Red-hot NCPB stun Equity in high-octane handball clash

The defending champions drew first blood and quickly raced to a 9–4 lead, forcing Equity head coach Peter Mwathi to call an early time-out.

However, the break did little to slow down the red-hot NCPB, who continued their dominance to take an 11–7 lead into the halftime break.

NCPB’s commanding performance was bolstered by goalkeeper Ian Odhiambo, whose brilliance between the sticks saw him pull off a series of crucial saves to protect his team’s advantage.

The second half followed a similar script as NCPB extended their lead with four unanswered goals, prompting Equity to call for a second time-out.

The Bankers briefly responded to reduce the deficit to 15–8, but NCPB remained in control, with Collins Snox at the heart of their attacking play.

Equity’s hopes of a comeback suffered a major blow when Felix Omondi was shown a red card for a foul on NCPB’s Maurice Opwaka.

Despite showing resilience against a tiring NCPB side, Equity left it too late to mount a meaningful comeback and eventually settled for a 23–19 defeat.

Cereals head coach Bryan Mathews praised his team’s performance, terming the victory crucial in their title chase.

“Equity has top players, and taking two points from them is massive for us. We planned to take an early lead and protect it, and the boys executed it brilliantly,” Mathews told Citizen Digital.

The former national team player also heaped praise on shot-stopper Ian Odhiambo for his impressive display.

“Ian played a very good game today. He led us in protecting the lead by making crucial saves. His ability to stop one-on-one situations is out of this world,” Mathews said.

On the other hand, Equity coach Peter Mwathi rued his side’s poor conversion of chances.

“We lost the game because we failed to convert our chances. That was our major undoing, and we need to do better in taking our opportunities,” Mwathi said.

The national team head coach, however, noted that his side has a chance to redeem itself when the two teams meet again in the second leg.

The win propelled NCPB to the top of the standings with 14 points, four ahead of second-placed Equity on 10 points.

Earlier, Strathmore University edged Black Mamba 20–19 in another thrilling encounter, while General Service Unit were handed a rude shock by Kisiwa Polytechnic, losing 38–29.