Ndyagumanawe targets history in Nile Special Open
Ndyagumanawe prepares to pot in last year’s tournament. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
Pool. Champion, who beat Alfred Gumikiriza 7-5 in last year’s final, wants to become first player to defend the Nile Special Pool Open title.
KAMPALA. After a slight drizzle, Amos Ndyagumanawe drove his branded Toyota Mark II car to the Nile Breweries company premises in Luzira yesterday morning.
The 2015 Nile Special Pool Open champion later walked to a shade, smiled a bit then cut a relaxed pose at the launch of the tournament’s 2016 edition. “No man has managed to defend the Open title and I want to do it,” a smiling Ndyagumanawe, said.
The Skin Samona Club player opened up on how he plans to do it.
“I intend to do serious training abroad,” he said, “I plan to go for challenges with top players across East Africa in Zanzibar, Nairobi and Tanzania starting next month,” he added. “My main focus is on retaining the Open title and the All-Africa Black Ball Pool Championships (week after Open finals in Kampala),” the ever-charming Ndyagumanawe added.
The current national seed one had quietly watched on as Nile Special Brand Manager, John Katete, renewed the annual countrywide’s showpiece package with an incerement to Shs1.2b for the next three years. “Pool Association of Uganda (PAU) seems so organised that it was not difficult for us to renew the partnership,” Katete offered. “We will continue rewarding the best players in the country through this brand.”
PAU president, Farouk Kisuze and his colleagues were more than elated. “We are delighted with this trust as the National Open continues to grow from strength to strength,” Kisuze said. The Open, that has been spread to new venues like Apac, Amuria and Serere districts, will commence with the mini-region qualifiers at 320 centres next Friday. After a six-week period, those that will advance at each centre will play at regional level in 40 outlets.
The best three per outlet will form a lot of 120 who will join the top eight PAU seeds for the grand finale due October 22 at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
ROAD TO OPEN FINAL
July 22: preliminaries start
August 9: Regional Qualifiers start
Grand final: October 22
CAST OF WINNERS
2015 - Amos Ndyagumanawe
2014 - Fahad Ssewankambo
2013 - Jonan Turigye
2012 - Alfred Gumikiriza.
