Netball Super League: NIC Struggles to Beat Life Sport as UCU, Police and Weyonje Secure Wins
Week three results:
Ugx-Luweero 29-57 Makindye Weyonje
Posta Netball Club 29-55 UCU
UPDF 54-56 Police Netball Club
Mutelx Life Sport 33-43 NIC
The week three of the 2022/23 Uganda Netball Super league was held on Saturday at Bombo Army SS Playground and four were honored on the day.
The financially struggling Ugx Luweero and Makindye Weyonje had the opening fixture and Weyonje registered her first win of the season with 29-57 scoreline.
The two games of the day was the one between UPDF and Police Netball club and that of defending champions National Insurance Corporation and newcomers, Mutelx Life Sport.
UPDF and Police were playing their first match of the season since the league began when the two were in Interforces championship held in Kasese last month.
Since it was a forces’ derby, it was an epic game where Police wanted to avenge against UPDF who beat them in the Interforces games.
UPDF won the first quarter at least by a margin of three goals, 14-11 but Police came in the second quarter to change the score and at the break, the cops were in two goals lead, 27-25, it went like that until the final score of 54-56 in favor of the visitors Police.
“We came into this game with the zeal, with the energy to win it, we knew that they have much speed compared to us, so we played at our pace, reached our centres and tried to steal few from them. ” Said Police’s captain, Barbara Namukaaya.
The other aggressive game was the one between NIC and Mutelx, the record champions entered into this game without the services of their captain, Joan Nampungu who is with the National team the She Cranes in England, shooter, Stella Oyella who completed her professional deal to Vitality Netball Super League side, Sirens and Margret Baagala who is also with the national team.
Though NIC won the game by a difference of ten goals, it was the second game for newcomers, Mutelx to lose after conceding few goals, the first one was 36-35 against Posta.
The first quarter was a bit tight and NIC won it by a difference of only three goals, [10-07], however in the second quarter they extended the lead and NIC scored 14 against the 08 for Mutelx, the third quarter was too tight, each side scored 10, and in the last quarter, NIC was only one goal better than Mutelx, it went 9-8 and the final score turned to be 43-33.
One of the poor starts for NIC in recent seasons.
UCU also bounced back to winning ways with a 55-29 win against Posta. The result means, Busia Greater Lions still on top with four points, UCU second with four also.
The league will get back on Sunday at Kamwokya Community Sports Center with four games.
Africa Renewal University will be hosting Posta, UCU battling Ugx Luweero, as Busia Greater Lions taking on Prisons and Weyonje locking horns with UPDF.