The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Netball Team, she cranes has finalized preparations for the international test series against the Wales Netball Team, the Welsh Feathers.
The team under the guidance of veteran coach Fred Mugerwa and his assistant Nurudine Kato had nearly four weeks of immense preparation for the Test series where they will battle Wales later this month.
According to the fixtures, the first match will be played on Wednesday 10th January, 2024 at 7pm, followed by the second test match on Friday 12th January. 2024 at 7pm.
The third and final test match will take place the following day on Saturday 13th Jan 2024 at 4pm. All matches will take place at the House of Sport,
With merely two positions separating the Welsh Feathers (9th) and the She Cranes (7th) in the World Netball Rankings, the forthcoming series promises intense competition and is poised to be a showdown for both teams.
The last encounter between Wales and Uganda transpired during the Netball World Cup in South Africa, concluding with a 73-56 victory in favor of the She Cranes.
Before their clash on the global stage, the Welsh Feathers hosted Uganda on home soil for a test series in October 2022. The two riveting matches unfolded at the House of Sport, culminating in scores of 47-56 and 46-64, with Uganda’s She Cranes emerging victorious and securing the series.
A win for Uganda will have an impact on the rankings and Coach Fred Mugerwa said they are all ready for the encounter. Today we should be doing our last training because the girls have to rest before traveling, the team is good and ready.” He said
After the test series, the She Cranes will then proceed to take part in the Vitality Netball Nations Cup which will feature power powerhouse teams such as Australia, New Zealand, England, and Uganda which will kick off on 20th January 2023.
She Cranes’ first game will be against England on the 20th before playing New Zealand the following and later Australia on January 27th. Mugerwa says that their only mission in this very tournament will be upsetting some of the powerhouses that will hugely impact the She Cranes rankings.
Currently, She Cranes are the underdogs among the four countries that will feature in the tournament. While Uganda is 7th, it will be facing off with the world’s crème de la Crème and any win against the three will be crucial for the She Cranes. Austria is currently number one on the globe with 8,874 points, followed by New Zealand and England.
The two tournaments come as a consolation for the She Cranes which missed the Africa Netball Championship at the expense of the administrative turmoil that ended in the suspension of the Uganda Netball Federation Executive Board.
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