• The former Uganda National team player was voted into office unopposed
• All Member Cricket Clubs were well represented
• Outgoing Candidate thanked members for support and wishes the incoming a successful term

Mary Nanderenga Makumbi spotting a black and white dress and looking every bit a ladies representative to the Uganda Cricket Association board was unopposed at the polls held at the Uganda Olympics Committee hostel at Lugogo on 10th February 2017.

Women’s cricket that was for long playing a back ground role to the men’s game that was regarded with greater favour and approval by the general public has now come to the fore with their having a say at the board that runs cricket affairs in Uganda and Nanderenga will be the force that binds their hopes and dreams into a solid course of action through 2017-2018.

In a game which still refers to women at the awards as best batsman the words of Thomas Bach the IOC president in 2015 ring true “Gender equality cannot be achieved by women alone. To achieve real change, a genuine team effort is needed. Gender equality can only be achieved if men and boys take full responsibility, working side by side with women and girls, to redress the dynamics that hinder progress.”;  and that was the case at the IOC hostel as the men’s representatives turned out in droves with a very significant presence in Mr. William Kibuukamusoke of Tornado Bees Cricket Club.

Nanderenga will do well to learn from Mr. Kibuukamusoke – one of the strongest promoters of the local women’s game- together with  Mr. Sam Walusimbi her former coach and manager both  pillars of the game in Ugandan cricket who understand more than many about the function and use with the least amount of waste and most economy.

Resources will not be abundant as this the case in Ugandan sport but how she chooses to manage alliances and what is available in terms of negotiation and maneuvering through the lean times will ensure a solid performance in office; and if anyone goes by the sturdy attitude and ability to rise from the adversity of a bad innings for her teams in her earlier playing days, her irrepressible attitude to matters should hold her in good standing to deliver.

Quick glimpse at the manifersto;

• Development; Work with Schools development Programme blueprint in place to aggressively revive the game
• Capacity Building; management/coaching training for senior ladies as well as younger upcoming players with the resources available
• Regional competitions; more games and match time for the girls that have shown promise from schools cricket week qualification and the schools cricket week to improve game situation awareness which she hopes will reflect in the national team performances.
• Revival of Under 19 events; work with regional national cricket authorities like Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania with the support of sponsors to have more international or regional cricket for the upcoming talent
• Togetherness; prioritise bridging the gap between the senior women players and the girls developing through the development programme
• Seperation of duties; Involve school teachers to be appointed as managers of national sides so they can use their erxpertise and skills in planning and child development to prevent intrigue and dissent in the teams

Who is Mary Nanderenga in Uganda cricket?

Missy as she is fondly known in the local cricketing circles as a player was born in 1984 on August 7th, she was a product of the schools development programme through Kololo S.S which was the postliminary for her excellence at Under 19 and senior women’s level of cricket.  Under the guidance of celebrated coach Sam Walusimbi at Wanderers Women’s Cricket Club, Mary built a gleaming art of wicket keeping and gritty cool headed batting.

She was part of the touring Ugandan side at the East African Women’s Championship achieving her highest score 24(37) against Rwanda at the Ngara Sports Club ground, a patient 10(36) to guide the side home against Kenya in the first clash of the round robin tournament at Esatleigh High School to win by 5 wickets but memorably a crucial 12(55) in a low scoring tie against old rivals Kenya in the final of the championship on 20th December 2008 at the Ruaraka Sports Club ground which Uganda won by 9 runs.

Mary was part of the Africa Championship winning national side of January 2011 taking two crucial catches against old rivals Kenya though she struggled through the tournament with and injury to a finger.

PREPARED BY: Alvin Bagaya

Chief Writer for UgCricket.com

 Regular season form will count for nothing today when the four finest sides in the Nanji Kalidas Mehta Memorial Tournament lock horns for the big prize at Lugogo Cricket Oval.
Afridi XI are overwhelming favourites after topping the charts with 24 points after a flawless record from their six round-robin phase fixtures.
But for them to carry the day’s glittering trophy and Shs3m cash prize at stake, they will need their star man Irfan Khan Afridi and Lady Luck on their side as every side is itching to soil their record.
They take on a Keshwala side, who finished second with 16 points, that is not short of firepower and lively wires in the ranks.
KICC will curtain raise the day with a clash against MMK. Both sides finished the preliminary round with 12 points. But KICC captain Hanumant Katkar believes his side has a chance of making it to the finals. 
“We have a long route to victory,” said Katkar. “But we are going to take it one game at a time. We need three wins on the day.” Damani, Cosmas and MTN are the other sides that took part in the tourney.

KNOCKOUT FIXTURES 
VIRTUAL SEMIFINALS\
KICC vs. MMK, 9am
Afridi vs. Keshwala, 11am
FINAL ROUND
Winners Game 1 vs. Looser Game
2, 1.30pm
Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game
3, 3.45pm

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Having been a ‘victim’ of the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s security drive, with global showpieces being taken away from Uganda twice, Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) is ensuring they are not third time unlucky.

