Buoyant She Cranes in England for World Cup
Star girl. Shooter Peace Proscovia’s experience and exposure will be needed by Uganda.
Kampala. The She Cranes Uganda’s national netball team on Saturday joined the likes of Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Wales, Malawi and South Africa who have already camped in Liverpool, England ahead of Netball World Cup which strats on Friday.
The team was welcomed by captain Peace Proscovia who had travelled from Australia to England days before.
According to Coach Vincent Kiwanuka, they landed in England in the morning hours and checked into Holiday Express Inn Hotel where they will be staying.
She Cranes started training sessions yesterday and Kiwanuka told Daily Monitor that Proscovia blended in well with the rest.
Kiwanuka added that training sessions will see players learn from Proscovia as she also learns from them especially regarding game speed.
“We are now a full team after meeting our captain Proscovia . All players are in good shape, and we thank Ugandans for their prayers,” Kiwanuka said.
Kiwanua also expects the She Cranes to have friendlies with other teams.
“We are going to play friendlies with various teams this week and these will help to strengthen our squad. We also hope to win these games,” Kiwanuka said.
Meanwhile Malawi Queens, who travelled to England early last week, have already lost two friendlies by 57- 44 and 52 - 47 against England and Wales respectively.
The She Cranes open their tournament against hosts England on Friday before taking on Samoa and Scotland Saturday and Sunday respectively to complete their group G fixtures of the World Cup.
Format
Teams will compete in four round-robin groups (A, B, C and D) each consisting of four teams in the first preliminaries.
In the second stage of the competition, the top three teams from groups A and B will form group F, and the top three teams from groups C and D will form group G. The bottom four finishers from groups A-D will compete for 13th-16th places in group E.
Groups F and G
The winners of each semi-final will compete for gold in the final, with the losers playing for bronze. The teams finishing third and fourth in groups F and G will compete for final positions fifth to eighth – third in one group plays fourth in the other – with the winners playing off for fifth place and the losers for seventh.
The teams that finish fifth in groups F and G will play off for ninth and tenth places.
The teams that finish last in groups F and G will play off for 11th and 12 places.
Group E
The top two teams from group E will play off for 13th and 14th places and the bottom two teams will play off for 15th and 16th place.
UGANDA SQUAD IN FULL
*Jesca Achan, Lilian Ajio, Mary Cholhok Nuba, Betty Kizza, Muhaimuna Naamuwaya, Joan Nampugu, Stella Nanfuka, Racheal Nanyonga, Sylivia Nanyonga, Stella Oyella, Peace Proscovia and Ruth Meeme.
Ones to Watch
Peace Proscovia has a wealth of experience and an abundance of talent within the shooting circle. The 29-year-old’s shooting skills have catapulted herself and the She Cranes to the world stage of late, earning herself a move to Sunshine Coast Lightning having won Vitality Netball Superleague Players’ Player of the Season Award for 2018 for her performances with Loughborough Lightning.
Mary Nuba became the second Ugandan to turn out for Loughborough Lightning following international teammate Peace Proscovia’s departure. The youngster immediately showcased her shooting prowess, winning the Gilbert Golden Shot Award.
She cranes schedule
Group fixtures
Friday: Uganda vs. England
Saturday: Uganda vs. Samoa
Sunday: Uganda vs. Scotland
World Cup Groups
Group A: Australia, Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe, Sri
Lanka
Group B: New Zealand, Malawi, Barbados, Singapore
Group C: Jamaica, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago,
Fiji
Group D: England, Uganda, Scotland, Samoa
