Uganda set apart from the rest

Jesse Jackson Kauraisa Sports minister Agnes Tjongarero lauded the teams that competed at the Debmarine Namibia Pent Series, saying “we have observed top quality, world-class netball”.“I am pleased to see that African countries are no longer participants but have become powerhouses in the world,” she said.“In attempt to improve overall rankings, it remains imperative that African countries compete in such competitions,” Tjongarero added.For Namibia, winning the series was always going to be a tall order given the quality of players and world ranking differences of their competitors. The bookmakers would have, however, favoured Malawi to be the team riding a wave of success at the tournament, given their sixth-place world ranking.But not even the team from the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ had the nerves or strength to stop a determined Ugandan side that came in the competition firing on all cylinders.Flamboyant netballUganda finished the series on top, having scored the most points without conceding a single defeat in the competition.Playing flamboyant netball with a touch of disrespect, Uganda showed why they are ranked seventh in the world.In five matches, the Ugandans managed to score 347 times while only conceding 170, giving them +177 with 10 points to secure top spot.Their statistics looked much better than Malawi’s, who netted 294 times but also conceded 218 goals, only managing a difference of +76. They finished second on eight points. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s showing at the series might have not been what they had in mind, finishing with a -28 scoring.The Zimbabweans, however, can draw positives from the tournament, having beaten Kenya and Namibia and playing to a stalemate in a tense match against Zambia.They scored 243 times, but their conceding rate of 271 goals was the reason they could only settle for third place. Great defenceDespite only earning a fourth-place finish, Namibia’s defensive record was better than that of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Kenya throughout the tournament.The host only conceded 211 times, but their low scoring rate of 193 - coupled with three loses and only two wins – sealed their fate.Ranked 24th in the world, the Desert Jewels will be proud that they finished above Zambia and Kenya on the table.The Zambians might have had a better shooting record, but their defence let them down after conceding 299 times against their 202 goals. Kenya, on the other hand, will rue a missed opportunity after failing to turn up in their first game, which saw Namibia awarded a 25-0 victory.When they did show up, however, they had anything to show for it after losing all four matches.Kenya netted the fewest goals in the competition but will be satisfied with the fact that they did not concede the highest number of goals. Friday resultsKenya 34-55 MalawiZambia 52-52 ZimbabweUganda 56-37 Namibia

Uganda set apart from the rest

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Republikein 2026-06-19

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Uganda set apart from the rest

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