In August 2010, ICC Security Manager Sean Carroll from Australia ruled against Uganda hosting a must-win Intercontinental Shield match against Namibia following two bomb blasts that rocked Kampala on July 11. Uganda went on to comprehensively lose that first-class match by 10 wickets in Windhoek.

Then in October 2014, UCA looked on helplessly as more games were taken away from them with two ‘powerful’ participating nations USA and Bermuda allegedly at the forefront of pressurising ICC to change venue. Both countries from the ICC Americas Region insisted that Uganda was not safe to host the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division III tournament, once again citing insecurity because of the Al-Shabaab terror alerts then.

In the end, the alerts turned out to be mere scares and justice was served as Uganda finished second at the meet hosted by Malaysia and forthwith progressed to Division II.

Current state
Since ICC Development and Cricket Operations Officer Nigel Mascarenhas wrote to UCA on November 20 revealing that Uganda’s bid had bettered that of Canada and Malaysia to host this year’s event, UCA are seizing every opportunity to make it count this time.

When ICC sent two of its officials Sean Norris (Security Manager) and Gurjit Singh (Development Events Manager) on a four-day working visit last week, UCA worked overtime to ensure the pair give a good review of Uganda when presenting the final reports to their bosses in Dubai, UAE.

UCA chairman Richard Mwami pulled the strings further by squeezing in a ‘priceless’ meeting between the ICC officials with the Minister of Sports and Education Janet Museveni at the State House in Nakasero last Friday.

The First Lady has now pumped up the volume in the cricket fraternity with a couple of tweets on her social media page to prove that UCA have government’s full backing to pull off a successful event.

“The ICC delegation was in the country to ascertain Uganda’s sustainability to host the WCL Tournament,” read one of her tweets.

The one that went viral goes: “We’re ready to host the ICC tournament and we want to see cricket in Uganda revived. Uganda can be banked on to host the tournament.” Prior to meeting Minister, Norris and Singh also met the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, Assistant Inspector General of Police (IGP) Andrew Sorowen alongside several security firms and visited social amenities like Nakasero Hospital plus inspecting the three ovals; Entebbe, Kyambogo and Lugogo, where the tournament will be played.

And with the backing from the highest of hierarchies in Uganda, UCA will, now, not only be hoping to host an incident-free event but also look to successfully woo more sponsors on board to bolster the growth of the gentleman’s game here.

The upcoming tournament
Name: Division III ICC WCL
When: May 21-31, 2017
Where: Uganda
Venues: Lugogo, Kyambogo & Entebbe
Teams: Six
Nations: USA, Canada, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, Uganda
Benefit: Top two teams progress to ICC WCL Division II

2017 ICC WCL DIV III

Participating Nations
Uganda: 5th 2015 ICC WCl Div 2
Canada: 6th 2015 ICC WCL Div 2
Malaysia: 3rd 2014 ICC WCL Div 3
Singapore: 4th 2014 ICC WCL Div 3
USA: 1st 2016 ICC WCL Div 4
Oman: 2nd 2016 ICC WCL Div 4

By Innocent Ndawula

There is no better way Team Uganda’s coach Francis Otieno would have wanted his side to start the UAE International Women Twenty20 Cup.

The Lady Cricket Cranes started off at the invitational event with a convincing 87-run win over Oman at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium yesterday.

“It was a good game,” delighted senior player Franklyn Najjumba told this paper via phone. By then, the mood was a jovial one back in camp at Hotel Holiday International.

While Otieno will have to find solutions to a mid-order collapse, the Kenyan tactician will particularly be impressed with the team response.

Skipper Barbara Mukankusi’s three boundaries in an opening knock of 23 off 32 hardly got support from six batters on the order as Omani bowling trio Saya Channa (2/20), Sajina Rajesh (2/38) and Akshadha Gunasekar (2/21) enjoyed fine spells with the ball.

Uganda was reeling at 71-6 not until Najjumba and Carol Namugenyi walked onto the crease. The pair combined well for a 65-run partnership with 35 runs off 32 deliveries coming off Najjumba’s bat.

Namugenyi had 23 runs off 24 balls and 29 bowling extras had Uganda pile 126-7. The Ugandan fielding innings began with verve and put Oman in a tight spot at 5-3 after 5.5 overs courtesy of Namugenyi.

She snared outstanding figures of 4/3 and two maidens. That early blow set the tone as Consy Aweko (2/2) and Mackenzie Ayato (2/7) bowled out the Omanis for 39 runs. Today is rest day for Uganda but Oman takes on Kuwait in Group B.

UAE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S T20 CUP
YESTERDAY’S RESULT
Uganda 126/7 Oman 39/10 
(Uganda won by 87 runs)

The visiting Takashinga franchise from Zimbabwe came and took the inaugural Uganda Quadrangular Series trophy at the expense of their fellow rivals from Uganda and Kenya.

But despite the absence of a podium moment for either of the Ugandan teams, there were more than a handful of positives to pick from the eight-day tournament that saw every team play each other twice in the round-robin like league format.

Aside Ugandan fans getting a taste of international cricket for the first time in more than four years, a hatful of previously ignored players grabbed the opportunity with both hands and reminded the selectors what they are capable of.

