Netball: She Cranes upbeat 

The national netball team (She Cranes) fly out to Cape Town, South Africa for the World Cup later this week, just in time for their test game against Barbados, after they have arrived.

The game against Barbados is expected to provide the required preparation before the World Cup begins on July 28. Yet, with or without the friendly game lined up, assistant She Cranes coach Sarah Namuddu is upbeat about the good physical and competitive condition the team is in, going for the global showpiece.

She said earlier this week, that the strict training regimen the She Cranes have been under for the last few months has got them into good form. She attributed this to the trial games the girls had against their male national team (The Rock) counterparts.

“Playing against the men gave the girls a real tough challenge. And although at the end of those games, the men would be on top of proceedings, the girls’ determination to avoid defeat, gave them an extra competitive edge, which, if we can apply it at the World Cup, we will do well,” Namuddu said.

But it goes without saying that the pressure in friendly matches is different from what a World Cup match creates. A similar kind of temperament and calm, to perform when the stakes are high, is what the She Cranes must muster, when push comes to shove.

Notably, as the World Cup nears, the She Cranes have been exciting to watch in their practice matches. Namuddu explained that this has come as a result of working on every technical aspect of each individual player.

Inevitably, as coaches, they should brace themselves for the selection headache that awaits them. And Namuddu is not oblivious of that. She said their build-up games against Barbados and Scotland in Cape Town will determine the starting seven.

Fourteen players will fly to South Africa on Saturday, July 22 ahead of their first build-up against Barbados a day later. They will play Scotland in the last warm-up game on Tuesday, July 25.

Shooter Mary Nuba, who plies her trade at United Kingdom giants Lightning Loughborough, will link-up with the team in South Africa ahead of the trial match against Barbados.

Uganda, who are ranked number 8 in the world, start the campaign against Singapore on July 28. Then, they will face defending champions New Zealand the following morning before concluding their group D engagements against Trinidad and Tobago on July 30.