Kenya Harlequins coach Paul Murunga praised his team’s mentality after they came from behind to defeat KCB 17-12 in sudden death, securing victory in the Kakamega Ingo Sevens on Sunday. The Ngong Road side struggled in the first half but displayed resilience in the second half and during sudden death to clinch the win.
Murunga’s team had previously lost the opening leg to Kabras with the same score last week during the Christie Sevens.
A thrilled Murunga expressed his pride after the final, stating, “Credit to the boys; they believed in themselves even when things were not looking good in the first half. We made a few adjustments in the second half, which allowed us to gain control and ultimately win.”
He urged his players to maintain their momentum heading into the third leg—the Dala Sevens—in two weeks. “We will take a break for the next two weeks, but we are not going to rest on our laurels. I believe there are certain areas of our play that we can improve on to become sharper,” he added.
This victory propelled Quins to the top of the National Seven Series standings with 41 points, two ahead of Kabras in second place with 39 points, while KCB sits in third with 32 points.
In a dramatic final, KCB opened the scoring when Elvis Olukusi evaded defenders on the outside, easily defeating Amon Wamalwa to score the first try. Olukusi then capitalized on a brilliant break by Trevor Odawa, extending KCB’s lead to 12-0.
Quins regrouped, and Wamalwa showcased his speed, offloading to Albert Olela, who scored and converted, bringing the score to 12-7 at halftime. After the break, Quins intensified their efforts, with Brian Ratila scoring a corner post try to level the game and send it into sudden death.
Lucky Dewald became the hero of the day, navigating a crowded field to score the golden points, leading Quins to victory. Host Kabras secured the bronze medal by defeating Nakuru 22-7 in the third-place match.
