Nondies advanced to the semi-finals of the Impala Floodlit Tournament after edging Strathmore Leos 27-21 in a thrilling quarterfinal clash played on Saturday at Impala Club.
The Red Lion started brightly, with Ryan Odua pouncing on a loose ball after Gabriel Ayimba’s quick line-out went wrong, allowing Stormy Odhiambo to finish and hand Nondies an early 5-0 lead.
Their momentum continued when Ronnie Omondi reacted swiftly from a penalty situation, slicing through a disorganized defence to score under pressure for a 12-0 advantage.
However, the tide turned when Adrian Wallace tackled Ayimba in the air, earning a yellow card. The students capitalized immediately, scoring through a series of pick-and-drives before Arnold Muita converted to close the gap to 12-7.
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Leos then took the lead just before halftime as Victor Mola collected a pass and accelerated to score at the corner, with Luke Cheptil converting brilliantly for a 14-12 advantage.
The second half was tightly contested until Ayimba was shown a yellow card, giving Nondies a numerical advantage. Substitute Hillary Baraza made an instant impact, diving over for a try off a long pass from a ruck to reclaim the lead.
Nondies struck again moments later, crossing at the corner to stretch the score to 27-14. Strathmore Leos pulled one back with three minutes to play through a converted try, but despite a late surge, Nondies held firm to book their place in the semi-finals.
