Dominant KCB hand Nondies stern welcome back to Kenya Cup

8-time Kenya Cup champions KCB RFC laid down a marker in their opening game of the new 23/24 season as they thrashed the returning Nondescript RFC 45-8 at the KCB Sports Club on Saturday afternoon.

Seeking to lay their hands on the coveted Kenya Cup title that has evaded them over the past two seasons, the Curtis Olago coached side recorded a bonus point victory after running six tries past the record Kenya Cup champions who were playing their first match following promotion back from the KRU Championship.

Former Blak Blad ace Lionel Ajeliti bagged a brace with Griffin Musila, Bob Muhati, Michael Kimwele and Felix Ojoo also touching down to seal the emphatic victory for the Bankers, who did little to please their demanding head coach.

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"We managed to win but I am not impressed with how we played. We were lethargic in the first half, our game tempo was so slow and our system kept getting lost. We need to improve on what went wrong in the opening match for us moving foward,” Olago at full time.

After an even-matched opening ten minutes, it is Nondies who landed the first punch in the contest in the 12th minute when Calvin Sheunda drilled in a penalty awarded when a KCB player committed an infringement by holding on.

The 17-time Kenyan champions then competed well in keeping out KCB but their resolve was broken in the 24th minute when Griffin Musila touched down the game's first try off a rolling maul to give his side a 7-3 lead following Ajeliti's successful conversion.

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However just two minutes later, Nondies hit back in perfect style as Sankara Wafula made a darting run from near the halfway line before touching down at the corner to restore a 7-8 lead for his side despite the conversion being missed.

Nondies found themselves with a couple of chances to hurt KCB from set piece situations but their lineouts all failed to result in something, an area their head coach Callum Oliver was left disappointed in.

KCB would go into the break leading 14-8 after Ajeliti got the first of his two tries following massive KCB pressure that paid off with a converted try.

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The Bankers would grab a hold of the game just two minutes upon the second half’s resumption with Kimwele touching down their third try.,Ajeliti converting again to extend KCB’s advantage to 21-8.

The former Blak Blad man then completed his brace in the 47th minute before Muhati added his name on the scoring sheet after making a clean steal from the halfway line before pulling clear.

Ojoo completed the scoring with his try in the 72nd minute that sealed the 45-8 win.

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"We competed well in the opening thirty minutes but unfortunately that first 15 minutes in the second half we made some stupid errors. We could not exit out of their half and we basically gave them opportunities to score.

We did not win a lineout for 80 minutes and if you do that against a side like KCB you cannot build any ressure. We are disappointed because it is not how we wanted to start the season," Nondies head coach Oliver remarked.