Masaka SS, Nakisuyi reap fruits of sacrifice

Larger Than Life. Katkar (R) offered a bursary to Nakisuyi of Masaka SS after the latter was crowned MVP this week. Photo by E. CHICCO

I mmaculate Nakisuyi goes by the nickname Benzo. For those who don’t know; Benzo is the moniker for Benjamin Musoke, an ex-Cricket Cranes batting maestro and now chairman selectors committee of Uganda Cricket Association (UCA).

Soft-spoken and amiable off the field, Nakisuyi, like her role model (Musoke), is always willing to embrace the anchor’s role and ensure good targets are set by her side. She can literally bat for one’s life!

Three years ago, when she changed address from Jinja Senior Secondary School to Masaka Secondary School, the game’s purists thought her cricket career was over.

Instead, she has breathed life into a school that was predominantly just a soccer powerhouse turning it into a force to reckon with at the oval and also gone on to improve her cricket skills under the tutelage of Games Master Hakeem Kasozi and coach Yusuf Nanga.

At the just concluded UCA Girls Cricket Week, Masaka SS went down to Jinja SS by five wickets in a tense final but Nakisuyi enhanced her reputation by notching the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) accolade after scoring 138 runs at an average of 34.5 with a highest knock of 56 not out and also bagging six wickets in the process.

“It is all about hard work and team work,” said Nakisuyi, whose exploits earned her a bursary from UCA Board Member Hanumant Katkar. “We have been training hard in between the classes and the other girls have also worked on their individual games.”

Katkar hinted that the bursary to Nakisuyi was a way of motivating other girls to concurrently take school and sport seriously. “Immy (Nakisuyi) is a good cricketer. But she didn’t become one just overnight. She has worked hard at it and also stayed in school which is important.

I am willing to give her another offer and bursaries to other students who excel at both academics and sports. It is the only way better talents can be unearthed,” said Katkar, who also captains Kampala Institute of Cricket Clubs (KICC) in the National Cricket League.

Continued growth
There were more rewards for 18-year-old Nakisuyi, who was also named on the 14-man team that will represent Uganda at the Kwibuka Cricket Peace Tournament to held in Kigali, Rwanda in June.

And for Kasozi, Nakisuyi’s performance and continued growth is a sign of what Masaka SS intends to do across all fields of sport.

“When she first came to Masaka SS, she was just a good cricketer but weak in class,” Kasozi told SCORE.
“But we gave her a chance to improve her education and cricket. Last year she passed her S.4 examinations well and we decided to retain her. Many schools exploit students on sports bursaries and give them marks without helping them to improve in class. But we discourage it and always tell the students that it class and results first.”

And it isn’t only Nakisuyi that Masaka SS has helped transform, exciting talents like Jane Francis Baluka (from East Kololo), Anna Nyapendi (East Kololo), Christian Tumusiime( Kyebambe Girls) , Teddy Oyella (East Kololo), Irene Alumo (Soroti Light SS), Julia Karungi (Namhuga PS), Collins Okwalinga (Mwiri) and Ronald Lutaaya (Kyambogo PS) have been accommodated by Masaka’s ‘academics through sports discipline’ project.

“Our critics are pointing a finger that we don’t have a culture. But I insist we do. Look at our project and its objective. We catch them young, help them improve and stay at a level above others. We are not cowed by the detractors,” said Nanga.

Kasozi chips in; “Even strong institutions like Manchester United don’t field only players from their academies. They keep bringing in good players from other teams and fit them in their system. Those that fail are let to go. We are only getting started and shall improve.”

For all their trouble, Masaka SS returned to their base with no less than three trophies; South Western Region Girls Cricket champions, runners-up UCA National Girls Cricket Week, an MVP gong and three players to the Schools Select Side that will represent Uganda at the Genocide Memorial.

NAKISUYI AT A GLANCE
Full name: Immaculate Nakisuyi
Nicknames: Benzo/Mango
Club: Tornado Born: Dec 6, 1997
Jersey No: 74
Batting stance: Right-hand
Bowling: Right-arm slow
Class: Senior Five
Senior National Caps: 5
U-19 Caps: 4

THE UCA SCHOOLS COMBINED SIDE
Olila HS: Joyce Mary Apio, Mildred Anyigo,
Esther Iloku Mukono PS: Patricia Malemikia
Esther Kayaga, Masaka SS: Teddy Oyella,
Immaculate Nakisuyi, Jane Francis Baluka,
Nyakasura: Gorreti Karungi, Jinja SSS:
Stephanie Nampiina, Rita Musamali Kololo
SSS: Hope Wanichan, Patricia Nandera St.
James: Shadia Nakanjako