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After weeks of training, the She Cranes’ final squad for the 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup scheduled to take place from February 1-9 at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham and Copper Box Arena in London, England has been revealed.

The team will depart on Wednesday ahead of the four-team tournament. England, South Africa, and Malawi are the opponents.

Fildauce Namuleme, Sylvia Nanyonga, Lilian Achola, Malisera Akello, Deborah Nakijoba, and Barbara Namukaaya have been dropped while youngster Joan Ryekoboth makes the cut.

Privas Kayeny, Mutesi Nassim, Penelope Amiya and Hindu Namutebi are the other fresh faces on the team.

Star shooter Mary Nuba will join the team directly from her Australian where she features for Queensland Firebirds.

She Cranes final squad

Shooters – Christine Namulumba (Prisons), Rachael Nanyonga (NIC), Irene Eyaru (KCCA), Mary Nuba Cholhok (Queensland Firebirds)

Middle Court – Joan Ryekoboth (St Mary’s Kitende), Hindu Namutebi (Police), Margaret Baagala (NIC), Penelope Amiya (NIC)

Defenders – Sandra Nambirige (NIC), Gloria Aya (NIC), Nasim Mutesi (NIC), Hanisha Muhameed (KCCA), Privas Kayeny (NIC)

Head Coache – Rashid Mubiru

Assistant Coach – Ruth Meeme

Uganda She Cranes have started preparations for the 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup, set to take place from February 1-9 at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham and Copper Box Arena in London, England.

The tournament will feature four teams; England Roses, South Africa’s SPAR Proteas, and Malawi’s Queens as well as the She Cranes.

The She Cranes, under the guidance of a new technical team led by Rashid Mubiru and Ruth Meeme, began training at the Makerere University Main Grounds.

The squad has both youth and experience. Season players Stella Oyella (GS/GA/WA) and Wing Defender Sylvia Nanyonga return to the national fold.

Rising midcourt star Joan Reroboth from St. Mary’s SS Kitende has been handed her first national team call-up alongside Police captain Barbara Namukaaya and Rachael Nanyonga as well as familiar names such as Margaret Baagala, Shadiah Nassanga, Irene Eyaru, Mary Nuba, Hanisha Muhammad, and Gloria Aya.

Full Squad

Shooters – Shadiah Nassanga (KCCA), Christine Namulumba (Prisons), Barbara Namukaaya (Police), Rachael Nanyonga (NIC), Irene Eyaru (KCCA), Stella Oyella (UK), Mary Nuba Cholhok (Queensland Firebirds)

Middle Court – Fildauce Namuleme (NIC), Akello Malisera (Prisons), Penelope Amiya (NIC), Joan Reroboth (St Mary’s Kitende), Hindu Namutebi (Police), Margaret Baagala (NIC), Lilian Achola (Weyonje)

Defenders – Sandra Nambirige (NIC), Sylvia Nanyonga (Prisons), Gloria Aya (NIC), Nasim Mutesi (NIC), Christine Nakitto (KCCA), Hanisha Muhameed (KCCA), Kayeny Privas (NIC), Dorah Nakijoba (UPDF

All Fixtures (East African Time)

Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

Saturday, February 1

Sunday, February 2

Copper Box Arena, London

Saturday, February 8

Sunday, February 9

Uganda’s She Cranes put up a spirited fight but came short against South Africa in the finals of the 2024 Africa Netball Cup on Saturday in Namibia.

The She Cranes lost 65-50 to South Africa who led all four quarters.

Nelson Bogere’s charges trailed by four goals (16-12) at the end of the first quarter. They improved defensively in the second quarter but the production in the offensive circle remained the same and trailed 30-24 at halftime.

The Ugandans were out of steam in the third quarter which the South Africans dominated to lead by 17 goals (50-33).

The victory marked South Africa’s fourth Africa Netball Cup title to edge ahead of Uganda who remain on three titles.

Uganda’s centre Margaret Bagala was named the tournament’s best centre after her stellar performance throughout the cup.

The team returns home on Monday.

Uganda’s Starting 7

Substitutes

Uganda She Cranes have qualified for the finals of the Africa Netball Cup.

The She Cranes achieved the the feat after coming from down in the first half to beat Malawi, 51-43.

Nelson Bogere’s side started slow falling back in the opening quarter by 6 goals (14-8) largely due to turnovers from good Malawi defense.

Bogere made changes for the second quarter with Joyce Nakibuule making way for Mercy Batamuliza at Wing Attack and later Sandra Nambirige coming in for Hanisha Muhameed.

The change saw Nambirige take over Wing Defense with Gloria Aya moved to the defensive circle at Goal Defense to join Goal Keeper Faridah Kadondi. The result was Uganda crowing back into the game and going for the halftime break level at 23.

Uganda led for the first time in the third quarter and never looked back with Shadiah Nassanga later coming on to join Mary Nuba in the attacking circle for captain Iren Eyaru who sustained a knock.

The She Cranes will take on South Africa in the final on Saturday at 3:00 pm (EAT).

The She Cranes of Uganda outclassed Eswatini, 85-34, in the ultimate group game at the Africa Netball Cup on Thursday afternoon.

This win propelled the three-time African champions into the semifinals of the 2024 championship.

Uganda dominated and led the game from start to finish with the first ending 27-3 before the lead was stretched to 35 (48-13) by the end of the second quarter.

In the third quarter, coach Nelson Bogere made some changes handing Fildaus Namulema a debut and Christine Namulamba playing time as Uganda had extended their advantage to 63-25.

It was Uganda’s second win in three games, following their win against Namibia on Wednesday having suffered a narrow 49-50 opening-day loss to Zimbabwe.

The She Cranes will take on Malawi in the semifinals scheduled to take place on Friday, December 13.

