National Cereals and Produce Board team coach Bryan Mathews is confident his charges will come back stronger and better after relinquishing the Super Cup title to KDF Ulinzi.
NCPB lost 35-37 to the soldiers in a tough final at Nyayo Stadium on Thursday. He praised his boys for playing their hearts out up to the last minute.
The tactician, who guided the side to both the national and regional titles, said they missed their one-on-one chances and had a few turnovers. “ In such a match, those little things matter,” he noted.
“We will make a few adjustments, rectify our mistakes and come back better and stronger... You win some, you lose some and that’s sports. Congratulations to Ulinzi,” he said.
Both teams were deadlocked 27-27 in regulation time and after an additional 10 minutes, they remained level 31-31 before the soldiers, who are the 2019 winners, eventually dug deep to carry the day courtesy of Phillip Isuza’s last-gasp efforts.
In the women’s final game, Nairobi Water Queens retained their title after beating NCPB 30-20 in the last tie of a four-team affair that also included Ulinzi Sharks and Rangers.
Captain Glady Chilo said, “We plotted their downfall and broke the target into small bits to avoid playing under pressure. We targeted a gap of five points in the first half and a five in the second and things worked out perfectly.”
She said they acquired their first-half target and maintain that in the second.
Water Queens Jack Ochieng admitted the match was tough. “We came in with a target and this made it even tough. Some of my players were not 100 percent fit because of injuries they sustained last week, but I thank God for the win.”
