BY RONALD AWANY
UCU Angels beat Police 43-40 in their opening game as the East and Central Africa Netball Championships kicked off on April 3 at Lugogo indoor Stadium, in Kampala.
Prisons, UPDF, KCCA and National Insurance Corporation (NIC) are the other local sides alongside UCU, competing against opponents from across the region in the tournament, slated for April 2-9.
BY RONALD AWANY
UCU Cardinals opened their account in the 2016 season of the University Football League (UFL) with a rather disappointing result after losing 1-0 to Gulu University on April 2, at Gulu grounds.
Ocana Richard’s 77th minute strike condemned the tired UCU side, which had spent close to seven hours on the road to the games, to their first defeat of the season.
Gulu University thus came out the better team with a lot going for the side including: fresh legs, home advantage and having to face an exhausted team. This created a lot of chances and dominating possession for Gulu.
UCU on the other hand had poor finishing in front of goal with wasteful Robert Mugisha and Joshua Kirathe both firing blanks. UCU Coach, Jackson Nyima fielded a whole new side from last season’s comprising: Tumwine George, Jamilu Kiyegga, Marvin Asimwe, Ivan Lony, Musa Onji, Brian Musuto and Geoffrey Komakech.
The team as their work cut out as they prepare to host defending champions Makerere University Business School (MUBS) on April 5, in Mukono.
BY RONALD AWANY
The UCU Lady Cardinals got back to winning ways in a 3–2 win over Wakiso Sailors in their last game of the first round in the Elite Football League (EFL) at the university’s old football pitch.
Maureen Kinavudori beat the Sailor’s wall with a brilliant chip into the top left corner of the goal after a free kick was awarded for a foul against Millicent Mwanzi, to give the Cardinals the lead.
Mwanzi scored from the penalty spot 15 minutes later to make it 2–0 at half time. The visitors pulled one back in the second half before Kinavudori converted from the spot again to make it 3–1. The visitors put up a last minute fight to score a second for the game to end 3–2.
Action resumes in April with the Cardinals travelling to Soroti to face Olira Women Football Club and Divine Stars Football Club.
BY RONALD AWANY
The sixth season of Friday Night Lights (FNL) fun Basketball Tournament, kicked off on March 4, at the YMCA Courts in Wandegeya with three Lady Canons stars featuring.
Judith Nansobya, Vilma Achieng and Zaina Lukwameri play for Team Koma, Team Jonah and Team Kami respectively, while none of the Canons men features this season.
The tournament involves national Basketball League players who team up with fans, then tussle it out for cash.
Each team takes home Shs3m irrespective of the result, but the major catch will be on the final winners. The overall winner will walk away with Shs3m, while the first runner-up will get Shs 2million and the second runner-up Shs1.5m.
The organizers chose eight captains: Maureen Amoding (Team Amoding), Kami Kabange (Team Kami), Ben Komakech (Team Koma), Jonah Otim (Team Jonah), Joseph Ikong (Team Ikong), Norman Blick (Team Blick), Ivan Enabu (Team Enabu) and Team Wazee (consists of legends of the game).
The gym under construction at the new pitch (Photo by Ronald Awany)
BY RONALD AWANY
UCU athletes will be excited with the construction of the external gym facility at the Sports Complex that commenced a fortnight ago.
The facility comes as a boost to the already existing gym that only accommodates static weights.
UCU fitness coach, Timothy Kibuye, praised the development as one that will help the athletes to manage body weight.
“This gym will cater for mostly athletes, rugby, football, and basketball players in building dynamic strength and it complements the other gym that is already in existence,” he said.
The facility that will constitute squat racks, T-bars, leg press, monkey bars, concrete weights, and steps, also will be accessible to the general construction commenced in February and is set to be completed by end of March.
Bachelor of Laws students celebrate a goal during an Inter-course game last semester (File photo)
BY RONALD AWANY
The Easter Semester Inter-courses Tournament kicked off on March 4, with Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) losing to Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration (BSWASA) 2–1, while Bachelor of Laws (LLB) got a walk over defending champions, Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering (BSCEE) after the latter failed to turn up.
The winners of the tournament will walk away with a Shs250,000 cash prize and Shs100,000 for first runners-up. Certificates will be issued to participants and outstanding players.
However, Guild sports minister, Julius Mugabi, decried the small budget of Shs3.5m allocated to sports for the whole year.
“We would have had more prizes to offer the teams and individual performers but very little money was allocated to the annual sports budget.
“Imagine I have to distribute Shs3.5m across three semesters, which is unrealistic,” he said.
He urged the guild government to give sports greater priority and financial allocation.
“It is high time parliament took sports seriously.
“Through these events, coaches are able to select players for their respective university teams but we cannot organise these events without enough money and because of that, this year we shall have no annual sports gala, which has always been a custom,” Mugabi said.
In contrast to the marginalised sports budget, the Guild President’s trip to the Netherlands and the guild trip were allocated Shs10m and Shs20m, respectively, while a debatable figure of Shs10m was also allocated to Foreign Affairs, which leaves a lot to be desired about how serious the guild government considers sports.
UCU Tennis star and Ugandan number two seed David Oringa is set to play in the Jean-Claude Gasigwa Memorial Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda from March 22-30.
Oringa fresh from the Uganda Open action where he was knocked out in the quarter-finals in February will be hoping to win the tournament amidst a lot of rivalry from Ugandan number one seed, Duncan Mugabe, and Zambia’s Edgar Kazembe.