She Cranes Starting 7

Substitutes

Uganda’s she Cranes have bounced back from the Africa Netball Cup opening-day defeat to Zimbabwe by beating Namibia, 55-43, at MTC Dome in the coastal city of Swakopmund.

Unlike the opener, the She Cranes played with a lot of urgency, moving the ball faster into the circle.

Changes were made to the team set-up with Hanisha Muhammeed starting at GoalKeeper and Faridah Kadondi moving to Goal Defense and the pair was formidable in and around the defensive circle.

In the attacking third, skipper Irene Eyaru started at GoalAttack to join Mary Nuba Cholhok and there was a lot of telepathy in the attacking circle.

The team turned a four-goal (15-11) lead at the end of the opening quarter to a nine-goal (23-32) lead at halftime a lead that was maintained through the second half despite Muhameed’s two-minute suspension.

“We were reckless in our last game but we came into the Namibia match with a winning mentality. We lost the last game due to poor game management, and we couldn’t afford to repeat that mistake against Namibia,” Muhameed said of the game.

Eyaru had a perfect shooting evening making 22 attempts while Cholhok had a shooting accuracy of 84% (33/39). Midcour star Margaret Bagala was named player of the match.

Head coach Nelson Bogere praised his team’s performance.

“The girls executed everything as planned. The home team had the support but the team stayed focused and managed to win,” he said in the aftermath.

Uganda will next play Eswatini on Thursday afternoon in their third group game and a win will send Uganda to the semifinals.

Uganda’s She Cranes will be seeking to bounce back against Namibia when the two teams face off in the Africa Netball Cup on Wednesday.

The She Cranes suffered a shocking 50-49 loss to Zimbabwe on Monday, a setback that put the side in a position of must-win against Namibia if they are to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

“We have put yesterday’s game aside. We are ready for tomorrow’s game and we know it’s not going to be easy because we are playing the hosts but we have fixed whatever we have to fix,” head coach Nelson Bogere said.

The She Cranes started slow against Zimbaabwe and were sloppy in the first half but were better in the third and early in the foruth before falling off late.

Skipper Irene Eyaru sat out with a slight knock with Shadia Nassanga and Rachael Nanyonga playing as the GAs but the coach saays Eyaru is availabe for selection in the game against Namibia.

“We have a belief that starting tomorrow we will win all our games because we have learned a lot from yeserday’s game. We are going to make it upto the finals,” Eyaru said.

The first centerpass will be made at 7:00pm East African Time.

The Uganda Women’s Netball National Team, the She Cranes, suffered a narrow 50-49 loss to Zimbabwe in a tense Africa Netball Cup encounter on Monday.

The match, held at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund Municipality, Namibia, saw Uganda squander their lead in the dying moments of the game.

Despite a slow start, the She Cranes managed to establish a three-goal lead at the end of the first quarter.

However, Zimbabwe responded strongly in the second quarter, taking a one-goal advantage (25-24) by halftime.

The introduction of Hannisha Muhammed in the third quarter bolstered Uganda’s defence, helping the team regain control and build a seven-goal cushion (39-32) by the end of the period.

Unfortunately, the She Cranes’ technical team made changes in the closing seconds that disrupted their rhythm, allowing Zimbabwe to clinch the victory by a single goal.

Speaking after the match, She Cranes’ head coach reflected on the performance, citing critical errors that cost the team the win.

“We had a poor start, but the girls fought back to take the lead in the third quarter before faltering late in the game,” he said.

“We were forced to make some changes in the last minutes because we received multiple warnings. We will regroup and work on these mistakes moving forward.”

The She Cranes will return to action on Wednesday, December 11, to face tournament hosts Namibia.

Uganda’s National Netball Women’s Team, the She Cranes, is set to face Zimbabwe in their opening match of the 2024 Africa Netball Cup.

The highly anticipated game will take place at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund, Namibia.

The team, led by coaches Nelson Bogere and Nourredine Kato, has expressed confidence and readiness to compete for the coveted championship trophy.

“We are set for the tournament. We travelled safely and have settled in well with several training sessions,” Bogere stated.

Sandra Nambirige, the last player to join the team in Namibia, also expressed her preparedness for the competition.

“I travelled well to join my teammates. It was a successful journey. I’ve conducted recovery drills and participated in other training sessions. We are ready,” Nambirige affirmed.

Uganda is in Pool 2 alongside Zimbabwe, host nation Namibia, and Eswatini. Pool 1 comprises South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya. Lesotho, initially slated to participate, has withdrawn from the tournament.

She Cranes Squad

Shooters: Irene Eyaru, Christine Namulumba Kago, Shadia Nasanga, Mary Nuba Cholhok, Rachael Nanyonga


Mid-Court Players: Margaret Bagaala, Joyce Nakibuule, Filedaus Namulema, Mercy Batamuliza


Defenders: Sandra Nambirige, Christine Nakiito, Faridah Kadondi, Muhammad Anisha, Gloria Aya

Uganda’s final squad for the Fast 5 World Netball Series has been named.

The She Cranes return to the tournament, which is scheduled for November 9-10 in Christchurch, New Zealand, after missing last year’s edition.

Three foreign-based players; Maary Cholhok, Faridah Kadondi and Hanisha Muhameed, have been named on the team. However, Muhameed has been in the country and training with the team for the past couple of weeks.

Skipper Irene Eyaru, midcourt star Margret Baagala, Christine Namulumba, and shooter Shadiah Nassanga who has been in fine form are joined by Christine Nakitto, Sandra Nambirige and Joyce Nakibuule to complete the squad.

At their last appearance in 2022, the She Cranes beat Jamaica (twice) and Australia and finished 5th.