St. Mary’s Boarding Secondary School–Kitende were crowned champions of the 2026 Netball Uganda National Novice Championship after edging Buddo Secondary School 26–24 in a gripping final played on Saturday evening at Lubiri Secondary School.
Kitende made a blistering start to the contest, capitalizing on two early center-pass turnovers by Buddo to surge into a 2–0 lead and extend it to 6–2 within the opening five minutes.
That early momentum proved decisive in a tightly contested encounter that kept spectators on edge until the final whistle.
The victory also served as sweet revenge for Kitende, who had suffered a 35–31 defeat to Buddo in the 2026 USSSA Elite final played in Bombo just a week earlier.
Kitende reached the championship match after a hard-fought 29–27 semi-final victory over Kawanda Secondary School.
The match required extra time after the sides were deadlocked at 21–21 at the end of normal time.
Buddo, meanwhile, progressed to the final after finishing unbeaten at the top of Group B.
In the semi-finals, they overcame rivals Baptist High School with a convincing 24–18 victory.
Attention now turns to the 2026 Netball Uganda National Rally Championship, scheduled to take place from March 26 to 28 at Kaddugala Secondary School in Masaka.
