Uganda’s She Cranes booked their place in the Africa Netball Championship semi-finals, but not without surviving a furious late fightback from a stubborn Namibia side in a contest that tested their composure far more than the scoreline suggests.
Instead of the usual dominance that has defined their group campaign, Uganda’s victory on Friday was a story of two contrasting performances a blistering start and a nervy finish.
The She Cranes, who entered the match already buzzing after wins over Kenya and Zimbabwe, looked untouchable in the opening half at the Griffin Saenda Sports Complex. Their defensive engine room Gloria Aya, Shaffie Nalwanja, Margret Bagala and Christine Nakito suffocated Namibia’s attacking flow, creating turnover after turnover. Up front, a clinical Nassanga controlled the circle with near-perfect execution as Uganda cruised to a 28–13 halftime lead.
But the comfort evaporated after halftime. A wave of substitutions disrupted Uganda’s rhythm, opening the door for Namibia to claw their way back. The Desert Jewels pounced on misplaced feeds and hesitations in the shooting circle, trimming the gap to single digits and sending a hush across the Ugandan bench.
With the pressure mounting and Namibia reducing the deficit to as low as six in the final quarter, Uganda were forced to recall their big guns. The reintroduction of Nassanga and Nalwanja helped restore order just in time, allowing the She Cranes to steady themselves and close out a tense 47–39 win.
The result maintains Uganda’s perfect run and sets up a mouth-watering semi-final rematch with Malawi a rivalry that delivered fireworks in the previous edition’s last-four battle.
For the She Cranes, the job is done, but the warning is clear: Malawi will not wait for them to rediscover their rhythm.
What a nail-biting game! It’s fantastic to see the She Cranes pushing through such a tough match – looking forward to the semi-final against Malawi!