CROSSING FINGERS

Kabras trio face race to be fit for start of Kenya Cup season

The four-time champions side are unbeaten in two seasons in both the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cups

In Summary

•Speaking  Thursday Kabras sevens coach Felix Ayange said the earliest the trio could be back could be in late December or January 2025

•The Kakamega based side bagged the Christie and Dala sevens but came up short in the Prinsloo, Kakamega and Driftwood sevens

Kabras evens team celebrate winning the Dala sevens recently
Kabras evens team celebrate winning the Dala sevens recently

Kabras trio Dan Angwech, Valerian Tendwa and Matthew Osimbo face a race against time to be fit for the start of the Kenya Cup season in November.

Angwech and Tendwa sustained ankle injuries during the National Sevens Series while Osimbo sustained an Achilles injury while training for the Simbas ahead of the Africa Cup in July in Uganda.

Kabras Sevens coach Felix Ayange said the earliest the trio could be back is late December or January 2025.

“The players are still under rehabilitation so we will wait and see if the rest of the squad has already started their pre-season programme for the 15s season. we will wait and see how the recovery pans out," added Ayange. 

The four-time champions are unbeaten in two seasons in both the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cups.

Ayange wants his side to stay ahead of the chasing pack if they are to win the league for the fourth year in a row.

"Everyone will be coming for us this upcoming season and we must stay ahead and be innovative to ensure the players have the hunger and desire for the upcoming season,” said Ayange.

On the just concluded  Sevens circuit, Ayange believes they have to build more depth if they are to win the overall Sevens crown which has eluded them since winning it in 2017.

“ We have come close in the last two seasons, finishing second and credit to the boys they put up very strong performances across all six legs. Our planning for next season has started by identifying talent from across schools in the region,” said  Ayange

The Kakamega-based side bagged the Christie and Dala Sevens but came up short in the Prinsloo, Kakamega and Driftwood Sevens where they reached the semifinals and finished with 105 points— five behind eventual champions Quins.

The former Kenya Sevens international was full of praise for the emergence of new talent in the team like Jackson Siketa, Collins Osore and Ray Maruti who were high school players last year.

“ The three showed their worth and they are some of the exciting talents we have in the team but they are not the complete package. There are other facets of play we must improve on and keep our feet grounded," noted Ayange. 

The sugar millers are expected to play a couple of pre-season matches before the start of the league.