Pirates win USPA May award

Rugby champions Pirates have won the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) May award after polling 275 votes ahead of NIC Netball Club who won the East African Club Netball Championships in Nairobi.

In their monthly Nile Special – USPA meeting at Imperial Royale Hotel, the scribes voted Kibuli Table Tennis Club in third place with 195 votes for finishing second in the Africa Club Championships in Nairobi while the national women's cricket team, the Victoria Pearls were fourth with 168 votes.

Vipers SC that won the Star Times Super League were in fifth place with 165 votes.

USPA also elected Nathan Bwambale, a Pirates player on the supportive award that the scribes introduced recently for un-sung heroes who uplift the performance of a sporting entity to success.

He is said to have helped the Pirates team by managing his fellow players to success.

He polled 355 votes ahead of Vipers SC defender Rogers Torich who got 330 votes followed by another rugby player Santos Senteza also for aiding his club Heathens that finished in third place.

Young player, Joseph Ssebatindira (8 years) won the category of the promising players, especially looking at his performance when Kibuli Table Tennis Club clinched a silver medal in the Africa Club Championships when he won six of his eight games, surprising many senior players in the tournament and more so, winning the decider game that ended 3-2 in favor of Kibuli as they beat Ethiopia Commercial Bank to storm the final.

He polled 400 votes ahead of Troy Zziwa (15), a lawn tennis player who won more games on the Uganda team that played in the international junior tournament at Lugogo who got 320 votes.

On the sporting award (assist award), the USPA Exco selected and announced Kansai Plascon for being most sporty in May for giving support to teams including the She Cranes, Vipers SC, Entebbe Mongers Rugby team, Arua FC, Victoria Pearls (national women cricket team) and the Buddu Masaza team.

“We selected Kansai Plascon for its contribution to sports and aiding many teams to perform,” noted the president of USPA, Moses Al Sayed Lubega.

Nile Special – USPA Winners for May

Sports personality

1.    Pirates Rugby Club – 275

2.    NIC 230

3.    Kibuli Table Tennis Club 195

4.    Victoria Pearls Cricket Team 165

5.    Vipers SC 165

Promising Talent

1.    Joseph Ssebatindira (Table Tennis) 400

2.    Troy Zziwa (Lawn Tennis) 320

Supportive Award

1.    Nathan Bwambale – (Rugby player) 355

2.    Rogers Torich (Vipers Defender) 330

3.    Santos Ssenteza (rugby Player) 290

Sporting Award: - Kansai Plascon