She Cranes Reach Africa Netball Cup Final

Uganda’s national netball team, the She Cranes have stormed the final of the Africa Netball Cup. They defeated Malawi 51-43 victory on Friday at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund, Namibia.  

The She Cranes showed resilience after a slow start, trailing Malawi by six goals (8-14) at the end of the first quarter. However, they regrouped impressively in the second quarter, levelling the score at 23-23, thanks to the clinical shooting of goal shooter Mary Nuba, who proved reliable under pressure.  

The third quarter saw Uganda take control of the match, extending their lead to 39-32, with brilliant feeds from the midcourt Margret Baagala and sharp interceptions in defence.  

The She Cranes maintained their momentum in the final quarter to seal a commanding eight-goal win and book a place in the final against South Africa.  

“Of course, everyone knows that Uganda is an award team as usual, we have a different way of playing which is very hard for them to manage, and I know our skills are always very different, it is always very hard for people to get to understand how Uganda plays,” she cranes captain Irene Eyaru said after the game.  

Earlier in the day, South Africa cruised to a 63-41 victory over Zimbabwe in the first semi-final to secure their spot in the championship match. The She Cranes Captain says the team’s focus is now on the final, where they hope to clinch the title.  

“That is our first goal, since we came here, that has been our first mission, we are not here to chill around or show off, what we came to do is to win the championship and go back as number one,”  

The She Cranes’ journey to the final has however been a rollercoaster or sort.

They began the tournament with a shocking 49-50 loss to Zimbabwe in Pool B but quickly bounced back with a 55-43 win over Namibia and an emphatic 85-34 victory against Eswatini.  

These results secured their place in the semi-finals, where they delivered a solid performance to overcome Malawi. Uganda will now need to build on this momentum to overcome South Africa, who are known for their disciplined structure and tactical play.  

Meanwhile, Uganda just returned to the continental tournament after missing out on last year’s edition which was won by Zambia.  The team was withdrawn at the last minute with the Netball Normalization committee claiming that it was difficult for them to mobilize on very short notice amidst the management turmoil that the Federation was going through.  

The decision came against the backdrop of a crisis that saw the National Council of Sports revoke the certificate of recognition for the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF), which was responsible for overseeing the national netball team.  

Uganda’s Results at the Africa Netball Cup 2024:  

Group Stage

Uganda 85-34 Eswatini

Namibia 43-55 Uganda

Uganda 49-50 Zimbabwe  

Semi-final 

Uganda 51-43 Malawi