She Cranes head coach Fred Mugerwa, has excluded two players from last year’s World Cup squad in preparation for the upcoming test series in Wales and the Vitality National Cup in England.
Stellah Nanfuka and Viola Asingo are among the casualties as Mugerwa announced his selection of 11 local-based players on Friday morning for the Wales test series from January 10-13 and the Vitality National Cup scheduled for January 20-28th in England.
Privas Kayeni and Annet Najjuka are also left out from the 15 that have been training for the upcoming games.
“In camp, we’ve closely observed these players, and the best among them have earned their spot. Those not selected haven’t been meeting the performance standards. Considering their performance at the Netball World Cup in South 2023, these players may not be on the same level of form as we approach upcoming tournaments. Confidently, this is the strongest team ready to deliver,” said Fred Mugerwa.
Sandra Nambirige makes a return to the team, while the England-based shooting duo of Hanisha Mohamed and Mary Nuba will join the squad upon arrival.
The first match for Uganda against Wales is slated for Wednesday, January 10th followed by the second test match on Friday, January 12. The third and final test match will take place on Saturday, January 13th 2024, all hosted at the House of Sport.
The last encounter between Wales and Uganda was at the Netball World Cup in South Africa, where the She Cranes emerged victorious with a 73-56 win
The team will then travel to England to compete in the Vitality Nations Cup against hosts England, New Zealand, and Australia on the weekends of January 20-21 and January 27th -28th 2024.
The team was officially flagged off on Friday 5thDecmber by the State minister for Sports Peter Ogwang and will depart on Saturday 6th Januaryaboard Qatar Airways. Each player on the squad will earn $1000 for the upcoming games.
FINAL 13 PLAYER SQUAD
LILIAN ACHOLA – C/WA
MAGRET BAAGALA – C/WA – ASSISTANT CAPTAIN
BATAMULIZA MERCY – GS/GA
MARY CHOLHOK NUBA – GS
IRENE EYARU – GA/WA – TEAM CAPTAIN
HANIISHA MUHAMMEED – GS/GK
FALIDAH KADONDI – GD/GK
SARAH NAKIYUNGA – WA/C
CHRISTINE NAKITO – GD/WD
SANDRA RUTH NAMBIRIGE – GD/WD
CHRISTINE NAMULUMBA – GS
SHADIAH NASSANGA – GA/GS
OFFICIALS
FRED MUGERWA – HEAD COACH
PEACE PROSCOVIA – ASST. COACH
STEPHEN NORMAN – TEAM PYSIOTHERAPIST
CECILIA ANYAKOIT – TEAM MANAGER
LETICIA NAMUTEBI – ADMINISTRATOR
VITALITY NETBALL NATIONS CUP SCHEDULE
Saturday 20 January – OVO Arena Wembley, London
Australia vs. New Zealand
England vs. Uganda
Sunday 21 January – OVO Arena Wembley London
New Zealand vs. Uganda
England Vs Australia
Saturday 27 January – First Direct Arena, Leeds
Australia vs Uganda
England vs. New Zealand
Sunday 28 January – First Direct Arena, Leeds
Third-place play-off
Final
