Menengai Oilers booked a dramatic spot in the semifinals of the 2025 Impala Floodlit Main Cup after a nail-biting 16-13 victory over KCB Rugby, courtesy of a last-minute penalty from fullback Abutwalib Wesonga.
The tightly contested clash under the Impala Club lights saw Oilers draw first blood through a Timothy Omela penalty, camping deep in KCB’s half to take an early 3-0 lead. The bankers, however, responded in the 17th minute with a penalty of their own to level the scores at 3-3.
KCB’s forward dominance soon paid off as they capitalized on possession to score a far-post try, Brian Wahinya converting to extend their lead to 10-3. On the stroke of halftime, Omela slotted in another penalty to cut the deficit to 10-6 heading into the break.
Oilers came out firing in the second half but missed an early penalty chance as Omela’s attempt went wide. The bankers punished that miss with another successful penalty to stretch their advantage to 13-6.
However, Gibson Weru’s charges showed resilience, hitting back with a centre-post try, thanks to Samwel Were efforts, that Omela coolly converted to level matters at 13-13, setting up a tense finale.
With the clock winding down and both sides battling for territory, Oilers were awarded a crucial penalty in the dying seconds. Up stepped Wesonga, who held his nerve to split the posts and seal a memorable 16-13 comeback win,sending Oilers through to the semifinals for the second consecutive year to put their title defence hopes alive.
Other Results
Impala Floodlit Cup – Quarterfinals
Blak Blad 35-13 Kenya Harlequin
Nondescripts 27-21 Strathmore Leos
Impala 24-21 Mwamba
Menengai Oilers 16-13 KCB
Varsity Category – Quarterfinals
USIU Martials 28-25 Kabete Stallions
JKUAT Cougars 44-0 Impala Swaras
Mean Machine 13-20 Daystar Falcons
KCA University 19-15 Zetech University
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