nondies an early 7-0 lead.
Despite Evin Asena’s penalty narrowing the gap to 7-3 for Quins at the 20-minute mark, the game’s momentum shifted significantly when Quins’ winger Zeden Marrow received a red card, reducing them to 14 men.
Nondies’ Alex Devereux was also sin-binned just before halftime, allowing Quins to capitalize and take a 13-7 lead at the break after Asena converted Richel Wangila’s try.
Quins extended their lead to 20-7 early in the second half with Asena’s conversion of Meshack Tunnechi’s try. However, their momentum was disrupted when Wangila was sin-binned, and Nondies regained their full complement with Devereux’s return.
Nondies fought back with Charles Omondi scoring their second try, followed by Nyaenya converting Fred Shisia’s try, bringing the score to 20-19 with 14 minutes remaining. With staunch defense, Nondies denied Quins access to the tryline and seized the momentum.
As Quins pushed for a buffer, Nondies surged into their territory, and Steve Odhiambo powered over the try line, securing the victory with Nyaenya’s conversion.
In another match, Menengai Oilers defeated Kenyatta University Blak Blad 26-10 at the Nakuru Showground. Leading 16-0 at halftime, Oilers continued their dominance with Abutwalib Wesonga converting Tyson Maina’s try and adding four penalties. Blad responded with a try from Obat Kuke converted by Kelvin Karue, along with a penalty from Karue.
