The top-flight women’s netball league enters its fourth match-day for most teams this weekend at the Nakivubo stadium.
For each passing match-day, the momentum and enthusiasm continues to grow, going by the competitiveness of most teams. However, beyond the surface of it, is how close most of the games have been, after the three match-days.
It is not clear whether this is by design but, put plainly, the lingering question is why games continue to keep its patrons on tenterhooks, following what is proving to be very close scorelines.
On Saturday, April 19, National Insurance Corporation (NIC) netball club, which is arguably the most decorated team in East Africa, following how much it has been winning over the years, kept most of the fans, and more particularly its technical staff as though they were seated on needles.
NIC’s victory over Weyonje was a hard-earned 38-35 victory. Least of all, this same NIC side, which boasts of many national team players, had on match-day one lost to KCCA 39-40. NIC’s centre, Fildauce Namulema, was candid about the whole spectacle: “Truthfully, the fact that we have not been playing for two years, has caught up with us. Even the teams we used to easily beat are at par with us now.”
In light of that, Dennis Mpoza, the coach of Life- sport netball club, pointed out the reason why there is little to separate the teams. Mpoza noted that because all teams have been stunted due to inactivity, there is an equality in terms of fitness and competitiveness.
That said, Mpoza believes that with time, class will rise to the top and the bigger players and teams will begin to create a gap between themselves and the smaller teams. However, that may not happen soon enough, though. Mpoza argued that a host of the players in the netball top league are within the same age range, from 18 to 28.
Against that, a host of these young ladies level up when it comes to athleticism, something that was evident in the game between KCCA and UPDF. While KCCA boasted of established internationals: Shaffie Nalwanja, Christine Najjuka, Shadia Nassanga, Mercy Batamuliza and Norah Lunkuse, UPDF gave them a run for their money, leading them through the three quarters, before KCCA rallied in the fourth quarter, to win 46-42. UPDF’s defence, attack and general passing game were something that gave KCCA real trouble.
On the other hand, Namulema noted that returning to the league after two years, has inevitably meant that so much has changed.
“Teams have changed a lot in terms of playing style and personnel. So, a number of opponents are new to us, and we do not know how they play. That leaves the element of surprise as we have seen,” Namulema said.
Notably, in some of the other league games that have been played, save for Uganda Christian University that beat Dynamite 64-35, UPDF only edged Ugisa 46-43, and Busia beat UG X Luwero 44-42. Such close scores are a suggestion of how the gap between most teams has been closed. It cannot be a bad thing, can it?