The inaugural tournament organized in memory of former Rwanda number one, Gasigwa will be played at Amahoro Stadium tennis courts with several regional players to take part.
Gasigwa who defeated David Oringa in the finals of the 2014 Rwanda Open was born on July 8, 1983.
He died suddenly on January 8, 2015 after collapsing during training at Cercle Sportif de Kigali. His death shocked not only the continent but the entire tennis fraternity.
Gasigwa also won regional competitions such as Kenya Open in 2008, Tanzania Open in 2011, and Uganda Open in 2009 and 2013 among others. In 2011, Gasigwa also represented the country at the 10th All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.
The event is open to both amateurs and professionals and countries that have so far confirmed their participation include Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo.
Canons’ Steven Wundi attempts to go past City OIlers’ Jonah Otim during the KIU Invitational in Kansanga (Photo by Ronald Awany)
The early exit of the UCU Canons from the Kampala International University (KIU) Basketball Invitational at Kansanga in Kampala a fortnight ago left many fans and pundits wondering if the team would repeat last season’s heroics after fielding a small and mostly young squad throughout the tournament.
Coach Nick’s side were knocked out in the group stages after picking up a single win against new league entrants, the UPDF Tomhawks, and losing the other two to KIU and City Oilers.
The team was experiencing first life on the courts without Boniface Okello, Martin Okwako, Joseph Wacha, Ivan Lumanyika, Innocent Oduor and Joseph Chuma who have since exited the team.
Desmond Owili and Brain Namake both of whom are still in the team were also absent on personal business.
The team had to rely on talisman Steven Wundi, Jonathan Egau, Wal Madol, Chuma Fadhili, YahayaKalyesubula, and Andrew Gang along new entrants Jonathan Obukunyang, Derrick Isiku and David Okello.
After losing at least six first-team players, the Canons showed all signs of a team that is in dire need of new experienced players to be able to compete with rivals and to boost the now very small squad.
During an interview with The Standard, Natuhereza reiterated the need to make additions.
“We are definitely going to make new signings and we have up to mid season to do that,” he said.
“But I do not want to be rushed into signing anyone because what we need is quality.
“There are gaps that we need to fill and we will definitely do that,” he added.
Teams have intensified preparations in order to compete for the league title in the upcoming season.
KIU Titans, City Oilers, and Our Saviour have notably all made new signings.
It took a resurgent UCU Shepherds side the final 25 minutes of the second half to overturn a 10-point deficit and scoop a vital 13 – 0 win against Sailors Rugby Club in game five of the Rugby Championship League at the New Pitch in UCU.
The Shepherds went down 10 – 0 in the first half after a poor display especially in defence.
The team resumed the second half, a rejuvenated side after a tough talk by Assistant Coach, Leonard Lubambula, during the half-time break. After 20 minutes of tight defence and resolute offensives, Shepherds’ Humphrey Komakech broke away from park to score the Shepherds’ first try before missing the conversion at 65 minutes into the game.
Five minutes later, Rodney Ankunda made the second try to level matters at 10 all before Komakech slotted in the conversion to make the score 12 – 10.
The excitement did not last long for the Shepherds fans as moments later the Sailors slotted in a penalty to take the game to 13 – 0 resulting from poor handling in the defence.
However, all hope was not lost as the hosts won a penalty of their own two minutes to the end of the game.
Ivan Orach stepped up to drill the ball between the posts and eventually handed the Shepherds a win, 15 – 13.
Lubambula blamed the terrible half on over -confidence on the side of his players. “We started off with a bad first half because the boys underestimated the opponents,” he said.
“There is also poor turn-up to training sessions because of the tricky lectures timetable which makes it hard for us to gel during games. We shall use the elections break to regroup and plan for our next game,” Lubambula added.
The result leaves the Shepherds second on the table with 12 points and 7 behind Stallions Rugby Club who top the league with three games to go till the half-season break in March.
The Rugby Championship League is a second tier league after the Nile Premiership with the top two teams qualifying for the main league playoffs.
The UCU Sports Department has been dealt a major blow with the departure of Sports Director, Mr Semei Kakungulu (inset), barely five months after his appointment.
Kakungulu left the university two weeks ago “to pursue further studies in Norway” just as the department had started tapping from his expertise.
The department, which is under the office of the Director of Students’ Affairs (DOSA) now, has a big vacuum to be filled.
The DOSA, Mrs Olive Birabi Ayo told The standard that she will work with the Sports Coordinator, Mr Cornelius Engwenyu to fill the gap left by Kakungulu as the Human Resource Department looks for a replacement.
“We will look at a way of filling the gap,” she said. “It was abrupt and disorganising
for all of us, including him, but we are working on a tentative replacement soon.”
In spite of the development, Engwenyu remained optimistic about the survival and progress of the department.
“The department has to continue running, Mr Kakungulu’s departure leaves us with a human resource gap but not a management gap,” he said.
“In the past we have managed under similar circumstances,” Engwenyu added.
Efforts to reach Kakungulu for comment were futile because his mobile numbers were off by press time.
The Sports Department has had four directors since 2006 all of whom have left before the end of their contracts. Jason Mehl (2006 – 2009), Del Scully (October 2010 – April 2012), Reverend Frederick Ochieng (July 2013 – January 2014) and Semei Kakungulu (October 2015 – January 2016).
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