Left-hander batsman Shahzad Kamal, all-rounder Daniel Ruyange and lively bowler Trevor Bukenya showed that they were not out of place at the big stage whereas youngsters Derrick Bakunzi, Arnold Otwani, Siraje Nsubuga and Lawrence Ssempijja continued to make hay after some naysayers had previously written them off.

The old guns nicknamed generals after they returned from self-imposed retirements led by skipper Davis Karashani showed that they are fully back, experience translates into class and belong to the big time.

Opening bowlers Charles Waiswa and Emmanuel Isaneez were a fresh breath of air to their respective teams whereas wicketkeeper Lawrence Ssematimba and Frank Nsubuga showed they still have some fire in their belly with steely displays.

“This tour has been all the worth it,” said Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) CEO Justine Ligyalingi. “Thirty of our players have got game time against opposition of international quality. And one of our sides came within a whisker of winning the trophy. We are grateful to Kenya and Takashinga. We now want to make this series a permanent fixture.”

Ligyalingi added that the UCA is keeping in line with Project 2017. “We are going to offer two more tours to the team, one at home and another away, to continue preparing them for the International Cricket Council Division III World Cricket League that we shall host in May.”

Cricket Cranes coach Steve Tikolo, too, underscored the importance of the players to keep their feet grounded and urged UCA Board to continue selflessly supporting the team’s progress.

“We cannot rest on our laurels,” said the 45-year-old Kenyan legend. “The hard work must continue. Whoever puts up his hand and delivers will be picked. There is no landlord on the team. Our goal is 2017 and shall leave no stone unturned in preparation.”

UPCOMING TOURNAMENT
Name: Division III ICC WCL
When: May 2017
Where: Uganda
Venues: Lugogo, Kyambogo & Entebbe
Teams: Six (USA, Canada, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, Uganda)
Benefit: Top two teams progress to ICC WCL Division II

By INNOCENT NDAWULA

Zimbabwean top franchise Takashinga came to town and carried top honours at the 2016 Uganda Quadrangular Seriers as expected on Saturday.
But it was Uganda, who fielded two sides (Uganda XI and Uganda Select), that were celebrating most after they comprehensively defeated the Kenya XI side and run the Zimbabweans close during the eight-day tour. 
Davis Karashani’s Uganda XI and Takashinga finished on 25 points. Takashinga’s Net Run Rate (NRR) of 1.686 was however better than that of Uganda XI (1.516) by just 0.07 hence granting the vistors the title by the slimmest of margins.
Winston Shingirai Masakadza’s tournament haul of 178 runs, nine wickets and eight fielding dismissals made all the difference for the southern Africans and duly notched the Man of Series Award.

Takashinga showed immense awareness by chasing down Uganda Select’s set target of 157 in just 25.3 overs at Kyambogo Oval to surpass the NRR of Uganda XI, who had earlier scored 225 and bowled Kenya XI for 85 for a 140-run win at Lugogo Oval. But although Ugandan captains Karashani and Brian Masaba said that they would have loved the trophy to stay at home but they were not shedding any tear.
“Any sharp person has picked something from this Series,” said Karashani, who captained Uganda XI that was coached by Steve Tikolo and Jackson Ogwang. “The exposure we got is priceless. Guys got good time out their in the middle to express themselves and know exactly which areas they need to work on. Such tours build momentum.”

Masaba, too, was happy that many ‘rookies’ looking to get into the senior side had got a chance to play against top quality opposition and gauge their potential.
“Uganda benefited most from the tournament,” said Masaba, who was skipper for the Uganda Select side. “The more game time we get, the better for us. The guys looking to get a look in, it served as a good eye opener. Also picking up advice and tips from Takashinga guys after the game was great for the boys.”

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Uganda has been invited to compete in the UAE International Women’s T20 Cup scheduled to take place from 12^th – 20th December 2016 in United Arab Emirates.

A total of Eight (8) Countries confirmed participation in the above Tournament namely; Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Uganda, Zimbabwe, & United Arab Emirates.

 A squad of 30 players was named, and Preparations for the tournament kicked off on Thursday 6^th October 2016, the team trains from both Lugogo and Jinja grounds . 

See below a squad which was selected to prepare for the above Tournament.

1. Immaculate Nakisuyi 
2. Joyce Mary Apio
3. Jane Francis Baluka 
4. Patricia Munguryek 
5. Kevin Awino 
6. Grace M. Ayato 
7. Evelyn Anyipo 
8. Carol Namugenyi 
9. Gertrude Candiru 
10. Shakira Sadick 
11. Stephanie Nampiina 
12. Hilda Kabaseke 
13. Hope Wanichan 
14. Rita Musamali 
15. Naome Kayondo 
16. Saidat Kemigisha
17. Rashida Kalsum 
18. Jenifer Nabwana 
19. Lelia Namaganda 
20. Pricco Nakitende 
21. Barbara Mukankusi  
22. Janet Mbabazi 
23. Rachael Ntono 
24. Scovia Akello 
25. Leona Babirye 
26. Gloria Adubu 
27. Consy Aweko
28. Claire Mushakamba
29. Patricia Malemikia 
30. Franklyn Najjumba