Netball: She Cranes Shocked By Wales In Series Opener

Posted by: Eninu William in Netball January 11, 2024

Wales secured a 57-45 victory against Uganda’s She Cranes in the first encounter of the Netball Trial Series at the House of Sport, Cardiff on Wednesday evening.

It was a massive blow for Uganda who missed the services of versatile player Haniisha Muhameed due to club engagements.

In the game that was played in front of a noisy crowd, Uganda kickstarted on the front foot. However, Wales took the lead and by the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 14-12 in favour of the hosts.

The She Craned once again looked like the scoreboard pressure had taken the best of them making a number of turnovers.

Wales was so aggressive and strong and the high-court pressure defense hardly allowed Uganda to enjoy their textbook style of playing the game.

Going into the halftime break, Uganda was trailing by four goals as the host led 27-23. Wales returned to the court first showing how much they wanted the game.

However, the She Cranes returned in the third quarter much more aggressive defensively. Each ball from Wales was greatly contested, unlike the first two quarters.

Wales goal shooter Georgia Rowe was unplayable in the circle while Ella Powell Davies was all over Mary Nuba Cholhok. This denied the She Cranes to play that dropping pass into the circle often.

It was an absolute win for Wales who were in ascending mode. They limited Uganda to only 11 goals (42-34) in the third quarter thanks to the immaculate defensive work.

The Cranes gaffer Fred Mugerwa made a bold call as Cholhok was called onto the bench and Irene Eyaru returned to the court for the final block. After four quarters of an entertaining game, Wales walked away with bragging rights as Uganda went down trailing to 12 goals.

The two sides will lock horns again on Friday before the final game on Sunday. Uganda will later take part in the Vitality Nations Cup where they will face stiff competition from New Zealand, Australia, and England.

Uganda’s Starting Seven

GK: Faridah Kadondi
GD: Christine Nakitto
WD: Florence Adunia
WA: Sarah Kakiyunga
C: Margret Baagala
GA: Irene Eyaru
GS: Mary Nuba Cholho

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