KCCA steals late win from NIC as netball league returns

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National Netball Super League Division 1

UCU 54 Dynamite 35
UPDF 46 UGISA 43
KCCA 40 NIC 39
Greater Lions 44 UGX Luwero 42
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KCCA Netball Club has set the early tone in the National Netball Super League Division 1 with a thrilling 40–39 victory over NIC at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo.

Coach Fred Mugerwa’s side showed great steel in both defence and attack, leaving it late to snatch a famous win against a formidable title rival.

“Our training wasn’t ideal, but the players gave it their all in the first two quarters. We struggled in the third quarter, which forced me to make some changes, especially at centre and goal attack. I later brought them back,” said Mugerwa.

His best players came out swinging and proved once again why they are a force to reckon with. The returning Shaffie Nalwanja was on fire, and her strong defensive skills proved crucial in key moments, providing KCCA with two important steals.

Mugerwa’s tactical decisions paid off in the fourth quarter, while NIC’s Mubiru could only reflect on missed opportunities.

NIC coach Rashid Mubiru was an animated presence on the sidelines. (Photo by Ismail Mulangwa)

“We had a lot of issues around the circle edge. Our opponents got away with several infringements, and the refereeing wasn’t up to par. We need to go back and fix what went wrong,” NIC coach Rashid Mubiru noted.

NIC came into the match high in confidence following their impressive National Rally triumph in Busia, but KCCA’s win may have shaken their momentum.

In other matches, UCU secured a convincing 54–35 win over Dynamite, while UPDF edged UGISA in a closely contested 46–43 encounter.

Busia Greater Lions also picked up their first victory of the season with a 44–42 win over UGX Luwero.

At the conclusion of the day’s action, the fan turnout was a bit low, but the quality of netball on display was definitely top-tier.